A Mother's Best Legacy

CCI Fellowship is celebrating Mother's Day and discussing the best legacy a mother can leave. They look at the example of Timothy, who was influenced greatly by his mother. They emphasize the importance of a solid spiritual life and forming exemplary descendants. They encourage mothers to teach their children to walk by faith, show them the scriptures, and guide them towards Christ. They also urge mothers to strive for their children to be exemplary in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. Welcome to CCI Fellowships podcast. Thank you for joining us. At CCI Fellowship, we are reaching God, reaching each other, and reaching our community. We pray that this week's message challenges you in your walk with the Lord, causes you to grow in your faith, and encourages you in your love for the Word of God. Good afternoon. What a pleasure to be once again with you, with the CCI Fellowship family, whom we love, and we pray for you, and for your pastors as well. Pastor John is in here this afternoon. He's in one of his trips, but we love him and pray for him. Amen? Also for Adriana, Pastor Sergio, Osela, whom we love so much, and to all the team of work of this schedule. Well, today is a special day in Honduras. We are celebrating Mother's Day. It's a day that has a lot of mobilization in the country. Everybody beats, as always, the fathers, and we are happy that this weekend we have been celebrating moms. There's a space back there. We don't know if Adriana mentioned it, but so that you can take a picture and take a memory with you this afternoon here at CCI. Very well. We're going to study a little bit the Word of the Lord this afternoon, and I would like for us to pray before we open the Word. Let's pray. Father, we thank you. Thank you for the life of every person in this place. Thank you for those that accompany them, that we have come to learn more about you. We ask that you speak to us, that you guide us through your Holy Spirit and your Word. Edify your church, Lord. We ask in the name of Jesus. Amen. Very well. Thinking about the day that we are celebrating, Mother's Day, I want to share this word that is titled, A Mother's Best Legacy. And it was very inspiring to see all these mothers come up here to the altar. This word is a word that is more special or more specific to you, but it's also edifying for the rest. A mother's best legacy. One of the main figures of the New Testament is Timothy. Timothy is a disciple of the Apostle Paul, whom we admire because of his trajectory and his spiritual legacy. But the life of Timothy had an origin, and that origin was his mother's influence. So I want to, in light of the Word of God, show you in the Bible how Timothy was a legacy of his mother. I want us to read the book of Acts, chapter 16, verses 1 to 3. Paul went first to Derbe and then to Lystra, where there was a young disciple named Timothy. His mother was a Jewish believer, but his father was a Greek. Timothy was well thought of by believers in Lystra and Iconium, so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. We see here how the encounter between the Apostle Paul and Timothy is mentioned. The first details of Timothy's life are mentioned. He was the son of a Jewish believer and whose father was a Greek. It is also mentioned of him that he had a good testimony in the church of that time. So when Paul has this encounter with him, verse 3 says that Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. Because the impact that he had from the life of Timothy was very big, was tremendous. Now, I want you to see this. Timothy was the son of an absent father, and he was under the care of his grandmother and his mother. But despite that, Timothy is the example of a mother's best legacy. Timothy's mom is an unknown in the Bible. Her name is just mentioned one time. But her influence over her son's life, Timothy, cannot be ignored. Timothy was the deposit of a great legacy. Even with all the family tensions, the ethnic tensions, cultural, spiritual, we cannot negate that his mom did a good job. That is why we are not surprised of Timothy's relevance. He is mentioned at least 6 times in the book of Acts. He is also mentioned 17 times in Paul's epistles. One time he is mentioned in the book of Hebrews, and was the receiver of two New Testament letters. Because of this, it is evident that he had a historical importance. And the apostle Paul came to consider him as a replica of himself. That is why Timothy became his co-worker. He became like a spiritual son to Paul, a close friend and faithful of that who was the leader and the greatest apostle of all history. And I say, what a great legacy of this mother. Mom, the question for you this afternoon is, how do you want to be remembered? What do you want to give your people? What legacy do you want to leave at home, or in your family, or in your children? And I say to you this afternoon, Mom, don't leave a will. Leave a legacy. For this reason, accompany me to study the legacy of Timothy's mother. The mother's best legacy. In first place, the best legacy of a mother is a solid spiritual life. Do you want to leave something in your children? Leave them a solid spiritual life. Verse 5 of 2 Timothy chapter 1 It says in this way, Timothy is described as a man of sincere faith. A faith that was inspired in the life of his grandmother, whose name was Lloyda, and his mother Eunice. This is the only time that Timothy's mom is mentioned. And the faith that Paul sees in him is a profound faith. It is a faith that has great fundamental principles. But that faith came as a result of the inspiration of his mother and his grandmother. You know, the best legacy that we can leave our children is our spiritual life. But not any spiritual life. It's a solid spiritual life based on the Word of God. A Word that is not going to fall at any moment, of which he will never let go. It will be like an anchor in his life. And Paul is remembering this sincere faith. Now chapter 3 verses 14 and 15 Notice how the Apostle Paul is talking about this firm faith. Something that he learned, but also something that he received. And he makes a summary of how he knows the Scripture. But he doesn't know it from a time past. But from his childhood. And who was in his childhood? His grandmother. His mother as well. They are the ones that were building the foundation of his spiritual life. And that sincere faith that he received at home inspired in the Holy Scripture taught by his grandmother and his mother it was the faith that could give salvation. It was the faith that could lead him to the only person that could give him salvation. The faith in Jesus Christ. Mom, this afternoon I say to you, to your children, teach them to walk by faith. Show them the Scriptures and guide them towards Christ. That is the eternal legacy that you can hand off. When you are standing before the Lord on that day, and He asks you, what did you do for your children? No other answer will have more value. You may possibly say, well, I took them to college. Or I gave them a house. I left them a good inheritance. But none of that is important. None of that is transcendental. None of that is taken to eternity. The correct answer before the Lord will be, I showed them the Scriptures I directed them towards Christ. That is all that He is waiting to hear. So the solid spiritual life is the mother's best legacy. Always thinking about Timothy, the second legacy of a mother is this. Is an exemplary descendant that you can leave your children and form in them an exemplary descendant. How beautiful it is for our children to be exemplary. That at school people will say to you, your children are an example. In the neighborhood where you live, that people will say to you, your children are an example. In the church where you go, that people will tell you, your children are exemplary. The best legacy is an exemplary descendant. And Timothy was that, an exemplary descendant. I can think of his mother Eunice feeling with a grateful heart to see his son being an example, being taken by that man called Paul to do great things and to take the gospel of Jesus to the nation. An exemplary descendant. 1 Timothy 4, verses 12-13 says the following, Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech and conduct and love and faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture to preaching and to teaching. The Apostle Paul is encouraging Timothy to continue to be that example in spite of his youth, in spite of those things that he possibly was lacking. Paul encourages him to continue being an example to his generation. Paul encourages him to continue being an example to his generation. Paul encourages him to continue being an example to his generation. An example to follow. An example to imitate. An example to emulate in others in his generation. Or maybe in older people. And Timothy was that generational example. And the Apostle Paul encourages him to be an example in his way of speaking, in his conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. And Paul encourages him to project that to the community where he lives. And encourages him to project this to the community where he lives and to the church where he pastors. And says to him, devote yourself to public reading of Scripture and to teach and to encourage the brethren. Timothy had all these things as a part of his life. And because of this he was an example to others. Where do all these resources come from his life? It comes from being raised by his mother. What he received from that solitary woman. Unknown. But that knew what she needed to do. She polished her son. He formed her son. She trained her son. She gave him the best spiritual values so that he would be an example to his generation. In your own work as a mother, make an effort so that you will have an exemplary descendant. Don't let your children be lost. That your children will be stolen away by the enemy. That your children will be deviated from their purpose. Work in favor of an exemplary descendant so that generation of your children will see in them an example. An example in their speech. An example in their conduct. An example in love. An example in faith and purity. Giving themselves serving the Lord at every moment. A mother's best legacy. Let me see your hands, mothers. Clap your hands. So we have mentioned two things. A mother's best legacy is a solid spiritual life and in second place an exemplary descendant. The third of the things that we are adding this afternoon a mother's best legacy is this. To inspire bravery and courage. We have to train our children in bravery and courage. I don't doubt that Eunice formed him in bravery and courage. Herself was also fighting in many situations. Her husband may have been an uninterested husband. Probablemente no era un proveedor para la casa. Así que le tocó una crianza en limitación. Sin embargo, ella inspiró valentía y coraje. Dice de Primera de Timoteo 6 versículo 11 al 12 But you men of God flee from all this and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. Timothy himself had to fight against many adversities. Tenía que luchar contra tentaciones. Tenía que luchar con limitaciones en su vida. Tenía que luchar con asuntos espirituales. Ahí en la iglesia de Éfeso donde él fue líder por mucho tiempo muchos de sus miembros tenían pocas convicciones. Many of his members had very few convictions. There was little integrity among his members. But even so Timothy was brave and kept his convictions. Even if it cost him his life he kept his convictions. And when Paul writes to him he says you have to flee from all this. He had to flee from that lack of integrity in his own generation. He had to be formed by a man of many convictions in spite of the opposition. And he says to him flee from all this. An endeavor to follow righteousness godliness faith, love endurance and gentleness. And says to him fight the good fight of the faith. And you know Timothy fought the good fight of the faith. He was inspired in bravery and courage. According to the tradition Timothy was a martyr in Ephesus because he certainly opposed worship to the Diana of the Ephesus the goddess. Where did all this courage and bravery come from? Of course it came from God. But it came from all the influence of God but it came from all the influence of the inspiration of a mother that taught him how to hold on to God to hold on to his word to not go back to go and fight the good fight in such a way that he conquered what the Lord wanted him to conquer. What is this courage and bravery that God taught him to fight the good fight of the faith? What are we inspiring in our children? Are we inspiring fear? Are we inspiring doubt? Are we inspiring uncertainty? Dear mom the best of your legacy is to inspire bravery and courage so that when they have to face their adversities when they have to face their temptations when they have to face opposition they will stand firm without going back and make theirs eternal life. Inspire courage to inspire bravery and courage And I want to finish this reflection this afternoon The fourth of the ideas that we are sharing this afternoon a mother's best legacy is to mold lives that honor God to mold lives that honor God Children are like small vessels of clay in our hands God allows us to do a work in their life to teach them to instruct them to correct them and do an entire work of molding their lives And if there is something that mothers can do with excellency is to mold the vessel of their children Children are what their mothers did with them And something interesting is that Timothy means the one who honors God From his name his mom already knew what she wanted with his kids And she gave him a name according to what she longed for that he would become She wanted that her son would honor God That is why she gave him the name Timothy And I want us to examine this last scripture in Philippians chapter 2 verses 19 to 22 Let's look at this For everyone looks out for their own interests not those of Christ of Jesus Christ But you know that Timothy has proved himself because as a son with his father he has served me with me in the work of the gospel When Paul is writing this letter to the Philippians and tells them that he is going to send Timothy he is doing it because he knows who Timothy is Timothy was a man who honored God And Paul says no one like him How extraordinary that somebody would say there is no one like you He was ideal He was a great pastor He was a good man He was a good citizen He honored God in every area of his life And he compares him to others And says that there were others who looked out for their own interests But Timothy concerned himself really with the interests of the kingdom for the welfare of the church While others were looking for their own interests Because Timothy wanted to honor God And he wanted to honor Jesus Christ And as Paul starts to describe him he says you know well how he has proved himself with integrity Timothy had a character that honored God And the apostle Paul is recommending him to do the work of the gospel Because he knows what Timothy means You know this is learning to mold a life that is going to honor God If your son or daughter is still in your womb Start to pray that God will give you somebody that will honor him If your child is already in school or in preschool Ask God to give you the tools to mold his or her life If they are already a teenager or a college kid Ask God to give you wisdom so that you can mold their thoughts and their decisions And if your child has already left home and they are living their own life Bow down on your knees Until you see in your child a vessel that is molded to honor you But do not give up to that Keep longing that he will model Jesus Christ Amen I want to stand to invite you to stand on your feet The time is over If you have a mom close to you please put your hand on their shoulder so that you can pray for her And let's pray Father we thank you Thank you for every mom in this auditorium Thank you for the privilege that you have given her Thank you for the love that you have given her To guide and direct a generation I ask for them Strengthen their life Strengthen their spirit Strengthen their mind Lord only you know their struggles You alone know their limitations There are probably moms like Eunice Just like Timothy's mom Doing a motherhood in solitary But I ask you Lord in this afternoon That you would fill them with your power and your love To do the task that you have commissioned them I ask Lord that their result will be wonderful That they will see their children grow in faith and love and in honor towards you That they can see their children being an example In the midst of their school or their house or their neighborhood I ask of you Lord Give them brave children that are filled with courage To fight in the name of Jesus So that they will overcome all adversity And Lord that we can at the end of our days Have understood That the best thing that we could have done Was to have left a good legacy in them A legacy that honors you Lord Father we pray for our children Bless them Prepare their hearts to encounter you Deliver them from all temptation From every way that it leads to loss And help them Lord encounter you along the way That they will never be far from you That always the seed of the gospel Will always be bringing light and direction to their lives Thank you Lord We give you for the life of our moms Bless them with every spiritual blessing We ask all this In the name of Jesus Amen And Amen If you would like prayer or more information about our church Contact us at fellowship.cci at gmail.com at fellowship.cci at gmail.com Or follow us on social media We hope to see you or hear from you soon Blessings Blessings