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Equip potential successors with knowledge, godly character, skills in the Lord with humility
Purity of faith in the word of God, obedience to the commandments and submissiveness to the church of the Lord are essential qualities for every church worker, and it is also true for our career. Besides being filled with the Holy Spirit, these successors must be pure in their devotion to Jesus Christ and to the word of truth according to the teachings of the Bible (1 Timothy 1:5). They ought to hold fast to the pattern of the sound words, which they have heard from their predecessors (2 Timothy 1:13). They ought to be humble and ready to be taught (Isaiah 50:4), willing to endure hardships, and determined to imitate those who live as examples for them (2 Timothy 1:8-9). Moreover, they have to undergo training, formally through seminars and informally by observing workers in the field. Such training must be given over a period of many years before the baton can be passed to them.
“The Lord God has given Me
The tongue of the learned,
That I should know how to speak
A word in season to him who is weary.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear
To hear as the learned” (Isaiah 50:4)
Such a training approach can be seen in the Bible. Timothy followed Paul to foreign lands, enduring hardship and suffering when the apostle ministered the word of truth to the Jews and the Gentiles in Macedonia, Achaia and Asia (Acts 16:4-12). He heard the sound words from Paul and was nourished in the word.
After his conversion, Paul went to the desert in Arabia where the Holy Spirit taught him the mystery of Christ and the word. He then returned to Damascus where he confounded the Jews proving that Jesus is the Christ. He exhorted Timothy to fight the good fight of the faith and guard what had been committed to his trust; he urged Timothy to avoid profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what was falsely called knowledge.
In the same way, successors ought to be trained in the knowledge of the Word and in spiritual character, nurtured in the spirit to love the Lord and His church with a pure heart. They have to be molded into faithful servants of God who are able to endure sufferings and hardships, filled with humility to serve Him. They must imitate Christ who came to serve, not to be served. The length of such training should not be too short, so that when these successors take over the work, they are spiritually equipped to serve.
Are you identifying and equipping the right successor according to what is in the Lord? Find the answer by coming and learning more about the Doctrine through bible study, sermons and fellowship. We warmly welcome you to our upcoming Spring Evangelical Service and Spiritual Convocation (ESSC). You can also join us for the Spring 2025 ESSC via online streaming.
Thursday, April 17, 2025 6:50PM to 8:10PM
Friday and Saturday, April 18-19, 2025 9:00AM to 8:10PM
Sunday, April 20, 2025 9:00AM to 1:00PM
Complimentary lunch and dinner will be served.
Please find our church location below:
4N550 Church Road
Bensenville, IL 60106
Google Maps
In the meantime, please feel free to join us for our regular Sabbath (Friday evening and Saturday) services online or in-person.
Friday Evening Service: 7:50PM – 9:00PM
Saturday Morning Service: 10:50AM – 12:00Noon
Saturday Afternoon Service: 1:30PM – 2:40PM
Email us at ilovejesus@tjc-chicago.org