Multiplying Grace

March 4, 2026

Mentoring - 2 Timothy 2:1-7


Multiplying Grace 2 Timothy 2:1-7


 Introduction:  Paul writes his final letter from prison. He knows his death is near, (4:6– 8). The church is fragile. False teaching is spreading. Leaders are wavering. Timothy is young and tempted toward fear.


In his pastoral encouragement, Paul provides Timothy with flesh and blood for a pattern of discipleship, not a technique doomed to fashion.


The survival of the church will not depend on charisma. It will depend on multiplication.


Big Idea:  Mentoring is grace-strengthened believers entrusting the truth to faithful people who will reproduce it in others.


First: Mentoring Centers on Grace-Generated Strength Before Created Strategy

 

“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” (v. 1)


Notice that Paul begins with the means and goal in mind: grace and strength, not structure.


Hold that thought in your mind as we progress and think about its implications for this passage, for the church, and for you.


The verb ‘be strengthened’ is passive. Timothy does not generate strength. He receives it.


Mentoring begins and ends with God’s initiative, grace and Spirit. The source is specific for all of us: it is grace in Christ Jesus.


This means that


·      Mentoring is not personality transfer.

·      It is not leadership cloning.

·      It is not institutional survival.


The church creates mentoring opportunities but cannot be confined by them. Like the movement from the Sunday gathering to CGs to friend groups, the hope is that our structured opportunities will create organic opportunities.


In this, leaders must remember that leadership is stewardship, not ownership.


It is all about the grace of God strengthening believers who strengthen others which is our message and our method for making disciples here and around the world.

·      Grace produces strong people.

·      Strong people disciple others.

·      Every opportunity should be taken to mentor others.


And it is grace that

In John 15:5, Jesus says, “Apart from me you can do nothing.”


The apostle Paul says the same thing this way –


Ephesians 4:11–12, leaders equip saints, they do not replace Christ.


IMP: Strength to live the Christian life, often to endure the Christian life, flows from union with Christ before it flows to others.


The only question to ask before mentoring anyone is:

Have I been strengthened grace?


The mentoring spoke begins in the secret place before it moves into a structured environment.


Second: Mentoring is Simply Entrusting What You Have Heard

“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. (v. 2)

a)    There are three aspects to this:

1 – Paul’s apostolic teaching

2 – Timothy’s hearing

3 – Entrusting the teaching and hearing to others GR / “entrust” = to deposit for safekeeping.

·      The goal is transmission, not institution.

·      It is flesh and blood, not brick and mortar.

·      It isn’t the church building. It’s your kitchen table and your living room.

·      It’s natural, not organizational.


Each and every one of us…each and every one of you…can and should be doing this.


b)    There are at least four generations in this verse:


1 – Me – the apostle Paul

2 – You – Timothy

3 – Faithful men

4 – Others also


APP:  Where are you in that relational process?

The church grows through entrusted truth. This means that


·      Christian mentoring is not merely advice-giving.

·      It is doctrinal stewardship and life modeling.


In Titus 2:1–8, older believers shape younger believers in doctrine and life.


In Matthew 28:19–20, disciples are made by teaching them to observe all Christ commanded. Mentoring is obedience to the Great Commission in close proximity


APP:


·      Who was, and who is, your “Me?”

·      Who was, and who is, your “faithful people?”


Ask:


·       Who has poured into me?

·       Who am I intentionally entrusting the truth to?


-       If the church depends on the organization, it is as fragile as a budget or a building.

-       If it multiplies faithful people, it is forever resilient.


Third: Mentoring Requires and Creates a Certain Kind of People (vs 3-6)

 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4   No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5   An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6   It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.

·       The soldier endures suffering.

·       The athlete competes according to the rules.

·       The farmer works and waits for the harvest.


All three images emphasize


·       Soldier –

·       Athlete - discipline

·       Farmer - delayed reward.


This means mentoring is slow. It is costly. It requires patience.


·       The soldier image reminds us mentoring is hard.

Lewis quote about toy soldiers –


·       The athlete image reminds us truth matters.

·       The farmer image reminds us fruit takes time.


There is no such thing as instant maturity.


Galatians 6:9, “Let us not grow weary… in due season we will reap.”


In Mark 4:26–29, the seed grows, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain.


1 Corinthians 3:6 - I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.


God will grow what we faithfully sow.


 APP:  Mentoring will require:


·       Time you could spend elsewhere.

·       Patience when growth is resisted or uneven.

·       Endurance when our nature resists depth.


But the harvest belongs to those who are faithful.


Fourth: Mentoring is Spirit-Enabled from Start to Finish

“Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”

 

Paul calls Timothy to real effort, “think,” but he is not saying, “You think hard, and then God

blesses your effort. He refuses to make “understanding” a human achievement.


He is saying: Your thinking is necessary, but understanding itself is a gift. So he ends by placing

illumination in the Lord’s hands. Even understanding is grace.”


The decisive giver is the Lord. Mentoring can put truth in front of someone, walk with them, and model faithfulness, but only the Spirit can make the truth land, connect, and take root.


That keeps mentoring humble, prayerful, and patient. We labor, but we do not play God. We plant and water, and we trust the Lord to give understanding.


·       Mentoring does not produce results mechanically.

·       It trusts the Lord to give understanding.


·       The Father entrusts truth.

·       The Son embodies truth.

·       The Spirit empowers truth.


In this way, mentoring finds its source and model as participation in the life of the triune God.

The church survives and thrives not by its organizational structure for various ministries but by faithful, person-to-person, flesh and blood transmission of the truths espoused in the Bible.

·       When grace strengthens leaders, and

·       leaders entrust truth, and

·       truth forms faithful people,

·       the body matures and grows.


That is the mentoring spoke.


 Conclusion:  Ask yourself today:


·       Who strengthened me?

·       Who am I strengthening?


·       Mentoring is not about a position.

·       It is about people.


What is Paul saying?


·       Be strengthened by grace.

·       Entrust what you have heard.

·       Endure for the harvest.



This, friends, is how Christ builds His church.


Monday — Strength Before Strategy. Read 2 Timothy 2:1

Think. Paul begins his encouragement to Timothy with grace, not structure. “Be strengthened” is passive. Timothy does not manufacture spiritual stamina. He receives it. Mentoring does not begin with techniques but with union with Christ. Christian strength flows from Christ before it flows to others.


Reflect. It is possible to lead from anxiety, insecurity, or momentum. Paul anchors Timothy in grace before giving him responsibility. The mentoring spoke does not turn because of personalities but because of grace-generated strength.


Apply. Before you teach this week, slow down and ask: “Am I being strengthened by grace, or am I trying to be strong in myself?” Let your preparation become dependence, not performance.


Pray. Lord Jesus, apart from you I can do nothing. Strengthen me by your grace so that what I pass on flows from union with you.


Tuesday — Entrust the Truth. Read 2 Timothy 2:2

Think. Paul describes at least four generations of Christians in this verse: Paul → Timothy → faithful men → others. The word “entrust” means to deposit for safekeeping. The goal in this verse is transmission, not innovation. It’s really simple: person to person.

Reflect. The church grows through entrusted truth. Mentoring is doctrinal stewardship and life modeling. It is kitchen-table faithfulness, not institutional expansion. It’s not the brick and mortar church building (although we can and should use the church). The Great Commission happens in proximity; in your neighborhood, with your co-workers at work, with your friends in your living room.


Apply. Map your spiritual lineage. Who was your “Paul”? Who is your “Timothy”? Identify one

person you are intentionally investing in. Mentoring is not abstract; it is relational.


Pray. Father, make me faithful with what I have received. Help me to entrust the truth to others with patience and clarity.


Wednesday — The Character Mentoring Requires. Read 2 Timothy 2:3–6

 

Think. Paul gives three images of what mentoring produces: a soldier, an athlete, a farmer. All three stress discipline, endurance, and delayed reward.


Reflect. Mentoring is slow. It is costly. It happens amid suffering and distraction. There is no instant maturity. God grows what we faithfully sow. Galatians 6:9 reminds us that harvest belongs to those who do not quit.

Apply. You can expect resistance. It’s easy to start, hard to finish. And expect uneven growth. There are seasons of spiritual growth just like annual seasons. Expect delay. Life is busy. Do not measure fruit prematurely. Remember that faithfulness precedes fruitfulness.

Pray. Lord, guard me in times of weariness. Help me endure with joy and trust you with the harvest.


Thursday — Illumination Is a Gift. Read 2 Timothy 2:7


Think. Timothy must think. God doesn’t bless mental laziness, But, understanding is a gift given to thinking people. The mechanism itself is supernatural.

Reflect. Mentoring is Spirit-enabled from start to finish. Hallelujah for that. We can explain truth, model obedience, and walk alongside others, but only the Lord grants understanding. Illumination is grace.


Apply. As you prepare to teach, pray not merely for clarity of speech but for illumination in the hearts of your CG members. Release all your expectations to the Holy Spirit.


Pray. Spirit of God, open eyes. Give me understanding. Do what my own effort cannot do.


Friday — The Mentoring Spoke and the Triune God

Think. The Father entrusts truth to us. The Son embodied that truth. The Spirit activates the truth in our lives. In this way, mentoring participates in the life of the triune God. Grace strengthens leaders, leaders entrust truth, truth forms faithful people. And the circle goes on and on.

Reflect. The survival of the church does not depend on charisma or structure but on multiplication. The Discipleship Wheel turns when grace flows through relationships.

Apply. Ask yourself,

·       Who strengthened me?

·       Who am I strengthening?

·       Where is entrusted truth multiplying around me?


Pray. Lord, make our church a multiplying church. Strengthen us by grace, anchor us in truth, and form faithful people for generations.

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Resurrection Peace

By Reggie Weems • April 23, 2026
Big Idea: The resurrected Jesus meets the fear and doubt of my life with His real, bodily presence and speaks peace to my troubled heart. Introduction: Peace is one of the most desired and least experienced realities in our lives. We look for peace: By resolving circumstances By controlling events By creating outcomes But Luke 24 shows us a different kind of peace. This passage finds the disciples in fear, confusion, and uncertainty. A resurrected Jesus steps into that moment and speaks peace to those he loves. So, this passage answers an important question: What kind of peace does Jesus actually give, and how does He give it? First: The Peace of Jesus Comes to Fearful People (v. 36–37) As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. Jesus appears among them and says, “Peace to you.” This is not a calm room. The disciples are: gathered behind closed doors confused by reports of the resurrection startled and frightened by Jesus’ appearance And the room becomes even less calm because Luke says they thought they were seeing a spirit. But the important point here is that the peace of Jesus is not given after their fear is resolved. It is given in the middle of fear. He comes into their confusion and speaks peace into it. APP: If you are waiting for fear to be eliminated before you have peace, you won’t ever have peace. The peace of Jesus is not the reward for calmness. It is the gift He gives in the midst of fear and doubt. Second: The Peace of Jesus Confronts Our Fear (v. 38–40) And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. Jesus responds directly to their inner struggle: “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” Then He shows them: His hands His feet He invites them to touch Him. Jesus does not ignore doubt or shame their fear. He confronts it with the resurrection, as if to say, “Is there anything a resurrected Savior cannot do/calm?” IMP: This means the resurrection is not presented as an idea to believe, which we often see it as, but it is a reality to embrace so that it changes the way we interact with life. APP: In other words, you don’t overcome fear by pretending it does not exist. You overcome it by remembering that Jesus has come back from the dead. If God can do that, what can’t he do? Where are doubts rising in your heart? about God’s goodness about your future about the truth of the gospel Jesus meets your doubt and fear with his resurrection. Third: The Peace of Jesus is Grounded in His Real Resurrection (v. 41–43) And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate before them. Luke tells us Jesus’ followers still struggled to believe, “for joy.” So Jesus takes it further. He asks for food and eats in front of them. This is not incidental to what Jesus is doing. It is essential. Jesus is proving He is not a spirit He is not a vision He is physically, bodily alive Again, Christian peace is grounded in a historical, bodily resurrection. It’s not just a fact to believe. It’s a reality to bring into your world when you are troubled. If Jesus is alive: sin has been dealt with death has been defeated the future is secure APP: Your peace will only be as stable as what it is built on. What is it built on? If it is built on: circumstances, it will fluctuate feelings, it will shift control, it will collapse But if it is built on the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus, it will provide you peace in the midst of fear and doubt. Ill: I’ll create a word about Ebenezer here. Fourth: The Peace of Jesus Leads to Assurance and Rest The progression in the passage is important. Is there, fear - Jesus speaks peace doubt - Jesus reveals Himself confusion - Jesus provides assurance Real peace that will change you comes through encountering the risen Jesus. APP: Peace is not something you create. Just like salvation, it is something God has created for you and that you receive from Jesus. This means: you don’t have to hold everything together you don’t have to resolve every question you don’t have to secure your life or future Jesus has already secured what matters most and his resurrection proves it. Fifth: Applying the Resurrection to Your Life Now So, the question is not: “Do you have a peaceful life?” The question is: “Have you received the peace of Jesus?” And for those who have: “Are you living in the power of his resurrection?” ILL: Think about how Paul applied Jesus’ resurrection to his life (And this may be the most important part of the sermon). Philippians 3:10-11 - that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Paul means two things here: He wants to live again after he dies. He wants to enjoy the resurrected life now What Paul longs for in Philippians 3 is what the disciples are encountering in Luke 24. They are not just seeing Jesus alive. They are seeing the beginning of the life Paul says he wants to attain. In Luke 24, the disciples are standing in the presence of the risen Christ. In Philippians 3, Paul is saying, “I want that life to fully take hold of me.” This means the resurrection is something to believe. But it is also a life to enter, a power to live by, and a future to press toward. The same Jesus who stood in that room and said, “Peace to you,” is the one Paul is pressing toward, and He is the one who gives us both the power to live now and the promise of life forever. ( Friends , that’s a great conclusion for believers but it will take the rest of the week for me to flesh that out and say it with the full force it deserves). Conclusion: Think about this - The words “Peace to you” are not casual. They are purchased. (Hallelujah!). Jesus can speak peace because: He went to the cross He bore the wrath of God He satisfied divine justice His resurrection proves he is King of kings and Lord of lords Gospel: The peace He offers is not superficial calm. It is reconciliation with God and all the benefits of it. As Paul says in Romans 5:1 - “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” You can have that peace!

The Burning Heart

By Reggie Weems • April 14, 2026
Big Idea: You can be near the things of God and still miss Jesus until He opens the Bible to you and reveals Himself. When He does that, everything changes. Introduction: These two disciples are not searching for Jesus even though they’ve heard reports he’s alive, women have seen angels and Peter and John have seen the empty tomb. Even so, they are not staying in Jerusalem waiting to see what happens next. They are leaving town. Jerusalem and headed toward a small town. Now, they’ve listened to Jesus correct their misunderstanding about a suffering Savior but they’ve not yet returned to Jerusalem. They’ve got the facts. They just have no feeling. That should get our attention. Because it means: You can know the facts about Jesus and still not know Jesus. So what does it take to move from us from information to recognition and from recognition to submission? That’s the big question this text hopes to answer - This text answers that. First: You Can Be Close to Jesus and Still Miss Him (vv. 28–29) Jesus has been with them walking and teaching and now He acts as though He will go on. They urge Him to stay but they still don’t know who He is. IMP: They are with Him—and still blind. This is not ignorance. They are coming to the truth. This is partial understanding without true sight. There are people in the church and around the things of God but Jesus is not real. APP: Proximity is not the same as conversion and it’s also not the same as discipleship. Second: Jesus Must Make Himself Known (vv. 30–31) Notice what Jesus does. He takes bread. He Blesses it. He breaks it. He gives it to them. And then: “Their eyes were opened.” IMP: That is the hinge of the passage. It is not that they figured it out, that they remembered some key piece of information that changed everything or connected the dots. Instead, God acted. Knowing Jesus is not something you achieve. Loving Jesus is not something you produce. It is something God gives. You don’t come to Christ because you got smarter or reasoned better or felt something more deeply than others. You became a Christian because God opened your eyes. Note: Somewhere around here I’m going to build a theology of conversion that will look something like this –What just happened at that table is not just the story of these two disciples. It is the story of every Christian. Because the Bible is clear: We do not come to Christ by discovering him. We come to Christ by the Holy Spirit enabling us to see him and changing our minds and hearts about him. a) God Must Open Our Blind Eyes These men were not ignorant. They had information. But they could not see. And the Bible says the same is true of every one of us. 1 Corinthians 2:14 - The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God… he is not able to understand them 2 Corinthians 4:4 - The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers. So what must happen? ILL – Saul on the Damascus road is the perfect example of this – God blinded him to give him sight. 2 Corinthians 4:6 - God… has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ APP: Salvation is when God does in your heart what He did in creation—He says, “Let there be light.” b) God Must Give Us A New Heart The problem is not just what we see. It is what we love. We don’t naturally love Christ. We don’t naturally choose Him. So God does something deeper. Ezekiel 36:36 - I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you The Holy Spirit changed our heart and made us fall in love with Jesus c) Then God gives us faith Even the act of believing is not something we produce. Ephesians 2:8-9 - By grace you have been saved through faith… it is the gift of God. Philippians 1:29 - It has been granted to you… to believe in Him Faith is not your contribution. It is God’s gift. d) Sanctification Follows the Same Pattern And here’s what matters for this text. The way you are saved is the way you grow. You don’t begin by grace and continue by effort. Galatians 3:3 - Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? No. Philippians 2:13 - It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. The same God who opened your eyes to Jesus, gave you a new heart and faith, must continue to shape your heart. Lazarus in John 11 is the perfect example off this: 1 – Ephesians 2:1 - And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 – Ephesians 2:5 - Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, Think about Lazarus dead in the grave. Jesus called specifically to him and only Lazarus came out. That’s salvation. Then, Jesus had to instruct him be loosed from the linen cloths that bound him. That’s sanctification. Back to the Text: So when you read 16 - But their eyes were kept from recognizing him and 31 - …their eyes were opened, and they recognized him - That is not just a small detail. That is a declaration. This is why prayer is so important – A Prayer – John 11:1-3 - Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” A Model – v 4 - But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” A Resurrection – vs 43-44a - “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out A Loosing – v 11:44b - … his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” This is what we are working for. This is what we are praying for. Third: The Word Burns In Our Hearts Before Our Eyes See Jesus (v. 32) After Jesus vanishes, they say: “Did not our hearts burn within us… while He opened to us the Scriptures?” Before they saw Him something was already happening. Their hearts were being stirred, their assumptions were being dismantled and their understanding was shifting. The Word was doing its work. APP: Jesus does not bypass the Scriptures. He reveals Himself through them. We want shortcuts. We want immediate clarity and instant recognition But God works through the Word to give us sight. Fourth: When We See Jesus, Everything Changes (vv. 33–35) These two disciples, who earlier in the day were confused and discouraged, now get up “that same hour” and return to Jerusalem. It’s the ae road but the opposite direction. Everything reverses from leaving to returning, from confusion to clarity, from depression to declaration. APP: When you see Jesus in the Bible, everything changes. You don’t need to manufacture your witness. When Christ is real, you don’t stay on the road away from Him. If nothing has changed in your life. If there is no definite direction, no urgency to living and no witness to others, the issue isn’t knowledge, it’s seeing Jesus. Conclusion: These disciples had all the information they needed but that wasn’t enough. They didn’t see Jesus in the Word. Until Jesus opened the Bible, opened their eyes, and made himself known. Some are still walking the road away from Jerusalem. You’ve heard it. You know it. You’ve been near it. But Christ is still distant. And the problem is not that Jesus is absent. The problem is that you don’t see him. Because when you see him – your heart awakens your mind changes your direction reverses  (That’s Bible repentance!)