Living Examples - Timothy - A Young Servant/Leader
Pray – (1/2 minute)
Read – (2 1/2 minutes) – “Command and Teach these things. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:11-12)
Passage: Psalm 127:1-5
Every four years, when the Olympic Games roll around, one of the most exciting races in the track events is the 4x100 meter relay. The entire race takes about 37 seconds and the difference between winning a medal or not is often measured in 10th’s or 100th’s of a second. Over the years the USA relay teams have typically had four sprinters who can win gold or at least get a medal, but since the 2000 Games, the USA team has never won gold and since 2004, they haven’t won any medal. The reason is not that they were too slow. It is because they either dropped the baton exchange or failed to do it well.
In God‘s Kingdom, He calls every generation to carry the baton of service and leadership in different ways and pass on that baton to the next generation. Churches that do not do that, decline and eventually die because ultimately, there is not a generation to carry the baton of the gospel ministry forward. The Apostle Paul took up God’s call and he understood the need to pass on that baton. One of those in the next generation was a young man named Timothy. Timothy would become the pastor of the church in Ephesus while still a young man. Paul challenged him to stand strong and be a living example for everyone, regardless of their age. God wants your life to be a living example for others as well. Be ready to carry the gospel baton and look for others to pass it to.
Apply - (2 1/2 minutes)
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Pray - (1 1/2 minutes)