7 Pieces of Advice from an ApostleSample

Pass the Baton of Ministry

Paul knew he was near death. At any time, the Roman Emperor Nero could execute him. Paul was passing the baton of ministry to his protégé, Timothy. Timothy was to take that baton and pass it on to faithful men, who in turn were to pass it on to others. That makes four runners in the relay of discipleship: Paul, to Timothy, to faithful men, to others.

We stand in this legacy today—the legacy of discipleship. Now it is our turn. We too must disciple others, who in turn will disciple others. This is God’s way: life-on-life discipleship.

If you traveled to Montreal, Canada, and you visited the home of the Montreal Canadiens hockey team, you would be going to a place with a rich legacy. You would visit one of the fabled sports dynasties of our time. What the New York Yankees once were in baseball, and what the Boston Celtics once were in basketball, the Montreal Canadiens once were in hockey. Over a 40-year period, from 1953-1993, the Canadiens dominated the league, winning 24 Stanley Cup championships. If you visited their arena in Montreal, I understand you would see huge banners hanging from the ceiling, celebrating world championship after world championship. After seeing these banners, if you had the opportunity to visit the locker room, you would be surrounded by trophies, photographs, and other mementos of their sterling dynasty in the history of sports. Every rookie who made the team would be surrounded by this rich legacy as he walked into the locker room. He would read these words emblazoned on the locker room wall: “Hold the Torch High.” And those rookies would feel a charge, a mandate, and a responsibility to hold the torch high for the Montreal Canadiens hockey team.

That’s our charge as disciples. Hold the torch high.