College sports and recruitment

  • Proper recruitment leads to sustained success

 

Anything that is worthwhile requires INVESTMENT

  • Investment is an active thing

In our world, there are THREE different investment categories:

  • THINGS
  • OURSELVES
  • OTHERS

 

Things:

  • Material Goods, Shelter, Etc
  • House
  • Car
  • Money
  • Food

 

Ourselves:

  • Hobbies
  • Fun
  • Personal Advancement/Goals

 

Others:

  • Spouse
  • Kids
  • Family
  • Friends
  • Co-workers

How does our culture view these things?

 

THINGS:

Culture associates material possessions with an individual’s level of success and happiness.

The more you have, the better off you are

 

Jesus says…

Matthew 6:19-21

19 “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 

OURSELVES:

Culture says that You are responsible for your own happiness and well-being.

Jesus says…

Matthew 16:24-26

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it. 26 For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life?

 

OTHERS:

Culture believes in valuing others as long as they don’t hinder your happiness or contradict your personal beliefs.

Jesus says…

Mark 10:43-45

On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus has some pretty significant things to say about each of these areas of INVESTMENT

 

Let’s look at a story that can clarify where the most IMPORTANT investments we can make are…

 

First, a little back story…
Timothy

  • Mother was Jewish, father was Greek
  • Joined Paul during some of his missionary journeys
  • Was only a teen or early twenties
  • He was saved alongside his mother and grandmother
  • He was with Paul when he wrote many of his letters to other churches
  • Eventually, he became Pastor in Ephesus at a younger age

2 Timothy 1

3 I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did, when I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day. 4 Remembering your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also. 6 Therefore, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.

8 So don’t be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me his prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God. 9 He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.

Kingdom Investment: Investing DOWN and AROUND

1: Investing Down

Learning Things from Dads

  • Measure twice, cut once
  • Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot
  • Take care of your things and they’ll take care of you

Passing knowledge and wisdom to the next generation is IMPORTANT for their success
In this letter, Paul reminds Timothy of his SPIRITUAL HERITAGE

  • Being the son of a Greek man, It was possible that he would have been raised in a non-religious home

 

But Timothy was trained in faithfulness to God by his Mother/Grandmother

  • Were faithful in waiting for the Messiah

 

Here’s an important question for us…

What is the Faith of the next generation worth?

 

What are we as parents willing to sacrifice so that our kids know and FOLLOW Jesus?

  • What do we need to START DOING?
  • What do we need to GIVE UP?
  • What LIFESTYLE CHANGE?
  • What EXAMPLES are we setting?

 

Timothy’s faith started with his mother/grandmother, but then Paul came along and helped him take the next steps into leadership

 

3 AREAS OF FOCUS:

1 – Your own children

  • Paving the way for their spiritual success
  • We try to make sure they are successful in other things, but this is the MOST IMPORTANT

 

Do this by Demonstrating:

  • Faithfulness
  • Discipline
  • Passion
  • Compassion

 

The Power of ONE GENERATION

  • Some of you did not have parents that gave you a spiritual inheritance
  • It can change with you
  • You can give them what you never had

2 – The Church

 

The church that focuses on the kids is focused on the future

  • We all are to take part in some way

 

Our legacy as a church is in cKids right now
That’s why we are starting a first service

  • Why we put so much emphasis/money on those ministries

 

3 – Mentorship

 

Taking someone under your wind

  • Some of you have more time for this than others

 

Single?

Kids older or grown?

  • God may be calling you to mentorship
  • To be the parent that they never had
  • To give them a leg up

 

2: Investing Around

 

The power of positive reviews

  • The most powerful review is the one from a trusted friend

 

2 Timothy 1:8-9

8 So don’t be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me his prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God. 9 He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
Paul is encouraging Timothy not to be ashamed of the Testimony of Jesus or of Paul in prison

  • Both of these would have seemed foolish/weird to some people

 

Timothy has a STORY to tell
YOU have a story to tell

  • One of the best ways to share Jesus is to share

 

We call this a testimony

 

The Christian church has been established by ordinary people sharing the remarkable story of how Jesus transformed their lives.

 

Tips on sharing your testimony:

 

1. Keep it short
2. Have a before, how, and after

  • Clear timeline

3. Have a theme

  • There may be several, but narrow it to one

 

4. Clearly present the gospel

  • Jesus saved you from sin

5. Avoid “Christianese”

  • The Lord works in mysterious ways
  • Hedge of Protection

 

6. Practice, practice, practice

 

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