Are You The Weakest Link?

Studying second Timothy for the class I'm teaching on Wednesday nights, I came across an interesting thought pertaining to the following passage from chapter 2:

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

So, Paul is telling Timothy to tell others about God, Jesus, and what is expected of them, and then to enable them to pass those things along to others. I've glossed over this many times thinking it simply means that we must get down to spreading the word.

Jesus whole life was spent teaching others what God expected of them and then telling them to go home and tell others. His mission was to seek and save the lost.

By being obedient to the great commission and Paul's commands to Timothy, we're continuing the chain of faithful men who have served from the time of Jesus. Teaching is one of the few things that we can do that is the exact same thing Jesus did while He was here on this earth.

With such an exciting connection, it has a serious implication as well - if we're faithful, we're continuing the chain of delivering this message to those who need to hear it. If we don't do our job, we've broken the chain. We become the weakest link that renders any other thing we might do of little account.

This is terribly convicting as a preacher - it doesn't matter how many sermons I preach, or how eloquently I convey the words of God to an assembly of His people, if I don't take His message to the world as Jesus did I am the weakest link. If I don't offer convicting words to those that hear my lessons to prompt them to this service, too, then I'm encouraging others to abandon their service to God.

So, which will it be for you? Will you follow in Jesus footsteps and take the word to the lost, or will you be the weakest link in a nearly 2000 year chain of faithful service?