In our women’s Bible study this year we’ve been working our way through the book of Acts, and I had the opportunity a couple weeks ago to teach on Paul’s faithful witness from Acts 18. I defined a faithful witness as a consistent presence where people can see faith lived out in your everyday life.

While I was led to faith a child, and my parents are Christians, and the church I grew up in had a solid Sunday School hour and a great youth program, I couldn’t name for you a particular person outside my family who I would say was a constant, faithful witness in my life, someone who intentionally poured into me. It wasn’t until I left the country to serve as a missionary after college that I even heard about the need for discipleship, having a “Paul” that would pour into you.

When I moved back to the states and started attending my current church, I began hearing about this discipleship relationship all the time. And it was there, five and a half years ago, that I connected to a discipleship group led by a woman named Aisha, and I have been able to say for the last five and a half years that I have that faithful witness in my life who has intentionally poured into me, and has helped formed me into a faithful witness for others.

Part of being a faithful witness, that we see from Paul’s life in Acts 18, is that a faithful witness reproduces disciples. In verses 24-28 Paul has left Ephesus, but he leaves behind Priscilla and Aquilla, a couple he had lived with while ministering in Corinth. They had worked together, they heard him teach in the synagogue, and I’m sure they got to share deeper conversations around the dinner table. In the year and a halfish Paul was in Corinth, they had the opportunity to be discipled by Paul’s faithful witness.

And so, when they hear Apollos, an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures, teaching in the synagogue about Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John (meaning he didn’t know about Jesus’ atoning death, resurrection, and ascension), it says, “they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately” (v. 26).

Paul was a faithful witness to Priscilla and Aquila, and they in turn were faithful witnesses to Apollos. This is what it looks like to reproduce disciples. Apollos was not afraid to teach what he knew, and this is what we should be doing as faithful witnesses who want to reproduce disciples. We don’t wait until we know everything to disciple someone because that will never happen! There is always someone just behind you in the faith you can be sharing what you learn with.

I have this picture from the end of my teaching, I like to call it my discipleship family tree (although many people were missing!). See, the woman who discipled me was first discipled by someone else. That original discipleship group is on the left side of the picture.

After a couple years in her discipleship group I then went out and discipled some women, who have since discipled other women, and we’re now in the 5th generation (the woman on the far right of the photo). And Aisha, who discipled me (immediately to my left in the photo) has also since discipled more women. It’s a never ending process of multiplication that results in women growing in their faith and walk with God. I know it’s done that for me.

So, who can you be a Paul to? Who can you be pouring your life into? Or if you’ve never had a discipleship relationship, who can you ask to be a Paul to you? Commit to being a faithful witness who shares the gospel message through your life and walk.