As we closed out the school year at Campus Life, we concluded our discussion of Acts by talking about service and legacy. We talked about why we serve: not to be more acceptable to God (Ephesians 2:8-9), rather since God has saved us, we are now able do good works (Ephesians 2:10) out of obedience and love for Him (1 John 5:3). We also talked about specific opportunities to serve others which included teaching, mentoring, and other means of pouring into the lives of the next generation. Whether or not we choose to obey the command to serve others and put them before ourselves (John 13:12-14, 34-35), we will all leave a legacy of some kind for those who come after us. What kind of legacy will that be?
First of all, "legacy" is not the same thing as "reputation." Your reputation has to do with how you are remembered. Your legacy is what you leave behind. If you start a tradition that is carried on by later generations, that is your legacy whether those people remember you or not. When we think about what we want to leave behind, we should consider what will benefit others rather than what will make us look good. If we are known by God, it doesn't matter who else knows us or remembers us.
As you consider what you want to leave to those coming after you, consider the Apostle Paul's legacy:
1.) Paul's legacy of faith: How many people are Christians today because Paul went throughout the world faithfully preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and calling people to repent from their sin and believe the good news? (Acts 17:2-4) Obviously, Paul was not the only person involved in bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles, but I am sure that many of us today could trace our Christian heritage back to him. The important thing for us to notice is that the Gospel has been passed from one person to another (1 Corinthians 15:1-5). It is a legacy we have received that must be passed on to continue.
2.) Paul's legacy of instruction: Paul wrote at least 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament. His teachings span a wide variety of topics including our sin, God's grace, the nature of salvation and conversion, justification, faith, obedience, worship, unity, discipline, love, marriage, family, spiritual gifts, government, end times, and much more. All of this instruction came from a desire to pass on the truths that God had revealed to him to the young churches of the world . He encouraged them to keep and guard these instructions not because he wanted to be remembered, but because he knew they would be valuable for the churches (2 Timothy 1:13-14). The churches preserved these letters and passed them on to us because they also recognized that these teachings would help the Christians who would come after them.
3.) Paul's legacy of character: Paul gave us a model to follow. In his proclamation of the Gospel, he never compromised his message even when it caused him to suffer (2 Corinthians 11:24-27). Even though he was an Apostle, he never abused his authority (1 Corinthians 9:12-19). He also gave all glory and honor to God for anything good in himself (1 Corinthians 15:10) and called his own accomplishments rubbish compared to gaining Christ (Philippians 3:7-9). Thus, Paul tells those who come after him to follow his example, not out of pride, but so that others can know the peace of God that he does (Philippians 3:17, 4:9).
What will your legacy be? Will you strive to instill your faith in Christ into those around you? Will you pass on the valuable lessons and truths that you have received? Will you leave an example for others to follow by the way you live? Will they be better off for having known you? How will the world be different because God put you here?
