Disciple-Making: One-to-One Bible Reading
Pastor Oliver shares why disciple-making is important and one good way to make disciples.
When we receive the final words of a beloved mentor, we hold onto them dearly. In a similar vein, Paul, nearing the end of his life, penned a letter to his dear protege Timothy. This letter, 2 Timothy, carries an important message and a charge. Paul's primary concern is the preservation of the gospel for future generations. In Chapter 2, he entrusts Timothy with a sacred duty, which Timothy holds on to tightly.
You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. (2 Tim 2:1–2)
Timothy's first task is to yield himself to God's empowerment. This divine empowerment, which is graciously extended to us believers today, is a crucial aspect of the task at hand. The strengthening effect of the Holy Spirit will aid us in our task. As we remain in Christ Jesus, we experience God's grace, fostering our faith and fellowship with the risen Christ.
What is the task we are entrusted with? We are given the word of truth—the teaching of the gospel, passed down to us by the apostolic witnesses. How are we to handle this trust? We are to seek out 'faithful men'—men and women of unwavering faith, reliability, and integrity in matters of faith and Christian obedience. These 'faithful men' are then to teach and exemplify the gospel and its applications to the Christian life to the next generation. The focus is not on creativity or innovation but faithfulness and the ability to pass on received teaching to others. Four generations are mentioned: Paul, Timothy, faithful individuals, and others.
As theologian and teacher Andreas J. Köstenberger writes:
Paul envisions a chain of reliable people, linking together to preserve the apostolic gospel for future generations. What Paul himself had taught in the presence of many witnesses, Timothy was to entrust to reliable people who would be qualified to teach still others. Thus, the unbroken chain of witnesses would extend from Paul to Timothy and from him to others, who would continue the process. Therefore, the chain would continue from generation to generation until, at last, Christ would return. This means that every generation has the obligation to pass on their spiritual Christian legacy to the next generation. How important it is that this chain not be broken.
Beloved, this sacred trust is not just a historical concept; it is now in our hands, yours and mine. We are the ones who continue the unbroken chain of witnesses from Paul to Timothy and beyond. Our role is crucial in this divine task.
It's a shared experience, a moment of joy and fellowship.
Safeguarding this sacred trust is why we do disciple-making. One good way to make disciples who make disciples is to do one-on-one Bible reading. What is one-on-one Bible reading? It's a shared experience, a moment of joy and fellowship. Imagine the delight of two (or three) Christians meeting together to read the Bible (or a good Christian book), pray about what they learn, and encourage each other to live that out in their lives. It's not just a task; it's a shared experience, a coffee and a chat filled with fellowship and learning! One-to-one Bible reading can easily fit into our lifestyle, so it can become almost a habit for us to pursue one-to-one Bible reading relationships in the church.
I personally have the joy of holding about half a dozen one-on-one Bible reading meetings at one time. For each group of twos or threes, we usually meet once or twice a month for about an hour and a half, sometimes over a meal or coffee. I found that this arrangement works best with our packed Singapore schedules. We usually read the Bible or a good Christian book when we meet. One-to-one Bible reading is easy enough that once we experience it, we can go on to read with someone else.
For this year, we have been reading through the book of Colossians, talking about the supremacy of Jesus Christ. For one group, we tracked the theme of Creation (Genesis 1), Fall (Genesis 3), Redemption (Romans 3:21-31), Our Response (Mark 1:1-15) and Restoration (Revelation 21:1-8). When we read the Bible together, we usually try to get to the big idea and the main purpose and then talk about applications (how does the main purpose call us to respond with our heads, hearts and hands). We close by praying for each other.
I've also been reading good Christian books with others. This year, we have been reading Character Matters: Shepherding in the Fruit of the Spirit by Aaron Menikoff with two care group leaders and one Wednesday Bible Study leader. Another book I recommend for reading together is The Compelling Community: Where God's Power Makes a Church Attractive by Mark Dever and Jamie Dunlop. How do we approach reading a Christian book together? We gather and discuss these four questions: What was interesting about what we read? What are some questions we have? What are one to two applications for us today? And what is one thing you would tell someone as the main takeaway from what we read? And then we close by praying for each other.
Reading one-to-one Bible (or Christian book) is simple. Suppose you feel that you need some equipping to read the Bible and lead one-to-one Bible reading better, you can join us at Wednesday Bible Study (affectionately known as WBS). The details can be found on our church website here. Ladies, there is also a training running from August to September to help women be better Bible readers. More details can be found here.
I also commend One-to-One Bible Reading: A Simple Guide for Every Christian by David Helm. This book gives us a clear and straightforward way to start our one-to-one Bible reading journey. Happy one-to-one Bible reading as you make disciples who will make disciples, safeguarding the sacred task entrusted to us!
Read also: One-to-One Bible Reading