John 17:20-23 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for
those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them
may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May
they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I
have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we
are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be
brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent
me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
We’ve been reading a book
together as a church body, which was being preached each week on the subject of
each chapter, then discussing study questions about that chapter and the Sunday sermon at
the Wednesday night mid-week Bible Study. But, it got to be “enough is enough”
with the common-thread message that the author was trying to communicate that caused great concern.
Thoughts like: Our vision didn’t fit into
the box of the established religious institutions of the day. We didn’t do
ministry like it had always been done. We walked away from the established
church, and started something brand new; breaking the mold. We believed our
generation would change the way the church did church. Not change the
message. Change the methodology to reach a new generation. Don’t let the
excuse of your dreams being too radical stop you. We challenged an established
religious system that had been effective and in place for several generations,
with an approach that would appeal to a new group of people. But what about
the unity that Jesus prayed about in his “High Priestly Prayer”? (Above). As a
church, by vote, with Pastor Phil’s request, we abandoned the series last night.
There has been
much deep thought, mediation, and prayer on the future of the church. The
question that the Lord has laid heavy upon my heart lately, and I’ve been discussing
with many, is: "What about Grandma and Grandpa?” I wrote a post, a week or
so ago, titled: “My Generation, which highlighted the five generations of
people living today, which creates such generational diversity and a challenge
as to how a multi-generational church can effectively disciple each of these
age groups in a way that is spiritually fulfilling and that honors Christ in
unity. Discussing this issue with my wife, it was not a real problem years ago
of the traditional church (the established
religious system that had been effective and in place for several generations) that
families (Grandma and Grandpa, mom and dad, us and our kids) attended and
accepted to worship God together, united. I read that the church today, in its
visible manifestation, is probably more fragmented and fractured than at any
time in church history. What changed? Where did the disunity begin and why is
the traditional multi-generational church bad now? What made that author “walk away from the established church, and
start something brand new; breaking the mold, believing that their generation
would change the way the church did church.” What changed? What is
different about the new generation? And what about Grandma and Grandpa?
Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father
and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is
giving you.
Where did the disunity begin
and why? As I wrote before that, others and I have noticed that there is today
a sense of exclusiveness that seems to lose respect for the other age groups,
as the focus is on “my generation” with a rejection of traditional ways and
doctrine. I grew up taught to respect my elders. I spoke to Pastor Kyle and he
said that the word “honor” came to mind immediately. Have we lost “honoring” of Grandma and
Grandpa? Pastor Kyle told me that at pastor conferences which he has attended over the last several years, the buzz phrase has
been “reach the next generation” in the worship services, but he realized
immediately that the church needs to reach everyone that walks through
that church door. This "reach the next generation" mentality
and associated church direction has seemed to have created "division"
within the church body and put Grandma and Grandpa on the shelf – essentially
abandoned, unnoticed and excluded - and in doing so "dishonored".
1 Corinthians 12:12 Just
as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so
it is with Christ.
What does "honor"
and "unity" in a multi-generational church look like in ministry of one body of many different parts (generations, personalities and gifted talents) today? That is expanding my vision for unity of the church and “ministry
to all”, including Grandma and Grandpa with honor, respect, and dignity. After
all, isn't this a family ... the family of God? These are my thoughts on my
heart, and I'm finding that they are on the hearts of many others. One in
Christ; nobody left behind. As Pastor Kyle said: “Honor” and reach all in
unity. Love God and love others.
Ephesians
6:1-3 Children, obey your parents
in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father
and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise - “so that it may go well
with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
In Christ, Brian
3 comments:
I always share that verse with my son and at the same time reminds my hubby and I to never forget our parents. With my own, both had gone home to Him. As a nurse when I used to work at the hospital, I came across many elderly who felt so depressed not having a loved one nearby when they went for procedures or less visits being given to them and it saddened me. I believe that when we look at the fruit, we will truly see if God's hands are on any goal? For apart from Him, "we are nothing..."
Thank you for continuing to share the Lord's truth. God bless.
Excellent point RCUBE's and great to hear from you again! As you can see, this is an enormous issue in the church and society today. The "neglect our elders and focus on the interests of the next generation" not only has caused an imbalance, but a declining affect on our culture. The Ten Commandments of Exodus 20:12 and the Law of Deuteronomy 5:16 “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, and the Apostles letter of Ephesians 6:1-3, set the standard of honor and respect of our elders that Pastor Kyle told me. Ever wonder how the "next generation" got lost?" Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. The "next generation" has lost its moral compass of God's ethics found in holy Words of Bible Scripture. I see that the indoctrination of "do whatever it takes to reach the next generation" has caused the devastating abandonment of Grandma & Grandpa ... and the established church, in rejecting and get rid of all that was traditional and telling those who grew up in previous eras and enjoy the conventional service to sacrifice, change and embrace the new or go away. The trend of needing to have the latest, the newest, the hottest, most radical, most extreme, most exciting, most recent, most modern, most up to the moment fashion and style, which must be constantly changing or else we'll be bored and leave has fundamentally shattered the multi-generational church. I clearly see that the mentality is flawing and needs to be corrected to (as Pastor Kyle stated) reach everyone that walks through that Sanctuary door. What are we entitled too? Has entertainment replaced "worship"? Is it as Pastor Tracy said, "Are we worshiping worshiping" over worshiping God, and disguisedly calling it both? I think so. It is all one way. Think about this: The "do whatever it takes to reach the next generation" crowd has told Grandma and Grandpa to sacrifice themselves and change, but who has asked the "next generation" to sacrifice and change anything? What about God's way? Why not reach all generations and not throwing Grandma and Grandpa out? In catering completely to one generation, the church has dishonored the senior generation. Are we now a singular generation church - fractured, ununited, divided and out of balance in separate families based upon age groups instead of one family in Christ? The consequences are real. You've seen it in your nursing job. Christ in praying "that they may be one as we are one" is telling us that we need to do everything we can to reach all generations. Take care of grandma and grandpa. Honor them.
I've read that there is a difference between the 'being' of a church (major heresies) and lesser errors that impact the 'well-being' of the church. The point is to have a balanced ministry and church family that includes all generations and does not exclude, devalue or dishonor any age group, but strives to reach and spiritually feed and fill everyone. One body, where the church is one, in Christ.
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