How Do We Have A Global Voice?

    by Gayla Congdon, Founder and CSO

Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. - I Timothy 4:12

Every year about this time, I reflect back on this verse and think about the thousands of young people that cross the border into Mexico to spend their spring break. Some of them come and make complete fools of themselves, with a willing media ready to show the world how they are acting. They come with a total disregard for where they leave their alcohol bottles and trash, leaving the community a mess.

Then I think about the thousands of young people that give their spring break to serve with us, with very little fanfare or attention. They come to build a community of homes, schools, churches, even a fire station in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, a well-known venue for many of these spring break parties.

Timothy has been a hero of mine since I was young, growing up in the church. I remember the first time I heard about Timothy because I could not believe that in the culture he grew up he was sent out to minister. He seemed to be taken seriously and when I was young, I very much wanted to be taken seriously.

It was not until I spoke quite a few years ago on a college campus that I began a real examination of I Timothy 4:11-16. My original intent was to focus the message on the first part of verse twelve where it talks about not letting anybody look down on you because you are young. Scott and I started Amor Ministries in our early twenties and I wanted to encourage them that even though they were young, God could use them to do amazing things.

But, it was in that process of studying the text for my series of messages that I began to ask myself a really important question. Why was Paul willing to entrust Timothy with his own ministry at such a young age?

Integrity. Timothy had to be leading a life that stood out, a life that lived out the second part of verse twelve. He set an example in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

In verses eleven and twelve Paul is telling Timothy to be strong, to take charge and to lead. Paul separates authority from seniority. Authority had nothing to do with age or experience. Authority is a reflection of how one conducts his or her life through integrity and by example. Obviously, Timothy, by how he lived his life, had already developed the credibility to be listened to.

That part is crucial if we want to be taken seriously, no matter how old we are. Integrity is conducting oneself the same way when others can see you and when they cannot. The way I believe Timothy did, which is why he was able to have the ministry he did at such a young age in a culture where that just did not happen.

Christians should set an example in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. We need to raise the standard and have the courage to look one another in the eye and tell the truth if our conduct demeans that global voice in any way. We can be a voice of reason in an irrational society, pointing to the character of Jesus and live out his character the way Paul saw Timothy.

This is my 28th spring break in Mexico and I can say that I am looking forward to the coming weeks just as much today as I did in those early years. It is my privilege to see the thousands of Timothys crossing that border choosing to live their lives with integrity and giving the church a global voice.