Raising Kingdom Kids - May 10, 2026

As we, as we continue our series in leadership matters, this morning, we're talking about raising Kingdom Kids. Raising Kingdom kids. I am so thankful that I had people all throughout my life pour into my life and plant seeds of faith in me. One particular person is a guy by the name of Clark Driver, who lives in the Dallas Fort Worth area. But he was my summer intern when I was my junior, going into my senior year in high school. And Clark Driver would take me and my friends and we would hang out together and he would pour into us at our church, these guys who just kind of didn't care much about being involved in church. We kind of did our own thing. And the youth pastor said, pour into these guys. These guys have potential. And so he did all summer long. And it was at summer camp that year that I rededicated my life to the Lord. And then later on that year, my senior year of high school, at a revival that was done at our church, I surrendered to ministry, to the call of ministry on my life as a result of one person who. He came along and he made me understand as a teenager that faith and love for Jesus was not packed into just Sunday morning, just suits, just sanctity, right? But it was. It was packed into a living faith, a hope, a faith that was banked in the joy of the Lord, not in somberness. And it made faith come alive in my heart. And it literally, I'll never forget it, made me feel like as a teenager this is something I can hold on to that will equip me for future years. And here I stand today to say, look, faith isn't stale. It's alive and active. It is a joy filled faith in the Lord. And today, as we talk about planting seeds of faith, really in the next generation, raising kingdom kids, we see that seeds hold a unique place all throughout the scripture or the biblical narrative that we have. They symbolize faith, they symbolize provision, they symbolize the creative power of our God Almighty. In fact, in Genesis chapter one, we see where God speaks and he speaks the plants into existence and their seed bearing plants so that they will reproduce on the earth. And all throughout the Scripture, we see this metaphor of seeds that point to deeper spiritual truths in our lives. In fact, Jesus in the New Testament uses seeds in parables as an example of how the kingdom of God works and how it grows in us. In fact, we have archaeological digs that have discovered seeds that have been thousands of years old, that have then planted them and watered them and they germinated seeds that lasted thousands of years that now have come up and bore trees and plants that produce fruit. It's amazing how through the years seeds work. In fact, God is designed them uniquely in the fact that they have a hard shell that protects them from the outside elements, and yet within them there is a distinct nutrition that later on reproduces its own self in the fruit. And then when the fruit drops and we plant the seed of the fruit back into the ground, it produces another plant that's identical to the one that was the original plant. Seeds have been carried along by people, by animals, by wind. And when they're planted in the ground, in the right soil, in the right conditions, and they're interacted with water, they will germinate, produce a plant that bears fruit. In the same way Jesus said in John chapter four, I am the living water that activates faith in each and every person who trusts in him. And so we see that seeds of faith impact the world. In fact, Tallahassee is a unique city that is planted for unique time and a unique place. We are a city of impact. If you think about it, we are the seat of government for our state. We also have three that I'm aware of, major colleges, our city, fsu. Okay, no one's excited about that. FAMU and tsc. Right. And people come from all over to come here to Tallahassee to experience and to grow. And then they're sent back out all over the world to go and take what they've learned here that has been planted in them and to sprout fruit from that in other cities, in other nations, in other states, all over the world. We are uniquely, uniquely positioned. And here's the thing, here's the question, what seeds are we planting in the next generation? Let me bring this home to you, each and every one of us is planting seeds into people's lives. Whether you're a parent, whether you play on a sports team, whether you go to school, somewhere, wherever you work, you are planting seeds in the lives of other people. You say, what do you mean? People are watching you. They're watching how you react to situations. And when you're under pressure, they're watching how you talk, how you treat other people. They're watching what you're willing to invest your life, your time, your money in. They're watching you. And so you're planting seeds in the lives of other people. And the question is, what kind of seeds are you planting into the lives? I didn't say what kind of seed do you want to plant, but what kind of seeds are you planting into the lives of the next generation? You see, the Bible warns us about this. The Bible in Judges chapter two warns us that the Joshua generation died off. This was a generation that conquered the promised land, that God said, have courage, right, because I'm with you. And so that generation dies off. And then we're warned there's another generation, the next generation that grew up after Joshua's generation, that did not know the Lord. And so then we see the Book of Judges where these judges are corrupt and the people rebel against God. And then the final chapter in the Book of Judges says, in those days there was no king, no leader, and so everyone did what was right in their own eyes. You might pass over that, but that's an indictment upon the Joshua generation that did not pour seeds of faith into the next generation. And so we're one generation away now. God said, let there be light, right, man? So the question is, what kind of seeds are we planting into the lives of people? What do we celebrate? What do we sacrifice for? What do we give of our time to? How do we react when we're squeezed and what do we run away from? Everything you say and do is planting seeds into the lives of people around you. And that's what Paul is telling Timothy in the Book of Timothy and in particular second Timothy, as we're going to look at today, we're going to look at two Timothy chapter one, and in it, in the very first or second verse, Paul says to my son in the faith as he addresses Timothy. You see, Paul was speaking as a spiritual father to Timothy, his spiritual son. And he says, look, in a world that is filled with compromise, chaos, confusion and pressure and fear, hold on to this faith. Don't lose hope. This faith that is planted in you pass it on to future generations. You see, that's our calling, folks. We don't just come Sunday in and Sunday out so we can get a light show and so that the funny looking guy on stage can entertain us for an hour and then we can go home and get fat on our food. No, our purpose, our calling as Thomasville Road, is to plant seeds of faith in the next generation. And so how do we do that? Look at second Timothy, chapter one, beginning with verse three, Paul says, I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience. And as I now you're going to hear this word over and over again. As I remember, there's that word you constantly in my prayers, night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith. A faith that first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice. And now I am sure, dwells in you as well. Paul tells Timothy, remember your sincere faith, your genuine faith. Not a fake faith, not a Sunday morning only faith. Not a faith where you perform for other people. Not a faith that is a camp faith and it stays a week and then goes away over time, know a genuine, sincere, time tested faith. You see, before Timothy heard public preaching, before he preached in public, he saw faith lived out in his mother and in his grandmother and Paul in private. Their prayers, their consistency over time, their reading of the word of God, their repentance for their sin, their worship and sacrifice, their courage, their sustained faith in Christ in the midst of pressure and persecution, Timothy saw that lived out in his grandmother and in his mom and in Paul. And Paul is saying, timothy, look back at that. Don't forget what God has put in you. Remember the faith, the seeds of faith that are planted in you. Because you see, the gospel is to be modeled for the world. That's discipleship. It is caught more than it's taught. You can tell me one thing, but if your life doesn't show that, I'm not going to believe what you tell me, right? And so I must live what I say I believe. Because here's the thing, there's plenty of voices that are competing for this generation of people. Our politics, our social media, our sports, our identity, confusion that we have in the world. All kinds of things, cultural pressures, all kinds of things are competing for the attention of people. And in reality, if we as a church and we as parents and we as spiritual parents aren't intentionally pouring in to the next generation of people, if we're scaping out on our call to do that. The culture certainly will. There is a breakdown in the church and in the family and in our society today. And so we, as the people of God, as the bearers of the gospel, we need to intentionally be pouring seeds of faith into the next generation. You see, the next generation, they don't just need to see a perfect person because none of us are perfect. Only Jesus was right. But they need to see progress in your faith. They need to see genuine, sincere faith. Paul says, this is a person who's able to say, I'm sorry, I was wrong. Will you forgive me? Or, hey, let's pray about that, or, man, I don't know what to do. I don't have the strength in myself. We need to depend on God. You see, the world needs to hear and to see that your kids, your grandkids, need to see and hear that. Some of you, you have a Lois or Eunice or Paul that has played a major role in your life and has poured into you. I told you about my friend Clark Driver, who poured into my life. He was my summer intern. And that year at camp changed everything. One of the things that I want to encourage you students that are in here. Look, if you're here today, I want to encourage you to sign up for our summer camp. Colby and our. A lot of our student workers and parents are going to be taking our students to Summer Camp, July 13th through the 18th. I went last year. And I tell you what, the connections that I made with some of these students and just walking side by side with them students, you need that. And here's the thing. You need to bring people who don't know Jesus, people who don't live like they know Jesus, to camp. They need to see genuine, authentic worship and love for the Lord. We talk around here about our plus one. Would you make them your plus one? Would you commit to bringing someone with you to camp? Look, I don't know how many people we signed up for, but it'd be great if we doubled that number. You go, what would we do? We'd throw air mattresses on the floor. That's what we do. And Colby would be the first one to sign up to sleep on one. Because, you see, he understands that faith is not something out of convenience or comfort, but it is something we sacrifice for. It is a sacrificial offering to the Lord so that the world can see our faith in Christ and come to know him. Psalm 145 says, One generation shall commend your works to another and declare your mighty acts. You see, that is the mission of the church. The mission of the church isn't caught up in just attending Sunday after Sunday or just raising moral kids or, or successful kids or being successful in business. But the mission of the church is to pass on that sincere faith in the lives of the next generation. And so the question we have to put is, what is our life saying about our faith? And so, because it is a sincere faith and it is a matter of extreme importance, we must not shrink back from our faith when the going gets tough. Second Timothy 1:6 through 12, Paul says, for this reason, there you go. Therefore, right, because of what I just told you about sincere faith that started in your grandmother, went to your mother, and now is in you. Therefore, I'm reminding you. There's that word again, remember? Right. To fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God gave us a spirit, not a fear, but of power, love and self control. Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me who's in prison his prisoner, but share in the suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus. Therefore, before, sorry, before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle and a teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed in and am convinced that he is able to guard unto the day that which has been entrusted to me. Paul is encouraging and reminding Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God that is in you, the seed of the gospel that is planted in you, that is your faith. That word to fan into flame is a word for rekindling the coals of a fire. So you have embers in a fire and as they begin to go out, you blow on them, right? And it reignites the fire and the flame. And that is a picture of what we are to do. Because, see, if we look at this, Timothy is discouraged, he's intimidated, he's exhausted, he's fearful. Does that sound like us in the culture we live in today? Anyone in here tired, exhausted? Anyone in here a little anxious about what the future holds? Anyone in here notice the rise in anger and resentment at all in our world and if we're not careful, it can cause us to shrink back, to run away instead of run into. And in verse seven, Paul says God hasn't given us a spirit of fear. That word there means cowardice. In other words, the seed of the gospel planted in you does not bring about cowardly Christians. Can I say that again? Do we have any cowards in here that shrink back living for Christ and rather live out of convenience and comfort and fear? I'm just going to play it safe because I got to protect and you name it. No, no, no. Do you notice who guards what has been entrusted to us? Do you notice by whose power that we confront the darkness? It's him, it's God, not us. In fact, he says the Spirit doesn't give you. It's not a spirit of timidity or cowardice, but it is a spirit of what? Power, Love and self control or discipline. Right? It is a spirit of power. That word power is dynamite. And the picture is it's power to stand in the midst of struggle. It's the power to confront and love. That's the next word. Love. Agape, unconditional divine love. The gospel seed planted in you, Jesus, that loves you and has forgiven you much is planted in you. And it gives you the power to love others the way he loves you. That means though you're attacked, though people say all kinds of evil things against you, you can love them right back. Now, does that cut through? I don't know about you, but I want to get revenge, don't I anyone? And then the third thing, self control or self discipline. You see, it's through the self discipline, the continual living in Christ and living out in the world, like Christ that prepares us when the pressure comes. When the pressure comes. You see, the real call of discipleship, as a pastor said, is going from come and see to come and die. You see, that's maturity in Christ. And the thing that allows us to do that is, as Paul puts it, to guard what has been entrusted to you. He says, follow the pattern of sound words or sound teaching that you have heard from me in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. How? By the Holy Spirit who dwells in you and guards the good deposit that has been entrusted to you. And so the picture here is that we're to guard what God has entrusted to us, this treasure of the good news of the gospel. We're not to edit it, we're not to water it down. We're not to shrink back and abandon it when it gets tough. But we are to faithfully steward it into the lives of others. Paul, at the end of this, contrasts two different groups. You notice Phygelus and Hermogenes abandoned him because they were fearful. Paul was arrested. These two guys get scared and they abandon him. But he says Onesiphorus. He often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. But when he arrived in Rome, searched for me earnestly and found me. You see, pressure reveals who we really trust in. When you're pressed, it shows what's in here. In fact, the Navy SEALs have a saying. They're saying, is this under pressure, you don't rise to the occasion. You fall to the level of your training. Therefore, train your faith, exercise in it. Spend time in God's word and in prayer and living it out in the world around us. Don't shrink back from it. Don't neglect coming and being a part of the community of faith. Don't neglect allowing others to hold you accountable in faith and in love and in truth. Don't neglect living for the good news of the gospel out in the world. In fact, Paul in chapter two, gives us three pictures of discipleship. A soldier, an athlete and a farmer. And he looks at these and says, look. Each one of these has embraced sacrifice for the greater goal. And the question is, as followers of Jesus, are we willing to embrace sacrifice and suffering for the greater goal? We have been placed here not just to enjoy the salvation that we have from faith in Jesus, but we have been placed here as a seed must die in the ground, be buried and die. We are called to die to self that God may germinate from us a seed that bears into a plant from which others can pick, pick up the fruit, taste of God and see how good he is. That is our calling, folks. That is why we are here. And God has entrusted it to us that we will pass it on to others. You see, we are called to saturate the city with the Savior, the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That's why we've called you this year, to find a plus one, to pray for somebody who doesn't know Jesus, who doesn't know the love of God, and say, pray for them, talk to them, pray with them, share the good news of the gospel. Love them as God would love them, invite them to church, invite them into your home, build a relationship so they can see Jesus in you, so they can taste of the fruit of God and go, oh, man, this is good. And want that which you have. That's why we're here, second Timothy 2. 2 says, what you've heard from me, entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others as well. You see, that's multiplication. That is the call of the kingdom of God to pour into other people. One generation shall tell the next of the goodness of God. If you're here today and you've never given your life to Christ, you've never experienced the love of God, I want to encourage you. There's no greater time to give your life to Christ than today. The Bible says that we've all sinned and fallen short of God's glory, every single one of us. And the sin results in the eternal punishment from God. But God, in his love for you and his love for me, sent Jesus to the earth to live and to die on a cross to bear upon him the punishment for your sin and my sin to die and be buried and then to raise again that those who place their faith and trust in Jesus and follow him will be saved. I mean, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to look at our world and go, man, our world is just continuing to go downhill. It's imploding. It is under the wrath of God and the curse of sin. But God says he is at work in all things to make things new and that those who are in Christ Jesus will be redeemed and experience life forever in him. He will right the wrong of sin and death. And so if you don't know Christ, I want to invite you to give your life to Christ. We'll have some prayer partners up here as we give our invitation and invite you to come forward to pray with them, commit your life to them. Or maybe just come up here to the altar and say, God, I want to give my life to you and commit my life to following you as my Lord and Savior. Maybe for some of you out here today, look, you've not been planting the right seeds of faith in other people. And you recognize today that you, like I did, need to recommit your life to Christ. And scattering the seed of the good news of the Gospel in the world in which we live. I want to invite you to come up and just kneel at the altar and commit to the Lord that you'll scatter the seeds of the Gospel in the lives of others. Father, we thank you for this day. God, we thank you for what you're doing in our lives. And God, today I pray for those in here who don't know you. God, for even the one right now who's anxious. God, I pray that you'd speak to them in the stillness of the moment. Reveal yourself. That God, they would surrender to you and they would give their life to you and find in you life eternal. God. For those in here who may be struggling, maybe we recognize that God, we just thought we just were supposed to just coast in life. We got our fire insurance card, get out of jail free card, and God, we're just kind of going like, that's it. We're not really living for you. And the seeds that we're planting in the lives of other God, they're not really bearing the fruit of who God is, but they're bearing the fruit of evil and sin in this world. God, may we commit. May we commit to bearing seeds of faith in the lives of others that bear fruit that they can taste of you and see how good you are. For it's in Christ's name I pray. Amen.