Striving for Generations of Laborers
… the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. Colossians 1:26-29
Paul worked with everything he had to help others come to know Christ and grow to maturity in Him. This type of spiritual laboring was incredibly consuming and exhausting.
A mark of physical maturity is the ability to reproduce. And so it is for spiritual maturity. As we grow up in Christ we mature to the point of being able to reproduce more followers of Him. It is a natural result of growth both physically and spiritually.
But many followers of Christ never reproduce their faith. They are stunted or never reach spiritual maturity. Having obtained the ‘fire insurance policy,’ they rest in the assurance of its personal protection without sharing their faith with others.
Paul exhorted Timothy to pass along what he had obtained to others to the second and third spiritual generation. “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” (2 Timothy 2:1-2)
Spiritual generations of those who are mature in Christ to the point of spiritual reproduction – that is the legacy of our spiritual lives. Just as we leave a physical legacy, so too we must aim for a spiritual legacy. We seek to leave behind men and women who walk with God and who reproduce their faith into the next and following generations.
What’s the legacy that you are leaving?
Developing Kingdom Leaders - Tom Yeakley 