Halftime
“Who’s Your Timothy?”
When I first met Troy, he was twenty-four years old and preparing his mind for his third suicidal attempt and the courage to jump off the tall water tower from which he had climbed and from which he had retreated twice before. I had the humble privilege of leading Troy to Christ and subsequently encouraging him in the faith over the following several years.
Last weekend I met Troy in our small country church proudly smiling over his revolutionized life in Christ and his brand new baby girl who will grow up to admire and respect and love her dad as a loving father and solid man of faith.
The community around you is filled with “Troy’s”. They meander aimlessly through life in every neighborhood, every family, every church and every place of business. Young and old, rich and poor, churched and un-churched, self confident and insecure, the Troy’s of this world are spiritually dying and craving a mentor.
In a few short weeks, you’ll graduate from “basic Timothy training” and be prayerfully committed to finding a “Timothy” of your own to pour the principles of this book into their life the way your “Paul” has poured into you.
Who is my next Timothy? To whom will I give the blessing of discipleship training?
- Name three to five people in your extended family, neighborhood, church, or
place of business who need someone in their life to bring them to Jesus and
mentor in their faith? (Your Timothy may be a believer already and needing
someone to equip them or perhaps a person who needs to “come to Jesus” in
the process.) - Pray for these people daily and ask God for discernment and opportunity to
pick one to approach. - Realize that your own personal adequacy is in Christ and Christ alone. “I can
do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13). This is your promise from God. - Rejoice in the calling that “making disciples” is God’s command for every
believer. It’s our highest calling, greatest privilege, and immeasurable eternal
reward. - If no one drops the baton, by discipling and sending one person each year, in 33 years you and your Paul can create a down line of 8,589,934,592 discipled
people (that’s actual math)!
| Year | Disciplers | New Disciples | Total Followers |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| 4 | 8 | 8 | 16 |
| 5 | 16 | 16 | 32 |
| 6 | 32 | 32 | 64 |
| 7 | 64 | 64 | 128 |
| 8 | 128 | 128 | 256 |
| 9 | 256 | 256 | 512 |
| 10 | 512 | 512 | 1,024 |
| 11 | 1,024 | 1,024 | 2,048 |
| 12 | 2,048 | 2,048 | 4,096 |
| 13 | 4,096 | 4,096 | 8,192 |
| 14 | 8,192 | 8,192 | 16,384 |
| 15 | 16,384 | 16,384 | 32,768 |
| 16 | 32,768 | 32,768 | 65,538 |
| 17 | 65,538 | 65,538 | 131,072 |
| 18 | 131,072 | 131,072 | 262,144 |
| 19 | 262,144 | 262,144 | 524,288 |
| 20 | 524,288 | 524,288 | 1,048,576 |
| 21 | 1,048,576 | 1,048,576 | 2,097,152 |
| 22 | 2,097,152 | 2,097,152 | 4,194,304 |
| 23 | 4,194,304 | 4,194,304 | 8,388,608 |
| 24 | 8,388,608 | 8,388,608 | 16,777,216 |
| 25 | 16,777,216 | 16,777,216 | 33,554,432 |
| 26 | 33,554,432 | 33,554,432 | 67,108,864 |
| 27 | 67,108,864 | 67,108,864 | 134,217,728 |
| 28 | 134,217,728 | 134,217,728 | 268,435,456 |
| 29 | 268,435,456 | 268,435,456 | 536,870,912 |
| 30 | 536,870,912 | 536,870,912 | 1,073,741,824 |
| 31 | 1,073,741,824 | 1,073,741,824 | 2,147,483,648 |
| 32 | 2,147,483,648 | 2,147,483,648 | 4,294,967,296 |
| 33 | 4,294,967,296 | 4,294,967,296 | 8,589,934,592 |
