I recently spoke on the topic of spiritual legacy. The idea of leaving behind a legacy may strike
us as something only the powerful and important should think about. Not true.
Legacy is everybody’s word and everybody’s experience. People leave them. Families leave them. Generations leave them. The list goes on and on. We all
leave behind something. The pressing
question is what exactly will we leave behind?
Gary Vaynerchuck says it so beautifully: “Please think about your legacy because
you’re writing it every day.”
I think the idea of a legacy stands on the shoulders of a
related idea, namely, that our desire to leave behind something that blesses
other people is predicated on the fact that we have been imprinted on by other
people. Do you have a list of such people?
Some “imprinting” happens on a public stage that is known
to others. I suspect most of it happens
in more private settings. In these special moments, and possibly several of
them strung out over time, these special people imprint on our lives in ways
that change us forever. In fact, it’s
impossible for us to tell our life story without going through a list of names, mostly unknown to other people. Why?
Because they mean “the world” to us.
Whether it came in the form of a note, a word of encouragement, a
rebuttal at the right time, or a help of some kind, we know that our place of
strength, opportunity, and who we are as human beings is in large part due to
the “touches” from this special group of people.
The apostle Paul met a lot of people. He traveled with several people throughout
his ministry. But, none “imprinted” on
his life more than Priscilla and Aquilla.
He first met them in Corinth
(Acts 18), soon after Claudius’ decree ordering all Jews to leave the city for
a time. They shared the same trade –
tent making. And, a friendship and
partnership soon ensued. One of the
remarkable signatures of their lives was that they were not people who
had jobs who happened to be Christians; they were Christians who happened to
have jobs.
Two things stand out about their lives:
1.) Their
primary purpose was to see the kingdom strengthened and advanced. They took what they knew about the gospel and
shared it as they had opportunity. It
was this dynamic couple that talked with Apollos, the impressive Alexandrian
Jew, and taught him the way of the Lord more perfectly (Acts 18:24-28). How many people did Apollos touch?
2.) They
contributed to the growth of the kingdom every place they lived. When they are mentioned in the New Testament
there is usually a reference to “the church that is in their house” (Romans
16:2-5; 1 Corinthians 16:19). They lived
in three major cities: Rome ,
Corinth and Ephesus .
Read the record in Acts (18 – 20) to see some of events and
circumstances they served in. Paul says
they “risked their lives for his sake” and that “all the churches of the
Gentiles are grateful for their contribution to the kingdom!” The Roman church was bogged down in skirmishes when Paul wrote his letter to them. Priscilla and Aquilla
were serving in the middle of the reassimiliation of Jewish Christians with their Gentile counterparts. They
witnessed the powerful ministry done in the city of Ephesus along with the rioting and trials
that followed. They saw Paul’s heart and
anguish as he waited for word from emissaries about the status of
congregations. They were never considered
“move-ins”, “newby’s” or people from “the city or the country.” No.
They were Christians who served in partnership with the Lord Jesus
Christ with all the rights and privileges that came with that
relationship. And, they took it on the
road everywhere.
Contrast this to a conversation I
had a while back with a friend. He, like
a lot of us, has grown tired of the malaise in churches, the petty disputes,
the myopic vision, political wrangling about things that are beneath us and the
gospel, and a hundred other things that could be mentioned. Consequently, he has become, well, in a
word….bitter and gripy. Most anybody
reading this can identify with both the emotion and the reality of what my
friend feels and sees. What we don’t
realize, especially when you factor in a herd mentality, is the immobilizing
force that “bitter and gripy” can become in our lives and in our
congregations. It takes on the form of a
dog with fleas – scratching becomes our mission!
We had a good conversation. We always do.
I shared with him some of my ministry concerns, some things I have seen
over the years – some not so good – and what it was that gave me hope for today
and any tomorrows God should choose to give us.
I suggested that we need to meditate on the lives of people like
Priscilla and Aquilla. “Why?” he
asked. “Because they didn’t stand around
and scratch all the time, bemoan all the ills of “whatever” all the time, lose
themselves in bitterness and fall into the delusion that “gripy” is a fruit of
the Spirit.” Someone reminded me years
ago that we don’t have the privilege of dismissing ourselves from kingdom work
because it isn’t to our liking, or the circumstances don’t suit us, people are
hard to work with, or because we have some arrogant illusion of a better way of
life that the people we are serving with just don’t get but we do but which – and
here’s the irony! – we don’t want to go create in the power of the Spirit and
with a sense of adventure. No, deep down
we had simply rather scratch and howl than serve and do…where we are.
As adults we all need this
message. We need to pass it on to our
children, too. One of the best ways to
pass it on is to embody the spirit of a “builder” that was true of Priscilla
and Aquilla. We can build with our
words, our attitude and our effort. If we
choose the route of “bitterness and gripy” our kids will grow up with the same
batch of fleas. And, fleas have never
blessed a single family, country or congregation.
“Please think about your legacy
because you’re writing it every day.” Vaynerchuck
is right. What will we write. It’s exciting to think about. It’s more exciting to see it.
Father, help us see as we need to
see that we might be who you need us to be in every moment for you. Fill our hearts with your grace and the power
of your Spirit so that we might serve you with zeal everyday. Amen.
Randy Daugherty
Stephenville, Texas
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