Engage the Next Generation
Read the Text: 2 Timothy 2
Memorize the Text:
Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of eternal life to which you were called and about which you have made a good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
(1 Timothy 6:12, CSB)
Consider the Text: 2 Timothy 2:1-2
The term legacy continues to dominate the theme found in 2 Timothy. In chapter 1, the apostle Paul reminded Timothy of the legacy he carries because of the influence of his mother, grandmother, and the apostle. Paul continued to develop the concept of a legacy by challenging Timothy to become a legacy builder. As a legacy builder, Timothy must live as a disciple who participates in developing other disciples. The charge to Timothy extends to believers today as we seek to live as legacy builders who participate in the process of disciple-making.
DEMONSTRATE LIVING STRONG IN GRACE
The apostle called Timothy to live strong in grace. The ability to live strong in grace comes as we live in the unmerited favor of the Lord that extends salvation to us. Thus, we gain access to the power and presence of the Lord because of his unmerited favor. We do not earn or deserve the power and presence of the Lord, but by his grace, he offers it to us. When we live out grace, we live in the power of the Lord that provides us the strength needed to live in the ways of the Lord and to live in victory over the trials and temptations we face. As a result, when we live out grace, we demonstrate the power of God’s presence in the life of a believer and show others what a grace-powered life looks like. Are you showing others the power of God’s grace by showing the greatness of God’s grace in your life? Are you taking Paul’s challenge to Timothy as a challenge to you?
TEACH WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN TAUGHT
The apostle Paul charged Timothy to train other believers with the wisdom he gained from learning from the apostle. The charge rest as an example of the fulfillment of the Great Commission, where Jesus called his followers to be disciples who make disciples through reaching others with the gospel and training them with all he had commanded. When you grow spiritually, you receive the expectation to share this with others and to invest in their spiritual journey. The passing of these spiritual lessons extends from the Old Testament understanding of sharing God’s faithfulness with future generations so that they would know the Lord. So likewise, we must teach the future generations the truth of what we have gained from the Lord and his Word so that the future generations will know the Lord. Are you holding the knowledge of the Lord to yourself? Are you prepared to take hold of the charge to train others and invest in the process of legacy-making by teaching others?
COMMIT TO DEVELOPING OTHER TEACHERS
The apostle called Timothy to commit to training others. The commitment revealed the essential nature of remaining faithful to engaging others. When we commit, we take the personal responsibility to make disciples. We reject the temptation to hold that others should take the responsibility we have received as a command from the Lord. If everyone expects someone else to train the future, the future will never gain training. Thus, we must make training others an imperative expectation of the Lord. Have you committed to an individual or two to train them in the faith? Have you committed to teaching a small group? Whether one or many, what commitment will you make to training others?
The next generation needs disciple-makers. Future spiritual leaders develop when believers today take the initiative to live out grace before others, train others with the knowledge gained from their journey, and develop others to become disciple-makers. Thus, we must assess our life. Are we living out a life demonstrating being strong in grace? Are we teaching others with the knowledge we have gained? Are we intentional about developing the next generation of spiritual leaders? We must participate in this endeavor if we desire to see the next generation living in faith.
This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.
