Jump Start # 1136

Judges 2:10 “All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.”

Our verse today is a reminder to all parents what can happen so quickly. The following verses show the depth of apostasy as Israel, “served the Baals, and forsook the Lord…followed other gods of the people who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the Lord to anger.” One generation missed it. Those that followed them weren’t even close. Joshua, so strong, so faithful, the sidekick of Moses, yet those after him did not know the Lord.

This story is repeated over and over. Today, we see grandparents who attend. Their children do not. The grandkids do not. I’ve seen this at funerals. The departed was a strong and dedicated believer. The kids, never seen them before. They live in the area but never attend. Their kids, the grandkids, have no clue about death and what happens after that. Reading the Bible is like reading Russian to them. They have no idea, no understanding and no care about what the Bible says. One generation missed it.

I’ve been reading a biography about Howard Hughes, the billionaire. He set airplane records, owned movie studios and TWA and was in company with Hollywood’s legends and famous politicians. He wasn’t a good person. He was very immoral, broke the rules to his liking, was mean and crazy at the end. His life was troubled and lacked Jesus. He was a mess. But here’s the interesting thing about Howard Hughes. He had a huge connection to the churches of Christ. His great-great grandfather, John Allen Gano, is said to have baptized more people in Kentucky than any other person. His great grandfather, Richard Gano, a famed Confederate general in the Civil War, preached and baptized 4,000 people in Texas. Very well known and very prominent preachers in their days. Richard’s son, William, Howard’s grandfather, became a successful attorney in Dallas. Not much is said about him religiously. A generation is slipping. Howard’s mom, nothing. Howard—a moral mess. One can only imagine the massive amount of good that could have been accomplished had Hughes poured his energies and wealth into the kingdom of Christ. What a waste. What lost opportunity. How close he was in family legacy to God’s truth, only to live so far from it. A generation did not know the Lord.

Many good folks have tried their best to raise their children to be godly. They did all the right things. Still, the grown children did not see the value nor the importance of God in their lives. They chose to superficially believe. The parents of these grown children often live with massive guilt, feeling that they failed. They see other families and the spiritual legacy continues on from one generation to the next. They see families worshipping together, three, four generations. It is enough to cause their hearts to break. The kids aren’t interested. They’ve talked and talked to them. Nothing. Sometimes ugliness at church left a negative impression upon young hearts that later in life causes them to run from all things religious. Sometimes it was the early influences of friends who lived without boundaries and God. Sometimes it is a result of who they dated and married. They married someone who wasn’t as serious about the Lord and to keep peace at home, they stayed home and didn’t worship anymore. Backseat driving has all kinds of answers, reasons and fingers to point. The truth of it all is that these grown people have not taken the Lord seriously. It’s a personal decision. When one truly believes in Christ, nothing will stop them. They will see through church problems, hypocrites, bad preaching, churches that ignore young people, long distances to travel and anything else you can throw in the way. The love of Christ will plow through all of those things. When one believes in God, they will lay their head down to the executioner or sing praises on the way to the stake to be burned alive. This is what the early saints did. Should it be any different today?

It’s a matter of faith. We do not live our faith through the church, but directly to Christ. Stop blaming the shallow and weak faith on the church. It’s not the church’s fault. Each of us need to open our Bibles and read. We each need to feed our faith, and not just once in a while in a Bible class. Our faith stands through the storms, it drives us to unbelievable accomplishes and it keeps us going during the darkest hours. Faith, will pull that tired body out of bed and head to the church house when sleeping in seems so wonderful on a cold, wintery Sunday morning. That faith will cause you to clean the house, cook some food and invite a family over, when you just feel like watching tv alone. That faith will push you to speak out, stand up, invite, encourage, think of what more can be done. That faith won’t allow you to be still or quit. It will remind you of what the apostles endured. It will show you what your Savior did. I believe. That statement will cause a family to drive miles and miles to find a congregation that is healthy and thriving. I believe will not cause that family to fuss over the distance, the price of gas or the time involved. I believe. It will cause a family to look deeply at what they are doing, who their friends are, and whether or not they have surrounded themselves with godly heroes of faith. They will know God’s people. They will intersect their lives with godly people. This is what faith does. The family will grow up knowing and doing and sharing in God’s blessings. Prayers are as common as breathing. The Bible is read daily. Worship is a given. Ballgames, travel and even work are secondary to the worship of God. I believe.

When life throws a fast ball, such as cancer or death, believers stay the course. They know what God says. They believe. God is personal, real and necessary.

Why is it that one generation believes and the next doesn’t? It is a matter of personal faith. It is my job to help the next generation establish that faith. They must learn to feed that faith. I can help. I can show them. I can be a part of that. You can too. You can be the difference. Each person must believe. The faith of a grandparent doesn’t transfer to a grandchild. That grandpa can illustrate and teach, but that child must grow to be a believer.

Faith is the victory. That is the answer.

Roger