Thought for the week ...

THE CHURCH - NOW AND THE FUTURE

This past week I have twice heard the scripture of Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." KJV. When I read the Proverb I read of three generations of the Church and those that make it. 

A generation of elders/ those before us who "train up". The current Church "a child" and the future Church "and when he is are older he will not depart from it".  The Proverb highlights how all three are interlinked and dependable on one another, in order for God's kingdom to be established in this broken world. Those older have the responsibility to equip the youth with the full armour of God. Whilst the youth have the responsibility of learning to commit to the righteous life, in order for there to be a future generation of the Church.

When I think of my elders and the Church before me there is a lot I admire and seek to replicate. They seem to be a generation of great spiritual discipline, whereby they place importance on sound spiritual practice such as intercession and fasting. I view them as a generation who do not waiver in what the Word of God says and know their scripture well. I admire the respect and reverence they have towards God, viewing Him as God Almighty.

When I think about the Church of my generation I am humbled at how we are managing to navigate our faith in an age where there is so much crisis in identity and pressure from the wider society. The spiritual leaders of this generation are seeking ways to teach the gospel more personally, and place great emphasis on the friend and brother character of God that we find in Jesus. The Church of today is desiring to be bold in addressing the very current and real challenges of life that we all face, Christians and non-believers alike. 

As I grow both spiritually and naturally I am becoming more aware of the role I play as well as this generation of believers, in the passing on and the keeping of the truth, faith and light of Jesus in this world. Our obedience to God's teachings and daily decisions to learn to die to the flesh are so important in ensuring that a righteous, God-fearing future generation of the Church will be raised up. We are to learn from our elders in order for us to live a life on the righteous path of Christ's grace, and thus raise a generation who too will one day grow and guide the next. The scripture of Hosea 4:6 states " My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge...." this scripture shows how all three generations of the Church are interlinked and are truly important in the maintaining of God's kingdom here on earth.

So my dear family in Christ let us teach, learn and raise up one another in the desires and will of God. And let us remember that we all play different yet highly important roles in the continuing of God's Church and kingdom on earth.