Living Letters – Chapter 6 – Discipleship
September 6, 2026

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Chapter 6 — Discipleship

Review

We began this series with Paul’s description of Christians as living letters, “known and read of all men.” Since then, each chapter has helped us understand another part of the Christian legacy God is building through our lives.

Chapter 1, Salvation and Baptism, took us back to where our Christian lives began. Chapter 2, Transformation, helped us recognize the changes Christ has made in us. Chapter 3, Sharing My Salvation Story, helped us put those changes into words so we can tell someone what Christ has done for us. Chapter 4, Church Life, helped us recognize the people God has used through the church to shape our lives and the place He has given us to serve others. Chapter 5, Giving Back, showed us that even the resources God has placed in our hands can be used for His work now and can continue making a difference after we are gone.

Now we come to Chapter 6: Discipleship.

God used people to help bring us to Christ and to help us grow after we were saved. As disciples of Jesus, we continue to need others to help us grow, and we have a responsibility to help others grow too. Jesus included both the beginning of a Christian life and the growth that follows it when He gave His disciples the Great Commission.

Matthew 28:18–20 — And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

The Great Commission begins with making disciples. People must hear the gospel and personally repent and trust Jesus Christ. That connects with Chapter 3, where we prepared to share our salvation story so others can hear how Jesus Christ saves. But Jesus’ command continues beyond someone coming to Christ. Those who become disciples are baptized and then taught “to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”

A new Christian has begun following Jesus, but there is still much to learn about living as His follower. In fact, discipleship continues throughout the Christian life. No matter how long we have been saved, we still need to learn God’s Word, obey what He teaches, and grow to become more like Christ. As we grow, God also gives us opportunities to help others grow as His disciples.

Peter is a good example. He spent years with Jesus. He heard Him teach, watched His miracles, saw the empty tomb, preached at Pentecost, helped lead the early church, and suffered for Christ. But near the end of his life, Peter still wrote:

2 Peter 3:18 — But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Peter had followed Christ for decades, and he still needed to grow. Christian maturity does not mean reaching a point where there is nothing left to learn or change. As long as we are following Christ, God is still teaching us, changing us, and making us more like Him.

The writer of Hebrews was disappointed with specific believers who should have been farther along in their growth.

Hebrews 5:12 — For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God.

The problem was, they had been Christians long enough that they should have been teaching others, but they had not continued to grow. Instead of being ready to help others grow, they still needed someone to teach them the basic truths of God’s Word.

Christian growth strengthens both what we believe and how we live. As we continue learning Scripture, we understand the Bible better, become more settled in its major truths, and become better prepared to recognize error, defend the truth, and explain what we believe to someone else. As we obey what God teaches us, our lives increasingly reflect the character of Jesus Christ.

That connects with the Christian legacy we are building. People are reading both what we say and how we live. Continued growth gives us more truth to pass on, while our obedience gives others a clearer example of what that truth looks like when it is lived.

Continued learning is required in many areas of life. Pilots generally must complete a flight review every two years to continue flying. Virginia doctors must complete at least 30 hours of continuing education every two years to renew their licenses, and Virginia teachers must also complete continuing education to renew theirs. These requirements recognize that years of experience do not remove the need to keep learning and stay prepared.

The need to keep growing is even greater for a Christian because our responsibility involves more than maintaining a skill. We are learning the truth God has given us, living in a way that reflects His character, and becoming better prepared to help others know and live that truth.

The American Bible Society’s 2025 State of the Bible study looked at more than 2,600 adults across the United States. When researchers studied church involvement, they looked at more than whether someone attended a service. They asked whether people had opportunities to learn and grow in their faith, whether someone encouraged their spiritual growth, whether they had meaningful relationships with other Christians, and whether they were using their abilities to serve. People who were more involved in these areas also reported stronger relationships, a greater sense of purpose, and greater satisfaction with life.

That gives us a much fuller picture of Christian involvement than simply showing up. God uses His Word, His church, other Christians, opportunities to serve, and years of experience to continue developing us. We need those influences throughout our lives, and as we grow, we become better prepared to provide some of those same influences for others.

Christian growth is the responsibility of the church family.

God uses His Word to teach us, but He also uses other Christians to help us understand and live what we are learning. Acts 18 gives us a good example in a man named Apollos.

Acts 18:24–25 — And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord…

Apollos was already a capable teacher. Luke describes him as an eloquent man who was “mighty in the scriptures.” He knew the Old Testament well and was using what he knew to teach others about the Lord. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they realized there was more he needed to understand, so they took the time to help him.

Acts 18:26 — And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.

Apollos was knowledgeable enough to teach others and humble enough to let someone teach him. Priscilla and Aquila did not treat him as though everything he knew was wrong. They took what he already understood and helped him understand the way of God more completely. Apollos accepted their help, continued growing, and soon took what he had learned into the lives of other believers.

Acts 18:27 — …who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace.

Luke says Apollos “helped them much which had believed.” These people had already come to Christ, but they still needed help growing in their faith. Apollos could provide some of that help because others had first taken the time to help him. He was receiving from other Christians while also becoming better equipped to give to other Christians. That is the two-way discipleship we are considering in this chapter.

Timothy

Timothy also shows how discipleship becomes part of a Christian legacy. His mother Eunice and grandmother Lois lived their faith before him, and from childhood he was taught the Scriptures.

2 Timothy 1:5 — When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

Paul later became another important influence in Timothy’s life. Timothy traveled and served with him, learned by watching him, and continued receiving instruction from him. Even after Timothy had become an experienced Christian leader, Paul told him:

2 Timothy 3:14–15 — But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures…

Timothy was still learning, but he was also responsible for helping others learn.

2 Timothy 2:2 — And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

What Lois, Eunice, and Paul had invested in Timothy was now being passed to others, who would eventually pass it on again. Timothy was continuing to grow while helping others grow. This is how discipleship adds to the Christian legacy we are building.

Discipleship Happens Through Our Relationships

Discipleship happens through the relationships God gives us. Jesus taught many people, but He spent more time teaching the twelve apostles.

Luke 6:13 — And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles.

Even among the Twelve, Jesus spent additional time with Peter, James, and John. They were with Him when Jairus’s daughter was raised, at the Transfiguration, and when He went farther into Gethsemane to pray.

Paul also helped many people grow. He taught churches, trained leaders, and worked alongside other believers. At the same time, he had relationships like Timothy and Titus where he had more opportunities to teach, encourage, and prepare them for ministry.

Our relationships give us different opportunities to help people grow. Parents and grandparents have years of influence with their families. A Sunday School teacher helps a class understand and apply Scripture. Christian friends can encourage one another, answer questions, pray together, and help each other make wise decisions. We may also have a few people in our lives with whom we have more time and opportunity to help. Each relationship is different, but each can be used to help someone follow Christ.

A study by Barna and The Navigators found that 39 percent of Christians surveyed were neither receiving discipleship nor helping someone else grow spiritually. Only 28 percent were doing both. The study also found that 56 percent considered their spiritual life entirely private.

Those numbers are very different from the discipleship we have seen in Scripture. Christian growth repeatedly took place through relationships.

The same has been true in the Christian legacy we are building. Other Christians have taught us Scripture, prayed with us, answered questions, encouraged us, corrected us, and shown us what faithfulness looks like. Now our knowledge of Scripture, Christian character, experience, and example can help others grow.

This happens when a parent teaches a child what the Bible says, when a Christian friend gives biblical counsel, when an experienced believer helps someone understand a difficult passage, or when someone who has walked with Christ through a difficult season helps another Christian facing something similar. Some opportunities last only a few minutes. Others develop through relationships that last for years.

Our Christian Legacy Continues Through Others

Paul’s instructions to Timothy give us both sides of discipleship: continue learning, and help others learn.

That is important to the Christian legacy we are building. God used people to teach us the Bible, help us understand the truth, encourage our obedience, and show us what following Christ looks like. As we continue to grow, we become better prepared to do those same things for others. What someone taught us may eventually be taught to someone we will never meet because a person we helped passes it on again.

That also prepares us for the next chapters of our Christian legacy. Chapter 7 will focus on The Bible, and Chapter 8 will focus on Prayer. Both are necessary parts of our continued growth as disciples, and both are things we can help others learn to practice. Then Chapter 9, Prepared for Eternity, will bring us to the final chapter of this series.

We began with Salvation and Baptism because our Christian legacy had to begin with Christ. We have considered the Transformation He produces, learned to share our Salvation Story, found our place in Church Life, and considered how we can use what God has given us in Giving Back.

Our Christian legacy is still being written.

There is still more of God’s Word to learn. There are still ways our character can become more like Christ. There are still truths we need to understand well enough to defend and teach. There are still people God can use to help us grow, and there are people around us whom our lives can help.

A disciple of Jesus continues growing while helping others grow.

This Week

Consider the people who are helping you grow as a Christian now. Who helps you understand Scripture? Who encourages you to obey God? Who gives you wise Christian counsel or provides an example worth following?

Then consider the people already within your influence. Your family, friends, church family, people you teach, and people you regularly spend time with all provide different opportunities. You do not need to identify one person and call that person “your disciple.” Look at the relationships God has already given you and consider how you can use them to help others know God’s Word, obey Christ, and grow to become more like Him.

Continue growing, and use what you are learning to help others grow.