"Multigenerational faithfulness"
29 Letters...
10 syllables...
2 words...
1 goal for the church
What is multigenerational faithfulness? It means that our responsibility in the church is to make sure that each generation that comes after us has been given the faith once for all delivered to the saints. It means that my job is not only to make sure that my generation hears the gospel and glorifies God, but it also means that the generation behind me is equipped and prepared to preach the gospel to all nations as well.
It is a phrase I picked up from Voddie Baucham. You can learn all about him here.
One of the glaring problems in the church today is fewer and fewer young people are staying in the church as they grow up. There are beaucoups of statistics out there and bazillions of reports about this, but all one really needs to do is look around your average church to see the dearth of young people who are maturing, contributing Christian members.
The idea of multigenerational faithfulness is found all through the Bible, but the passage that sticks out the most to me is Psalm 145…
1 I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.8 The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The LORD is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD,
and all your saints shall bless you!
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
12 to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.[The LORD is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.]
14 The LORD upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand;
you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and kind in all his works.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.
20 The LORD preserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD,
and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
The idea of reaching another generation with the gospel for the glory of Christ is not new or all that shocking. But there is another dimension of multigenerational faithfulness that has been severely lacking in the church (at least in the SBC churches that I know). And that is the teaching that it is the primary job of the family to carry on multigenerational faithfulness… NOT the children and youth programs of the church.
Ephesians 6:4
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
It is the father’s job, as the leader of his home, to see that his children grow up in the instruction of the LORD. The church comes along side him to help him and support him, but not to abdicate him from that responsibility.
With the rise of quality children’s and youth ministries we have also seen a decline in parents’ initiative in training their children in our faith.
It is my prayer that we will be committed to multigenerational faithfulness. We need to be obedient to the commands of Scripture. We need parents discipling their children. If not, then we will see “another generation after (us) who does not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10). Those generations who forgot the LORD’s work during the time of the Judges were ruled by evil rulers… themselves. “In those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).
Let us not forget the work of our LORD Jesus Christ. Let us teach each generation that there is a King who rules his creation. Let us teach them to obey Him through his word.
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