Pastor David Sandhu continues the church’s series in 1 Timothy by focusing on chapter 4, highlighting Paul’s call to Timothy to “train yourself for godliness.”
He unpacks what godliness means. It is not a vague spiritual feeling or a one-off religious moment, but an ongoing process of discipline and growth. To be godly is to be Christlike—to look and live like Jesus. Paul’s instruction to Timothy is essentially a call to apprenticeship: to become a student of Jesus who learns, imitates, and reflects Him in daily life.
He explains that in Jewish culture, apprentices studied closely under rabbis, walking so near that they were said to be “covered in the dust of their teacher.” Jesus extends this same invitation, not to the elite, but to ordinary people—fishermen, tax collectors, and all who are willing to follow.
Pastor David then outlines three aspects of apprenticeship. First, be with Jesus: through prayer, Scripture, worship, and stillness, cultivating relationship and closeness. Second, become like Jesus: allowing the Spirit to transform character, values, and mindset so that we grow daily in Christlikeness. Third, do what Jesus did: living out His mission through love, service, prayer, and proclamation, bringing God’s kingdom into everyday life.
He explains that everyone is a disciple of something—whether social media influencers, politicians, or celebrities—because all of them shape the way we think and live. But for Christians, the call is to be conformed to Christ.
Discipleship requires choosing what we want most—Christlikeness—over what we want now. It is not just behaviour modification or ticking religious boxes like prayer or Bible reading. Instead, these practices should lead to transformation: a new heart, new mind, and new way of life.
Pastor David closes with three invitations: for believers to train seriously in godliness, for wanderers to return to the Shepherd, and for seekers to respond to Jesus’ call to follow Him.