2 TIMOTHY 4:5-8 PASS IT ON

5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

No one knows when Jesus will return, so our call is to live according to the Gospel as if he were to arrive today, while at the same time making provision for continuing the ministry tomorrow. This does not mean that we are to work to assure that our personal ministry will live on forever (cloning yourself or keeping your name alive). Rather, we are to pass the deposit of the truth on to others who are coming after us so that God, through his creativity and their God-given gifts will have servants for his message in the next generation. As stewards that with which we have been entrusted we must be prepared to entrust to others.

How does one prepare for the passing on of a treasure? He either has to find someone who knows the value of the treasure or he must inculcate that knowledge into someone else. Only someone who knows the true value of the treasure can be trusted to protect and preserve it. When it comes to the Gospel, this is “the work of an evangelist.”

Our evangelistic energy should be directed primarily toward the good of the kingdom and secondarily the good of the individual. If we keep this focus we will be protected from the temptation to modify the message to make it more attractive or down-play the gravity of the task so that people will not be afraid to take it up. If the person is resistant to taking up the task we need to consider that God might have another person in mind. In this, as in all other aspects of the Christian life, we need to be open to God’s will and leading.

Perhaps Moses’ prayer for a successor should be a model for ours.

16 “May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community 17 to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the LORD'S people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
(Numbers 27:16-17)

O God, you are sovereign over the spirits of all human beings. Appoint from your community a person who will cherish, preserve and proclaim your unadulterated Gospel to the Church and the world so that your people will not be bereft of your Word. May your Spirit anoint your servant and prosper your Gospel until our Lord Christ returns in glory. Amen.