2 John "Raising Arrows"

Driving through 2 John

Raising Arrows

What is your Legacy?

My grandmother, Geraldine Smithson, was a special woman; she was a woman of great wisdom, knowledge, compassion for people, love, strength, and most importantly, she was a woman of faith. People would come from all over just to ask her advice and listen to her wisdom. She was truly an amazing woman.

In her final years, my grandma battled cancer. She was very sick. She even had a kidney removed while in her 80’s, but she kept on fighting. She kept on ministering. She kept on going to church. She kept on praying and doing spiritual warfare for those who needed it. This is her in her 80’s ringing the bell for the salvation army, because she was always looking for ways to serve God and people.

And the reason why she fought so hard in those final years of her life was because she felt like her grandchildren and her great grandchildren still needed her there to pray. She was ready to go to Heaven and ready to receive her reward, but she also felt like her kids were not ready for her to go. In her last days on this earth, when she couldn’t fight any longer, she wanted to hear from all her grandchildren one last time…just to know that they were ok. And she wanted to encourage them all to serve the Lord. Then just before Christmas in 2019, my grandmother went home to be with Jesus.

Death of a loved one is tough! Even when you know where they are going, and even when you have the hope that we have—it is still tough. One minute they are there, and the next minute they are gone. One minute they are a major part of our lives and our routine, and the next minute we are living our lives without them…as if they were never there. Time slips on, and memories fade.

And one day it will be our turn. One day we will pass from this life, and all the things that we have stressed about, worked for, fought for, worried for, saved for, lived for…it will just all fade away. And in those final moments, what will be the most important things that we will reach one last time for?

• What will we want near us?

• What will we be worried about leaving?

• How will we be remembered?

• What impact will we have had on the world?

• When they lay my body to rest, who will remember me?

• 2 or 3 generations down the road, will anyone even remember my name or a single deed that I have done?

On February 21, 2018, Reverend Billy Graham died at the age of 99. This is a man that pastored presidents, wrote over 30 books, founded two magazines, preached to millions of people all over the world, and lead countless numbers to Christ. This was a great man of God; probably the greatest Evangelist of our generation, if not of all time. It is said that Billy Graham has led more people to Jesus then any other man in the history of Christianity.

Billy Graham will be remembered!

But me…let’s be honest…my memory will eventually fade. I will not be remembered like that! There are only a few great people like Billy Graham, but there are a lot of average people just like me in the world. As a matter of fact, there is an estimated 150,000 people who died on Wednesday, February 21st, but Billy Graham is the only one we heard about. His is the only name that we remember.

Eventually, we will become an obscure name on a head stone. Our names will not be written down in any history book, nor will we be remembered for some great achievement, but that doesn’t mean that our life wasn’t important. And that doesn’t mean we didn’t have an impact on people. That doesn’t mean that our life was wasted. And that doesn’t mean that we should take our assignments on this earth any less serious.

My sweet grandma died in her 2 bedroom trailer house in Bald Knob, Arkansas. Everything she owned was right there in that small home. The home didn’t even belong to her—it belonged to my uncle who bought it for her so she could live there for free. Her car was bought by my other uncle, so that didn’t even belong to her. She didn’t have any money or anything of value to pass down—just memories. There was an obituary run in the paper that most people probably looked right over—just another old woman that had lived and died. And from the outside looking in, she may have not seemed that important, and it may not have appeared that she made a difference in the world—but I assure you she did!

My grandma grew up in California during the great depression. Her father was a migrant worker, and so she lived in a tent in a place called “tent city” in California. It was a dangerous place.

From a very young age, she was working in the fields, and helping support her family. There were numerous obstacles that she had to overcome in her family and in her community, but probably not very different then many other people had to go through during that era.

She would tell the story of how a couple would come to her home every Sunday and pick her up for church. She was only 7 or 8 years old, but this couple cared enough to take the time to sow the seeds of the gospel into her life.

She grew up, she got married to a WW2 vet who liked to drink, gamble and fight. They bought some land and moved to the Ozarks in Arkansas, built a home together, had some children, farmed the land, and struggled to make ends meet.

My grandma became a believer in her early 20’s. She visited a little church where they were having a revival and she gave her life to Jesus. She shared the news to my grandfather who said something like, “I am glad that it makes you happy, but don’t expect me to go.” However, my grandfather gave her a ride to church one Sunday and ended up giving his life to Jesus as well. My grandfather was a very well-known and respected man, and when he got saved, people took notice.

Soon after, my Grandma started preaching and evangelizing, and eventually pastored a little church in Marshall, Arkansas. This little church never ran over 50 people, but so many ministers and evangelist were birthed out of that church and from under my grandmother’s ministry—too many to count. She preached on the radio every week, and she invested herself and her resources into that little church, and into that community where she was called.

This is my grandmother and my grandfather with my son John Mikel. just a year before my grandfather passed away. He received his reward on Christmas day, December 25th, 1995.

And this is a picture of part of my family with my grandma at her 80th birthday party, just a few years before she died.

The details of my grandmother’s life and the struggles she went through are inspiring to me, probably because I’m her grandson. But in all honesty, she was just another person trying to survive, trying to live right, trying to please God, trying to raise a family, trying to serve God, and trying to make it through life. There were some pretty remarkable moments in her life, but all in all I guess she was just like any other normal, ordinary person who has lived and died.

But there is something very special about my grandmother that I want to share with you today, and hopefully challenge you! My grandmother left a legacy!

• It began when she got saved.

• It continued when she led her husband to salvation

• It continued on when she began instilling something in her children that made a lasting affect on them.

My grandmother made sure that her children, and then her grandchildren, and then her great grandchildren, all understood how much God loves us, and how important a relationship with Him was, and how real eternity is. My grandmother was the first person to get saved in her family, and her salvation changed generations of the Smithson Family, and more generations to come.

Let me just break it down for you… (this family picture is about 10 years old, and the family is so much bigger now)

• My grandparents raised 3 children who all became ministers of the gospel and would go on to pastor and lead churches.

• Those 3 children raised 9 grand children of who all are serving God and serving in the church in some capacity. (including 2 worship leaders, and 4 licensed ministers)

• Those 9 grand children raised 24 great grand children of whom many are currently serving the Lord, and the others will be one day! (2 more pastors, worship leaders, and teachers.)

• Those great grand children are now raising almost 30 great, great, grandchildren

• That is over 60 children (not including spouses) that have been directly affected by the legacy of this one woman. If you include spouses, that is over 100 people

• And that is just in her immediate family and doesn’t include all the other people in her life that she affected!

My grandmother may not be remembered like Billy Graham or some other great minister, but my grandmother left a legacy; and her legacy is her family. Her legacy is her children, her grandchildren, and her great grandchildren! My grandmother’s legacy is that her children serve God! This was the most important thing to my grandma—the spiritual well-being of her children.

• It wasn’t a piece of land

• It wasn’t a bank account full of money

• It wasn’t a prestigious name

• It wasn’t a business

• But it was a spiritual legacy that is more important than any of those things.

This is one of my favorite pictures; this is my granddaughter ringing the bell for the salvation army. This is Geraldine Smithson’s great, great granddaughter carrying on the legacy.

Raising Arrows

This is what I thought of when I read the tiny book of 2 John—I thought of my grandmother, and I will tell you why. 2 John is written from John to a woman—that’s all we know. John calls her a “chosen” lady, and so she must have been very important to the work of the church to receive a letter from the apostle…especially a letter that gave her instruction in ministry. I imagine this lady to be like my grandma; praying, helping, teaching, loving, mentoring—just pouring herself into her children and into all the people that were there in that local body. She had two passions; the gospel of Jesus Christ and her family.

Let’s read the opening verses…

2 John 1-4

This letter is from John, the elder. I am writing to the chosen lady and to her children, whom I love in the truth—as does everyone else who knows the truth—because the truth lives in us and will be with us forever. Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with us who live in truth and love. How happy I was to meet some of your children and find them living according to the truth, just as the Father commanded.

Of all the things that John could have said to her to bless her, this is the one that I believe blessed her the most, “I have met some of your children, and they are living for the Lord.” That is what she wanted to hear! She was filled with joy and thanksgiving to know that her children were living for the Lord!

Just like my grandma…she loved to hear how her children and her grandchildren were serving the Lord. It was the most important thing to her. It was more important then titles, then money, then success, then fame, then possessions, then health, then anything! All these things were secondary to this fact… “how is your relationship with the Lord.”

None of those things matter if the heart isn’t right! My grandmother had a firm grip on what is the most important—and that is the things of the spirit.

Listen parents and grandparents, I know that you have great expectations for your children. I know you want them to grow up to be doctors, lawyers, football stars, inventors, CEO’s, actors, activists, or famous singers. You may be hoping that your child or grandchild is the next president of the United States or the next Michael Jordan. You want them to have good careers, make lots of money, not have to struggle like you did, get a good education, live in a nice house, marry a wonderful person…who doesn’t want those things for their children?

But what good is all of that, if they lose their souls? What good is all the success the world has to offer, if they don’t know Jesus. Like Jesus said in Matthew 16:26 “what good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet lose their own soul.”

I guess it all depends on what you really want for your family. What is your goal for your family? What would be your number one priority? Is it the temporary or is it the eternal? Remember, there is a Heaven and a Hell, and your children will have to make their own choice about where they want to spend eternity! What have you done to prepare them for that?

Parenting is the most important thing that you will ever do!

• Parenting is your number one responsibility!

• You are shaping and molding a human being.

• You are responsible for an eternal soul.

• Once you have kids, your assignment in life changes.

And you may not feel like you have done anything great or wonderful in your life, or you may feel like that you have not been able to leave your mark on the world, but your children are your legacy!

Have you ever heard of Nancy Lincoln? Probably not, she was just a young, poor, uneducated woman who died of snakeroot poisoning in the prime of her life. But her son you have probably heard of—his name was Abraham Lincoln. Abraham was her legacy. He spoke of how she instilled the virtues of honesty, compassion, and even intellectual curiosity in him. Even though she didn’t have an education, she impressed the importance of learning and reading on him. It is no doubt that Abraham would not have been the man he became had it not been for his mother—whom we have never heard of. She didn’t change the world directly, but she raised the man who did.

How about Alois Schicklgruber? Ever hear of him? Probably not! He later changed his name to Alois Hitler, and he had a son also, and his son’s name was Adolf Hitler. Alois may have never impacted the world directly, but his son most definitely did.

Andy Stanley wrote, “your greatest contribution may not be something you do, but someone you raise!” Think about that!

• Who are you raising?

• What kind of legacy are you leaving?

• What values are you instilling in your children?

• What are you teaching them?

What are you teaching them…

• About the church?

• About going to church?

• About supporting the church?

• About God?

• About giving?

• About loving people?

• About serving people?

• About obedience?

• About priorities?

• About Jesus?

• About modesty?

• About grace?

• About eternity?

• About mercy?

• About patience?

What will be your legacy? What are you instilling in your children?

John summed it up like this in his next letter in 3 John 1:4 “I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth.” John said that there was nothing more important then this. John said that there was no greater news that he could hear, then that his children were living right. Above all else, he just wanted to know that His children were living for Jesus.

What about you? What gives you joy?

• When your child makes a good grade on their report card?

• When they become an extra on some TV show?

• When they get all dressed up and go to the prom?

• When they make that touch down?

• When they land that big promotion?

• When they make start A’s?

• Are these the things that make you happy?

• Is this your hope for your children?

Or would you find greater joy in the fact that they know Jesus as their personal savior, that they are serving him, that they are living their life in a manner that pleases him, that they are active in their church, and that they are destined to spend eternity with Him in Heaven?

• Would you find joy in the first time they said the sinner’s prayer?

• Or the first time they stood for what is right even when it was difficult?

• Or when they were baptized?

• Or when they wanted to help someone in need?

• Or when they lead others to Jesus?

• Or give up their dreams to live a life in service to God?

What is important to you?

How to leave a Legacy

Here are a few practical ways to leave a spiritual legacy;

Number one; By telling Stories of what God has done

Psalm 78.4: We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

Psalm 145.4: One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.

God commanded the people of Israel to make it a habit of reciting to their children the things that God has done for them. The festival of Passover, which God established, is all about celebrating and remembering what God has done.

The first step to leaving a spiritual legacy is to make it a habit to tell the stories of what God has done. And not just telling the stories of the Bible, but telling your personal stories. My grandmother’s stories of what God had done in her life had a lasting impact on my life!

Number two; Guiding truths by instruction and example.

Deuteronomy 6:5-7, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

Ephesians 6:4, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

It is our responsibility to teach our children the word of God; by instruction and by example. And it is not too late. I don’t care how old your children are, you still have opportunities to teach them the commands of God. And if your children aren’t living right, then as a grandparent, make it your mission to teach your grandchildren the word of God.

Number three; Give them opportunities to serve and bless others

1 Peter 4:10 says “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

We are all called to serve God. We are all part of the body of Christ. And the best way to introduce your children and grandchildren to this important truth is by giving them opportunities to serve. It is important that we lead our children and teach them how to serve others by giving them opportunities to serve. Like this Saturday at 8:00 am. when we will deliver balloons and invites to every home in the neighborhood. It is important that our children understand the importance of serving God by serving others.

Number three; Leaving behind a Generational blessing

Exodus 20:5-6, “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

I don’t understand everything there is to know about generational cursings and generational blessings, but I am convinced that it is real. I believe that the blessings in my life and in my children’s lives, began with my grandparents. My grandmother started it. My grandmother was the first one saved from our family and her obedience and love for God began a legacy of blessing in my family.

If you want to leave a legacy of blessings for your family, it does not begin with a good life insurance policy, but it begins with obedience to God’s commandments and a genuine love for Him and His presence. That is where your legacy begins.

Raising Arrows

Parents and Grandparents, I want you to understand how important your calling is. I want you to understand the gravity of the situation. I want you to think about your legacy, your gift to the world, your impact on the world…what will that be?

It will be your children!

Do you want your children to serve God? Then do something about it!

David said it like this in Psalm 127:4, “children are like arrows in the hands of a warrior.” It is up to you, where you will point them.

• Where are you pointing your children?

• Where are you aiming them?

• Are you aiming them toward money?

• Are you aiming them toward sports?

• Are you aiming them toward entertainment?

• Are you aiming them toward a career?

• Or are you aiming them toward eternal life?

• Are you aiming them to Jesus?

I heard Francis Chan talk about raising children and He said that this is what helps him keep it in perspective; He wants his children to love God more then anything else. He wants his children to love God even more then they love Him! And if that is the case…if that is his motivation…then the decisions that he makes as a parent will support that goal.

You are raising arrows! Point them to Jesus! Leave a lasting Legacy!