A couple of Sunday’s ago I was asked to speak at my local church, and decided to preach about Gospel Legacies. I had discovered that a recent survey suggested that 2 out of 3 baby boomers said they had no plans to leave any legacy and wanted to get on with living their lives and enjoying what they have.
There is even a group you can join of likeminded individuals called skiers. Spending The Kids Inheritance.
Anyway, the point is we looked at how the Apostle Paul intentionally invested his life into a gospel legacy and in particular with a bloke called Timothy. I talked about investing in the gospel, being sold out for Jesus and making him and his rescue mission everything to us, gospel multiplication, salvation for all! The sermon was ok, nothing amazing but what happened afterwards was fan-flippin-tastic!
I finished speaking, which was good news for many, and a wonderful elderly lady from South Africa got up and approached me at the front for permission to share a word. She didn’t need to really ask me at all, but she wanted to and up she got.
She said this. ‘I have been sitting here and I believe someone here is needing to start a new life with Jesus, you can be transformed, forgiven and all the shame and guilt taken away. You can be a prince or a princess, a son or daughter of God.’
At the end of the service she got up again and stood at the front just looking out, eyes scanning the church to see. She knew the Holy Spirit had spoken and was ready to receive that person home. Amazing……but nothing happened, no one rushed to the front, no big rush from the seat at the back somewhere, people just got up and walked away for tea, coffee and a Hobknob.
As people left, I could see 3 older women at the front of church, including our South African friend now, praying and worshipping God as a lady was giving her life over to Jesus. (I’ve actually got tears in my eyes writing this!) This is what its all about! Gospel legacy, people being rescued from the gates of Hell!
These ladies have invested in this ladies life, spent years with her, explaining the Bible, praying, caring, supporting, building faith.
What about you? Who are you investing in? Who is your Timothy? Maybe it’s your children, maybe a mate from work or someone at church you are building up. Maybe you think you have nothing much to give, or the time to make this a priority. Perhaps start with the desire to build gospel legacies, start with the willingness to be THAT bloke and see where God takes it. OK, the tears have dried now, I need to go and break something.
