Living the Legacy
Titus 2:2 (The Message) Your job is to speak out on the things that make for solid doctrine. Guide older men into lives of temperance, dignity, and wisdom, into healthy faith, love, and endurance. Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks, but models of goodness. By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives. We don’t want anyone looking down on God’s Message because of their behavior. Also, guide the young men to live disciplined lives.
To "Live A Legacy" is to pass down an example of living for God. One of the blessings of being a youth pastor for 25 years is when I get to see those under my leadership grow into Godly adults who have built their lives and their families on the Word of God. It was a great privilege for me to get to be "that guy" at that point in a young person's life. I was not the kind of youth pastor who's ministry was built around the book "250 of the best games." I found out quickly from God that I needed to build the ministry I was leading around the truths of the Word of God. I knew that teaching them God's Word would never fail them later in life and I have seen evidence of that truth. It was not the "cool" thing to do and I didn't try to show them how trendy and hip I was, but they knew that God had a great plan for their lives and that they could depend on Him. Anything remotely built on the world will fail miserably, but those things that are built on the Word of God will stand firm. I have seen many Christian fathers try to be friends with their kids, or even try to impress their kids with an on edge lifestyle that is built around "things" but those kids are "on their own" when it comes to the deeper things of life. As parents we cannot give in to that kind of parenting, and as called ministers we cannot give in to the "trendy" things of the world.
Some people think "a little of the world and a little of the Bible" and those people are disallustioned at best. A Godlly legacy is a legacy built on one thing, the Word of God. And not just "reading" the Word of God, but "studying" the Word. Paul's message to Titus was upfront and real in the above scripture, and Paul did not mince any words. Every person who works with youth should heed these words and write them on their hearts or they will never see lasting fruit from their time with those teenagers inthe most pivotal time in their lives. Don't play games with the lives we lead, because we see the result of those games in the verse that follow verse 2. Here is the following verse. Guide older men into lives of temperance, dignity, and wisdom, into healthy faith, love, and endurance. Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks, but models of goodness. Older men should be pouring wisdom of how to live for Jesus in younger men, but how can empty vessels "pour" anything? Those vessels, those men, should have gotten Godly direction from someone older than them and they should have been taught to read God's Word like their lives depended on it. Because their lives depend on it!! Then they would have something to pour into those young men, but also the young men have to be willing to receive it and they are led to receive it through the direction given and established by Godly, called youth pastors. As you can see, all of this fits together.....for generations.
We are working with a dead and indifferent church because we are the ones who established this type of church. Not church building.....THE CHURCH!! But it is not too late to turn the tide and begin to do the right things to reestablish this Godly legacy on God's Word. The scripture in Titus goes on and says "By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives." I am so thankful for Andra and her Godly example of how to love your husband. The divorce rate in Christians would reduce dramatically if Godly women would love their husbands more, or like the Bible says be "a help mate." I am not speaking on my own here. This is straight from "the source." GOD. Remember Him?
As the scripture continues on it says We don’t want anyone looking down on God’s Message because of their behavior. Also, guide the young men to live disciplined lives. Young men won't know how to live the life God expects and commands unless they are told what to do and kept accountable to do it. In the last few years I have tried to develop a men's ministry in every church I have served and found called men of God lazy at best when it comes to investing in this kind of ministry. I always end up with the whole thing back on me with no support and the interest wains because, even those who should be totally for it, do not see the need for it. This should not be and so we just throw those young men to wolves, one again because years ago that was not offered to us. Weak, weak, weak!! With the apathetic climate in the church at present it is hard enough to live a passionate life for Jesus without some "iron on iron" accountability for men. If we want to see a Godly legacy continue on then this has all got to change. Paul was asking Titus to be that change agent. Maybe God is asking you to that change agent today. If so, now is the time to step up to the plate and start swinging!!
It would be easy to say "well nobody challenged me as a youth to live for Christ." But that is not an excuse. Time to begin building your legacy for the ones who are looking at you and give them something lasting to go by. GOD'S WORD!! Man, the prophet Hosea did not mince words in Chapter 4:1-6 where he says 1-3 Attention all Israelites! God’s Message! God indicts the whole population: “No one is faithful. No one loves. No one knows the first thing about God. All this cussing and lying and killing, theft and loose sex, sheer anarchy, one murder after another! And because of all this, the very land itself weep and everything in it is grief-stricken—animals in the fields and birds on the wing, even the fish in the sea are listless, lifeless. “But don’t look for someone to blame. No finger pointing! You, priest, are the one in the dock. You stumble around in broad daylight, And then the prophets take over and stumble all night. Your mother is as bad as you. My people are ruine because they don’t know what’s right or true. 4 “Don’t point your finger at someone else and try to pass the blame! My complaint, you priests, is with you. 5 So you will stumble in broad daylight, and your false prophets will fall with you in the night. And I will destroy Israel, your mother. 6 My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children. This prophecy sounds way too familiar. It's time to turn the tide and bear down in growing a new generation. One that is existing on the Word of God. Calling all ministers, especially youth ministers. Who will step up and begin establishing the new way of thinking? Living the Legacy. Lay people challenge your ministers to lead the charge and God will turn things around.
The Pilgrimage Continues....
David Warren