Skip to content DNA | 4 Generations of Disciple Making | Part 3 | Rev Paul Jeyachandran Feb 25 · 28 min ...more
DNA | 4 Generations of Disciple Making | Part 3 | Rev Paul Jeyachandran
February 25, 2024 · 28 min
Series IDMC Movement February 25, 2024 · 28 min · IDMC Movement
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Rev. Paul Jeyachandran leads the Intentional Disciple Making Church (IDMC) Movement, which is all about calling churches back to its disciplemaking roots. Visit us at idmcmovement.com
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0:05 Today, are focusing on the 4 generations in disciple making. Second Timothy chapter 2 and verse 2. The Bible says that Paul wrote to Timothy, his spiritual0:16 son, and he says to him that whatever you heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others0:28 also. What a beautiful passage of scripture that is instructive for us in disciple making. In other words, what you have heard from me, Paul had0:40 taught Timothy. Paul being the first generation taught Timothy the second generation. And now he's saying what Timothy ought to do is to entrust to faithful men.0:52 That's the third generation who will be able to teach others also, and the others referring to the fourth generation. Now, why would Paul keep 4 generations1:05 before Timothy and command him to do disciple making intentionally? In our previous sessions, we have already covered who is a disciple. But1:16 let me recap for you. Who is a disciple? A disciple is someone who is learning from Jesus, who is being changed by Jesus, and he is engaged1:28 in the mission of Jesus. We have already established what disciple making is about. Disciple making is helping others take their next step1:41 in being learning from Jesus, being changed by Jesus, and being engaged in the mission of Jesus. In other words, it's helping others.1:53 So at IDMC, I want us to know how do we do disciple making. We said in disciple making, there are 4 statements that are involved. This gives you the process how2:05 discipleship ought to happen sequentially. Number 1, it is about bringing people into right relationship with God. In other words, we have to pay attention to2:17 how we bring people into right relationship with God. That means we go out to the unreached. We go to the people that are unchurched. We go to the people who2:28 have not heard the gospel, have not received Christ as their savior and Lord. And we have to have a discipleship strategy to engage them, to bring them into the house of2:40 God, to bring them into an environment where we can teach them the gospel, share with them the gospel. The best strategy that we have found at IDMC is this, the blessed strategy.2:52 That's why I keep asking you, who do you have in your blessed list? Who are you actually praying for? Bless begins with begin with prayer. You're praying for the person3:04 to have a divine appointment with you that God will open their heart and you can share the gospel with them. At the same time, you're listening to their story. You're listening to what is going on in their life, and3:16 you are able to pay attention to the needs that they have, not only spiritual needs, but also physical needs, because we need to show the love of God in practical ways. But we create an environment where3:28 we open our home and invite them into our home and have a meal together. When you eat together, maybe it's not in your home, it could be in a cafe, but the moment you eat together, you're bringing God into the3:40 picture. It's a spiritual moment. Your conversation changes. You serve their needs and you share your story. But remember, it begins with the intentionality of praying3:52 for them. That's why Begin with Prayer. We bring people into right relationship with God. And part of the strategy is we have things4:04 like Alpha groups, where we share the gospel and we take them through a series of classes that helps them to understand who Jesus is, why do we believe in the Bible, and what church is all4:15 about, and finally gives them a special invitation to receive Christ, isn't it? These are environments that we intentionally create, but we got to bring people into right relationship with God. That's the4:27 beginning of disciple making. So at home, you've got to do that intentionally, even with your own children. How do you bring them? Just because you bring them to church doesn't necessarily mean that they have engaged4:39 with the gospel and they are now growing in their faith in Christ. You've got to intentionally ask them, have you received Christ as your savior and Lord? Bring people in the4:51 right relationship with God. Not only that, but we also help them to develop them into full maturity in Christ. How do we develop them in full maturity in Christ?5:03 We have to have some intentional growth strategies. We already established what spiritual maturity looks like in our church. Spiritual maturity is evidenced by Christ likeness,5:15 and that's the ultimate goal, that to become like Him, that we are conformed to His image, we are transformed into His likeness. In other words, our nature is changing on a day to5:27 day basis. Now that is developing them into full maturity in Christ through intentional growth strategies. We have to put in place growth strategies for every person, whether it's a5:39 newcomer, it's a new believer, there's an Alpha Group, there's new Foundations classes for people who have just joined the church, there's Discovery Track for people who want to take5:50 the next step in serving God and knowing God and knowing about themselves and how to plant themselves in the house. All of this, it's intentional growth strategies. And in the LifeGroup, when people come into our6:02 small group system, we want them to continue to be equipped by the Word of God, that they know how to relate to Christ. They know how to grow in spiritual maturity by practicing spiritual disciplines and applying the6:14 scriptures in their life and becoming more and more like him, being changed by him. Hallelujah. Finally, that they might multiply this entire process in others6:26 also. 1 of the core things that you and I need to pay attention to is this: The ultimate outcome of effective disciple making is spiritual multiplication.6:38 See, you and I need to understand this. Jesus did not just say to us, Go and help people just to make decisions for Christ. In other words, they just said yes6:50 to Jesus, or they just said, I will follow Jesus. And that's it. You leave them there. No, Jesus said, you not only make them converts, you actually work with them to make disciples. In other7:02 words, the process doesn't just stop at you leading them to Christ, but you have to also lead them into maturity in Christ. How does that work? This is where we have7:14 to pay attention to spiritual multiplication. It is about reproducing ourselves in others. My burden as a pastor is this: that there is7:26 no success without succession. In other words, in my household, by the grace of God, I'm a fourth generation Christian. And the 2 boys7:38 that are being raised in my household, my wife and I, we pay attention to 2 of our boys, and both our boys need to be the fifth generation that carries on this legacy of faith.7:49 Now, what I'm so thankful for is that the previous generation took time to invest in our lives. They shared with us the truth. They taught us the word of8:01 God. They modeled a Christian life. They gave us the opportunities to come to church, to go to youth groups, to go to Sunday school, to hear the gospel, and to be equipped in our walk with God. Now8:13 listen to me carefully. This has to be done intentionally. Why? Because there is no success without succession. Earlier, we read the scripture.8:26 Second Timothy chapter 2 and verse 2. In that scripture, Paul actually mentions 4 generations where someone taught the other8:37 intentionally and help them to not only become right with God, but help them to mature in Christ through intentional growth strategy that they might multiply in others8:49 also. You look at that. The Bible says in Second Timothy chapter 2 and verse 2, what you heard from me, you meaning Timothy, heard from Paul. Paul is the first9:00 generation. Timothy is the second generation. Now Paul is commanding Timothy to commit to faithful men. That's the third generation. Faithful men. And what they need to be faithful9:12 in, who will be able to teach others also. Paul to Timothy, Timothy to faithful men, and faithful men to others. Why did Paul9:24 keep 4 generations in mind? Listen to me carefully. What 1 generation will neglect, the next generation9:36 will reject. Let me repeat that again. What 1 generation neglects, the next generation will reject. In other words,9:47 if you fail to be intentional in discipling your family, If 1 generation of believers neglect to intentionally disciple the next generation in9:59 their community, what would happen is the next generation will rise up and they will reject the faith. Now, this is what is happening all over the world. Pastors and10:11 churches, they they see the decline in numbers and not only decline in numbers, especially among the young people. There's a decline. That means these are young people who are rising up10:23 and saying, I don't need the gospel. I don't believe in Jesus. I don't believe in the word of God. I don't need to be part of a church. They walk away. The reason they walk away is because the generation about them have10:34 neglected to pass on the truth. Now listen to me carefully. Second Timothy is a very important book when it comes to discipleship. Let me give you a clue10:46 to how to unlock the second Timothy. Second Timothy is the last will and testament that Paul ever wrote. He wrote a letter to his spiritual son. He only gave10:58 us 4 chapters, and each chapter he gives him a command. He says in chapter 1 and verse 14, in chapter 2 and verse 2, and chapter 311:10 and verse 14, and chapter 4 and verse 2, there are 4 commands, 4 verbs that I want to pay attention to. The first verb is God in chapter11:22 1. Chapter 1 verse 14 says, God, the deposit of the truth that has been given to you. In other words, we got to guard the truth that has been given to us. So how do you guard11:33 it? You guard it by holding the truth dear to you, by living it out in your house, by living it out and modeling a life for your children. Listen to me11:45 carefully. How do we do it? We guard it. Secondly, he says in chapter 2 and verse 2, which is the verse we read, commit. He's now saying commit11:57 to others. In other words, not only you guard the truth by treasuring the truth and valuing the truth and the word of God, that is the truth that is found in the word of God. Now you commit to passing it on to12:09 them. Commit to faithful people, Commit to help the next generation understand the truth and apply the truth. Listen to me carefully. That's the second thing that is12:20 required. The third thing he says is continue in the truth. In chapter 3 and verse 14, he says, Continue in the truth. To continue in the truth means that you got12:32 to treasure this word of God and keep the word of God central in your family life. As husband and wife, my wife and I, we spend time studying the word. Not only we12:44 study the word, we take journal and we write down in a journal the things that we are being taught from the word of God. And not only that, during our times as family gatherings happen12:56 and our boys are sitting at the table and even guests when they come to our house and they're sitting around the table, I pull something from my journal and I share with them and continue in the13:08 teaching of the word of God. I help them to understand. This is why I live the life I live. The reason is because I want to continue in the truth. And as a family, we make a commitment to continue in the truth.13:20 You know, second Timothy chapter 3 is a beautiful passage of scripture. It says in verse 16 and verse 17, that all scripture is God breathed and it's profitable for us.13:32 Profitable for training in righteousness. It will correct you. It will equip you. It will mold you. It will shape you. It will build you up. And the Bible says in verse 17, that this13:44 book, the truth, will make you complete as a man of God, and it will help you to be equipped for every good work. Whether it's a work at home, whether it's a work13:56 in the marketplace, whether it's a work in ministry, whether it's a work in the mission field, it will make you complete, the Bible says. That means you and I need to understand that this word is what I treasure.14:08 I treasure this word. So I got this word in chapter 1 and verse 14. In chapter 2 and verse 2, I commit to faithful people this word. Not only that, I continue in this word in chapter 3 and verse14:19 14. Why? Because this word will give me whatever I need for my life and godliness. It will equip me for every good work. And finally, in chapter 4 and verse14:31 2, Paul commands Timothy, and he says to him, Preach the word. In other words, you now teach it to others. You now teach. Don't14:43 miss the opportunity. Your children are in your home for those 10 to 12 to 18 years that they are in your home from a childhood where they are able to understand, and14:55 now they are maturing and forming their own opinion and own values and own worldview, this is the great time for you to shape their thinking with the Word of God. So guard the truth,15:07 commit the truth to them, and continue in the truth together as a family and preach. Take every opportunity to preach. Teach them the word of God, but don't teach what you don't practice.15:19 You know, some people take this approach. Do what I say. Don't do what I do. It doesn't work that way. Monkey see, monkey will do. In other words, what they see in you is what they will15:31 do. If you do it, they will do it. That's why we preach what we practice. We walk the talk. I want you to listen to me carefully. As you15:43 do it, the Bible says you've got to develop this generational thinking. The reason why Second Timothy chapter 2 and verse 2 is so important for me is because it gives you that15:55 sense of urgency that Paul faces. Paul is at the end of his life, and he looks back and he says, will the truth continue for it to continue? We have to be generational in our thinking. Paul16:07 has to teach Timothy intentionally and Timothy has to teach others, the faithful people intentionally, and the faithful people need to be faithful in teaching others intentionally. We have to think about16:19 being generational. There is an urgency to do disciple making that results in spiritual maturity and spiritual multiplication. Don't miss it. The reason why I believe16:30 Paul has 4 generations in his thinking is because he looks at the Old Testament and he knows what has happened. Listen to me carefully. The Bible says in Joshua chapter16:42 24 and verse 31, Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua. In other words, the children of Israel that had come out of Egypt, wandered in the wilderness for 4016:54 years, now have walked into the promises of God and has inherited the promised land. Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders17:06 who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel. I want you to pay attention to a number of things here. It says they had known all the work that the17:17 Lord did for Israel. You think about it. Moses was a man who received a revelation from God. He has seen God. He has heard God. He17:29 was convicted. He was called and he faced the challenge of going into Egypt and delivering God's people. He has a man who had a vibrant relationship with God, dynamic relationship.17:42 Joshua also followed in the footsteps of Moses, and he received that same impartation. He had a wonderful relationship with God. But Joshua was also busy fighting the17:54 battles. Listen to me carefully. He was fighting the battles to take possession of all the promises that God has given to his people. So he was busy fighting the battles. But18:06 while the leaders were still alive, the Bible says, the children of Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua. But then the Bible says in the next book,18:17 Book of Judges, and chapter 2 and verse 7, the Bible says, and the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived18:29 Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age18:40 of 110 years. Then verse 9 says, They buried him with the boundaries of his inheritance in the hill country of Ibrahim. And then in verse 10, it goes on to say,18:52 And all that generation were also gathered to their fathers. In other words, Israel served God during the time of Joshua and all the elders. And when they were all gathered up to their19:04 fathers, in other words, they were all dead and buried, they arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for19:15 Israel. Now listen to this carefully. He says, they did not know the Lord. They did not know the work that God had done for Israel. Wow,19:27 it has only been 40 plus years since they were delivered from Egypt. And 40 plus years, they had already forgotten who God is.19:39 I want you to listen to me carefully and what he has done. Why? The Bible says this. Moses walked with God.19:50 Joshua walked with God. But they arose another generation, the third generation that comes after Joshua, after Moses. The Bible says they did not know the20:02 Lord or the work that he had done for Israel. Can I help you see this decline? Look at this. The decline is this. The first generation knew God.20:14 In other words, they had a dynamic walk with God. They were in fellowship with God. They walked with God. They they know the truth. They committed themselves to the truth. They guarded the truth. They did all of20:26 that. The second generation knew about God. In other words, they may not have had a dynamic relationship. They were just so busy possessing the promises, possessing the land. They were20:37 busy doing work. The third generation knew not God. Knew God, knew about God, knew not God. In other words, third generation,20:50 the whole truth was left out. Why? Because the second generation did not take it seriously to pass on the truth. This is why21:01 Paul has in his mind that we as believers, we are only 1 generation away from walking away from the truth. We are only 1 generation away from21:13 the faith becoming extinct. That's why he says we got to pay attention to generational thinking in our disciple making, and we need to be intentional in our disciple making.21:25 Disciple making is all about bringing people into right relationship with God, helping them to mature in Christ through intentional growth21:36 strategies that they might multiply this entire process in others also. And according to Paul, we have to be intentional in reproducing21:48 this in the next generation, in the next generation. That's why in Second Timothy, chapter 1 and verse 14, he says, You guard the truth. You guard the truth. In Second Timothy, chapter22:00 2 and verse 2, he says, You commit this truth to faithful people who will be able to teach others also. Why? Because we have to have generational thinking. In chapter 3 and verse 14, he says, we22:12 have to continue in the truth. Why? Because this truth is enough for us. This truth will set you free. This truth, when you apply it, it will really transform your life. It will22:24 prepare you for righteousness. It will train you in righteousness. It will also give you whatever you need to be ready for every good work that God calls you to do. Hallelujah. You'll be acute.22:36 And in chapter 4 and verse 2, he says, You now teach, you preach this word. You teach this word. So be committed to guarding this truth, and transmitting this truth, and continuing this truth, and teaching22:48 this truth. And the more we keep doing that, we will create generations after generations of disciples, and we will rise up not only to be disciples, but we will become disciple22:59 makers. And that's the glorious testimony that you and I need in our household. You know, I'm thankful to the Lord that I grew up in India. I mentioned to you,23:12 we have I'm the fourth generation Christian, not only fourth generation Christian, but I'm the fourth generation serving God in ministry. 4 generations of23:23 serving God faithfully in ministry. And it is up to this generation now, my wife and I, to labor in prayer and labor in disciple making at23:35 home. You know, we could preach in conferences, we could teach, we could write the books, we can do all of that stuff to help others. But imagine if we don't do that at home and we neglect23:47 it, will the next generation walk in faith? Now, listen to me carefully. This is important. That's why disciple making begins at home, and it has to be intentional It has to be a generational23:58 thinking. And what Paul says is to Timothy, remember Timothy, the same faith I found in your grandmother, Lewis, and in your mother Eunice, I find24:10 it in you. In other words, Paul was saying the same faith that your grandmother had, your mother had. Now it's in you. Now it's time for you to rise up and pass it on to others.24:22 Listen to me carefully. This is why generational thinking, we have to think at least 4 generations when it comes to disciple making, and we need to rise up and steward the truth that God has given to us and be24:34 intentional in disciple making. Jesus did not call us to just be a Christian. Jesus called us to be a disciple of Christ. And not only be a disciple of Christ, but become a disciple maker24:46 for Christ. In other words, you continue to reproduce discipleship in the next generation and the generation after that. That's why at IDMC, we believe that God24:58 intends for disciple making to be the core mission of the church. And that's why disciple making ought to be intentional. Another way of saying this,25:10 you and I need to think about generations. David served God. Solomon, the king after him, he followed God, but half heartedly, partial25:22 obedience, not complete obedience. His sons came out and the kingdom split. How can 1 kingdom that was united under David and prosperous25:34 under David? And the next king that came after him was the wisest man and the prosperous man that ever lived, built a temple for God. But the kingdom split into 225:46 with the third generation. Abraham walked with God, met God, spoke to God face to face. Isaac had a covenant with God. But in the third25:57 generation, the Bible says there was a split. There was an Esau who did not walk with God, who neglected everything, who rejected everything. Why? Because these things26:09 have to instruct us and tutor us that we are the generation that needs to be responsible to transmitting the truth to the next generation. I pray that you and I will26:21 develop the heart of a disciple maker, and especially at our home, that we will make disciples, and we will be intentional in making disciples at home, and that we will think about the 426:33 generations in disciple making. That Paul taught Timothy. Timothy teaches faithful people and faithful people teach others. So what is the definition of disciple making at26:44 IDMC? Disciple making is the process of bringing people into right relationship with God, developing them into full maturity in Christ through intentional26:55 growth strategies that they might multiply this entire process in others also. My prayer is that the Lord will use you as a disciple of Christ, and27:07 God will also give you the grace to become a disciple maker who helps others to learn from Jesus, to be changed by Jesus, and to be engaged in the mission of Jesus. God bless27:19 you. We love you. We are praying for you.
Paul Jeyachandran
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