Week 2
As God’s chosen people—a royal priesthood and a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9)—we are set apart for Him. This declaration of faith is not just for the present but something we aspire for God’s people to embrace for generations to come. Passing on this truth faithfully and diligently to the next generation demands significant commitment from the present generation.
Even in the time of Moses, people were encouraged to teach their children about God, as seen in Deuteronomy 6:7–9. This includes the primary Shema prayer (Deuteronomy 6:4–6), which is recognized as a daily declaration of faith by Jews in both morning and evening rituals. This activity within families and communities is purposeful, since this is how continuous and intentional discipleship is emphasized from one generation to another. However, through the years, there are those who have failed to pass down the knowledge of God’s character and deeds.
The tribes of Israel committed a great sin when they compromised and did not fully obey the Lord. This failure gave rise to a new generation, as mentioned in Judges 2:10, that abandoned the Lord and worshiped the gods of the people around them (Judges 2:12). In this shift, they lost sight of God and their own identity, potentially leading them into compromising situations.
While we may not be immune to similar failures, we have the grace to prevent them in our families, lives, and within our church. We can pass on the knowledge of who God is and what He has done in, for, and through us to the next generation.
As a church, we bear a multigenerational responsibility to pass on the baton—the message of the gospel. We are to make disciples in our homes, campuses, and wherever the young people are. Parents have the next generation in their homes, teachers have them in classrooms, and we all have relatives and young friends we can minister to. Reaching them at a young age through relational discipleship and multigenerational relationships are some of the reasons that the youth choose to remain in church.*
We take seriously the call to steward the next generation and teach them to face their battles. As a church, we deliberately make efforts to reach the campuses because that is where a lot of young people and future leaders are. Let us diligently teach the Scriptures, provide clear instruction, fervently impart wisdom, and consistently reflect God’s love and truth to the next generation. As we remind them of God’s steadfast love and unwavering faithfulness, may His kingdom continue to advance in and through us in the next forty years and beyond, from generation to generation.
Respond:
1) This year, how has God been good and faithful to you? How has He been faithful to your family? How has He been faithful to your local church and to the greater body of Christ?
2) Starting with your family and those you interact with, how can you pass on the message of the gospel to the younger or next generation?
Faith Step:
Think of a campus that is dear to your heart. Make a plan to regularly pray for the students, faculty, and staff on this campus.
Pray:
Lord,
we come before You with a grateful heart.
We remember Your greatness and the
countless ways You have shown us Your
steadfast love. May we continue to impart
to the next generation a love for You and
Your word, that they may intimately know
and follow You. Help us to make disciples
of young people with sincere compassion
and grace. May they have growing
relationships with You and Your people,
and may they draw many more to You . . .
In Jesus’ name,
amen.
(*Reasons Millennials Stay Connected to Church,” Barna, September 2013, https://www.barna.com/research/5-reasons-millennials-stay-connected-to-church.)