Suggestions for leading a study:

• Familiarize yourself with the passage in context, including the book itself.  Who wrote it to whom, and why?
• Read through the study guide a couple times to get the “big idea” as well as the flow of the argument
• Have the group read through the passage in it’s entirety before beginning the study.  One of the goals is to try to get your members to learn how to study Scripture methodically, and this is an important step.
• Be prayed up
• Have fun!
  

To be Tim

⁶If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. ⁷Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. ⁸For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 

⁹This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance ¹⁰(and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. 

¹¹Command and teach these things. ¹²Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. ¹³Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. ¹⁴Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. 

¹⁵Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. ¹⁶Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Discussion Questions

-According to verse 6, what was Timothy supposed to be doing, and what was his background that qualified him to do so?

-What do you think it means to be “brought up” in the faith?  How is that accomplished?

-Read verses 7 and 8:  Was Timothy’s training in being “brought up in the faith” enough, or did Paul think that more was necessary?

            -Are people tempted sometimes to think they have “arrived”, and lessen their devotion to spiritual training?

-According to verse 10, where is our hope put? 

-If that is true, then why do we need to work so hard at our own training, like an athlete would to stay in shape?

-In verses 11 and 12, there are 3 ways that Timothy should be passing things on to others.  What are they? 

-Do you think all three are necessary in every situation in order to point things out to people?  Which is most effective?  

-Verses 13 and 14 verify that Timothy’s gifts were teaching and preaching in a public forum.  Do you think everyone has to have that gift in order to help be a part of passing on the faith to others?

-Timothy was Paul’s disciple—he learned from Paul by going along with him on his missionary journeys and learning from him on the way.  Here Paul reminds Timothy that he also needs to disciple others, not just by his teaching but by his example.  Do you think that their relationship can be a model for what Jesus meant in the great commission when he told us to “go, therefore, and make disciples?” 

-What can we learn from this passage about what is required to accomplish that? 

Leaders' Guide

To be Tim

This lesson is about discipleship: How it was that Timothy was discipled, and what some of the pre-requisites and methods we can use to disciple others are.

-According to verse 6, what was Timothy supposed to be doing, and what was his background that qualified him to do so?

            He was told by Paul to point things out to the brothers in the church.  For what those are, see the previous context.  His background was one of having been brought up in the faith, apparently one of the first “second generation” Christians, as opposed to their parents who were some of the first converts to Christianity.

-What do you think it means to be “brought up” in the faith?  How is that accomplished?

            The experiences of your group may impact this question.  Just going to church?  Sunday school?  What about family—what role does the family play in spiritual development?  Some may have experienced a Christian home, but no real intentional spiritual formation within the home, as parents relied on the church to “bring them up” in the faith.  Some discussion of how that can happen best may be helpful to prod some people to think about some of these things.

-Read verses 7 and 8:  Was Timothy’s training in being “brought up in the faith” enough, or did Paul think that more was necessary?

            Paul thought that it was important for Timothy to maintain some kind of a spiritual training regimen.  Obviously, just having a Christian home was not enough. 

            -Are people tempted sometimes to think they have “arrived”, and lessen their devotion to spiritual training?

            Just a discussion question.  Clearly, Paul was of the opinion that the process of spiritual growth never ended for people.  Certainly if we take some classes or whatever, we can’t say that we’ve graduated from the process of spiritual formation in our lives.

-According to verse 10, where is our hope put? 

             All of a sudden Paul seems to divert his message from personal responsibility for our spiritual training to our hope being in God and his power to save us.

-If that is true, then why do we need to work so hard at our own training, like an athlete would to stay in shape?

            Throughout Scripture our relationship with God is spoken of not as something that God does to “zap” us, but as an ongoing partnership with our own efforts.  There may be a lot of reasons for this.  For one, God desires a relationship with us and this is part of how that happens.  Also, we continue within the context of a spiritual battle with Satan always trying to throw us off track and make us complacent about our faith.  Mostly, God doesn’t just want to save us, he wants us to grow up in our faith and that requires some effort.

-In verses 11 and 12, there are 3 ways that Timothy should be passing things on to others.  What are they? 

            Command, teach, and be an example.

-Do you think all three are necessary in every situation in order to point things out to people?  Which is most effective? 

            Of course no-one would do all three in every situation.  The real answer to the second half is probably that each situation of discipleship is different, so we need to be able to do all three and discern accordingly what is needed.  Any one of these could be more effective in particular situations.  Being an example, however, is the one that will apply in all cases.  Without that, no teaching or command will have any credibility.

-Verses 13 and 14 verify that Timothy’s gifts were teaching and preaching in a public forum.  Do you think everyone has to have that gift in order to help be a part of passing on the faith to others?

            Only a few people are going to be called and gifted for that kind of public ministry.  However, everyone can have personal relationships (and do) with individuals or small groups of people.  In those contexts, we can all see it as our job to pass on the faith by example, at least, and when possible through teaching.

-Timothy was Paul’s disciple—he learned from Paul by going along with him on his missionary journeys and learning from him on the way.  Here Paul reminds Timothy that he also needs to disciple others, not just by his teaching but by his example.  Do you think that their relationship can be a model for what Jesus meant in the great commission when he told us to “go, therefore, and make disciples?” 

            Paul and Timothy’s relationship is generally considered to be a model of discipleship.  Paul seemed to pretty much know what he was doing, and had a pretty good handle on accomplishing the great commission, so it is no doubt legitimate to take his method as a good model.

-What can we learn from this passage about what is required to accomplish that? 

            Being brought up in the faith helps, but obviously not everyone is.  For parents or younger people that could become parents some day, a commitment to doing this for their children is critical.  Commitment to ongoing training is also essential.  Teaching when we have the opportunity, but at the least always being an example, is also something that comes from this passage.