Ministry that Lasts Through the Ages--Week 1: II Timothy 4:1-5

I like quotes. I like to read quotes—sometimes I read something and the author just has a way with words and it just kind of sticks out to me. Quotes about ministry, quotes about the church—I just like them. And I have collected them in my memory and every once in a while I come back to them. Here are some quotes I enjoy . . . ‌‌ Here’s one that I read in Bible college, in a missions class, from a book on church planting. And this quote has so moved me that it stuck with me all these years: ‌‌If you want to grow something to last a season—plant flowers. If you want to grow something to last a lifetime—plant trees. If you want to grow something to last through eternity—plant churches. —David Hesselgrave ‌‌ What a great way to put it! Churches last forever! Not necessarily their physical building, but when you invest in a church and church ministries—you invest in the body of Christ, you have an investment that will last forever! ‌‌ But it’s not that simple, right? For a church, physically to last on the earth—for it’s ministry to continue, there are certain things that need to be vital components of that ministry. You can’t just do church however you want and expect it to last forever. God does not leave us to wonder what ministry should look like, and how to have a ministry that lasts through the ages. God gives us some help here, through the Apostle Paul and his message to Timothy, and we can learn Biblical priorities for our church based on this text. So let’s read together—II Timothy 4:1-5. ‌‌ As we unpack this text this morning, there’s one big idea I want you to remember about ministries that last through the ages: ‌‌ Big Idea: Ministries that last are firmly planted on Biblical principles