Zambia Hunt

Introduction: The Call to Discipleship

Every Christian has been called to engage in God’s mission of reconciling sinful human beings through Jesus Christ for the ultimate purpose of bringing glory to God among the nations. This mission begins at the moment of salvation—His grace saves us! From there, we are trained:

• By qualified elders in the church (Titus 1:5-16)
• By the godly example and instruction of faithful Christians in the congregation (Titus 2:1-10)
• By grace at work in us through Christ (Titus 2:11-15)

Discipleship is the Mission of the Church!

We have been given a weapon—truth. Paul in Ephesians referred to it as “the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.” We have been given power for the task through the indwelling Holy Spirit, and we have been given a specific task—to proclaim the gospel and make disciples by teaching sound doctrine.

The Context of Our Mission

We carry out this mission in the context of false beliefs and false teachings. False teaching is real, and it is deadly. Paul’s exhortation to Titus is an exhortation to God’s men in Africa today: You must teach sound doctrine in contrast to the false doctrine being taught around you.

Some voices in the West claim that the mantle of Christian leadership now rests on Africa. The sad reality, however, is that Christianity in Africa remains “a mile wide and an inch deep.” The church faces challenges from several directions:

Competing Worldviews

• African Traditional Religion (ATR) – During times of crisis, many Christians return to ATR. Christ is accepted as Savior, while spirits and ancestors are manipulated and appeased simultaneously. As Gaylin van Rheenen reported, 69.6% of all professing Christians among the Zulu of South Africa believe that ancestral spirits accompany people to protect them and bring good fortune. Christ is acknowledged as Savior on a cosmic level, but everyday dilemmas (illness, death, drought) are handled using ATR.
• Islam – The fastest growing religion in the world, with one-third of the 1.8 billion professing Muslims residing in Africa.
• Health & Prosperity Teaching – The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), which is a deadly mix of false beliefs that exalt “modern apostles” and their words as carrying greater weight than Scripture.
• Secularism – To quote van Rheenen: “Secularism as a worldview presupposes that humans are able to chart their own course through reason and human ingenuity with little reliance on God or spiritual realities. On the practical level secularists tend to live for the here and now. They are absorbed by material, this-worldly concerns, are extremely busy with earthly distractions, and are career consumed. Although they acknowledge God on a philosophical level, they live as if he does not exist.”

First Truth: Discipleship Fleshes Out the Gospel in Depraved Cultures

We Are Called to Adorn the Gospel

I have a house full of beautiful women—wives and daughters. They dress appropriately; they adorn themselves like the women that they are. Similarly, we are called to adorn the gospel in our lives.

1. All cultures are depraved – We are called to be in the world, connected and interacting, but not of the world. We don’t reflect the values of the world.
2. The church exists in mission fields – In Crete—right in the middle of a pagan, ungodly, self-centered culture—a church was established. The same happens today in cultures worldwide.
3. Life-changing grace should be evident – What should set God’s people apart and make the gospel shine clearly and brightly is the evidence of life-changing grace on display among formerly pagan peoples.

We Adorn the Gospel by How We Live

There is a body of truth that is believed—the gospel (Titus 1:1-4). This can be summarized as:

1. God created us to be with Him (Genesis 1-2)
2. Our sins separate us from God (Genesis 3)
3. Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Genesis 4 – Malachi 4)
4. Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again (Matthew – Luke)
5. Everyone who trusts in Him has eternal life (John)
6. Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever (Acts – Revelation)

What we believe determines how we live our lives. This affects our decisions at every level:

• With those around us in our culture and society
• With those who are closest to us, in the daily decisions we make in the context of our relationships

Implications of This Truth:

1. This is a vital part of the mission—we preach the gospel (Titus 1:2-3)
2. We teach believers to live in obedience to the gospel (Titus 1:13)

Second Truth: Discipleship Is Designed to Take Place in a Community Called the Church

The Leadership in This Community

Discipleship flourishes within the church, which serves as the corporate community of believers in Jesus Christ where we share life for the good of one another and the glory of God. Within this community, godly elders set the essential example, demonstrating what it means to be blameless in both living and teaching as outlined in Titus 2:7. These leaders model the very character and conduct they seek to instill in others. Complementing the elders’ leadership, holy older men—including husbands and mature male believers referenced in Titus 2:1—play a crucial role in the discipleship process, offering wisdom gained through years of walking with Christ.

The Community of People Who Share Life in Jesus Christ

The discipleship process within the church community operates through several interconnected dimensions. Intergenerational relationships form the backbone of biblical discipleship, where older godly men and women intentionally invest in younger believers within the context of the family of God. This sharing of Christ’s life happens through authentic, life-on-life relationships that allow for both observation and participation. Verbal instruction provides the necessary framework, as mature believers offer explanations and directions—clarifying both the how and why of faithful Christian living. Yet equally important is example-based discipleship, recognizing that disciples often catch the habits, attitudes, and priorities of their mentors through observation of lived principles in everyday contexts, as emphasized in Titus 2:7. Our ultimate goal through these relational processes is the obedient living out of faith and truth by disciples of Jesus Christ in every culture and people group worldwide. This discipleship manifests practically in all spheres of life—in homes, among friends, within church gatherings, at workplaces, and among various associates.

Third Truth: Discipleship Flows Along the Channels of Relationship

Discipleship Begins with the Men!

Discipleship in the biblical model begins with godly men who embody key spiritual qualities. First and foremost, these men must be sober—clear-headed in their thinking and judgment (Titus 2:2, 6), able to make wise decisions without being clouded by worldly influences. They should be reverent in their character, conducting themselves in a manner worthy of respect from both believers and unbelievers alike. True discipleship requires men who are temperate—demonstrating self-control over their emotions, particularly anger, and freedom from the grip of various addictions that would compromise their testimony. Beyond behavioral traits, they must be sound in faith, possessing not merely intellectual agreement with doctrine but a vibrant, personal relationship with God that shapes their entire life. This faith naturally expresses itself through being sound in love—building healthy, sacrificial relationships with others that reflect the qualities described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, where love is patient, kind, and not self-seeking. Finally, these men must exemplify being sound in patience, displaying steadfastness and endurance through life’s challenges, remaining committed to relationships despite opposition or difficulty (Romans 3:28). These qualities form the foundation from which effective discipleship can flow to others in the church and community.

Don’t Underestimate the Influence of Godly Women

The Scripture places tremendous value on the spiritual influence of godly women within the church and family. These women are characterized first by being reverent in behavior—exhibiting a holiness of heart that naturally reflects God’s nature in their daily actions and choices. They demonstrate mastery in being in control of their tongues, refusing to engage in slander or harmful speech that tears down rather than builds up the community of faith. Godly women also show themselves to be in control of their appetites, practicing moderation rather than indulgence. While wine was specifically mentioned as a cultural challenge in Crete, this principle extends to all potential areas of excess or addiction, whether food, shopping, or other consumptive behaviors. Perhaps most significantly, these mature women are called to be teachers of younger women, passing down wisdom both through explicit instruction and through the powerful witness of their daily lives. This teaching encompasses several vital areas: loving their husbands with demonstrable affection and respect; loving their children by seeing them as blessings rather than burdens and providing appropriate discipline that flows from genuine care; being discreet by exercising wisdom in their sexuality amid cultures that often devalue purity; maintaining chastity through purity in both thought and conduct; fulfilling their responsibilities as homemakers with diligence and creativity; demonstrating goodness through kindness and productivity in managing their households; and being supportive of their own husbands, using their gifts and talents to advance the spiritual well-being of their families. This intergenerational transfer of godly wisdom creates a powerful ripple effect that strengthens families and, by extension, the entire church community.

Conclusion: The Ripple Effect of Discipleship

The self-control of the older men influences the older women who teach the younger women. How you live matters! It matters in your church, in your home, as you suffer, when you are wrongly treated, and how you respond to God and his authority in your life.

We are called to make disciples of Jesus! They will become like Him as they watch us, listen to us, and follow our example!

All of this has a purpose: so that people in the culture cannot mock or blaspheme God’s word but instead see God’s grace at work in these former pagans and glorify the Father in heaven (Titus 2:8).