In 1986, I moved to Georgia from Oklahoma. I was 6 years old at the time of the move. My family bought an old farmhouse located on a land tract of 23 acres. My dad, being a research forester at UGA decided that he and my older brother would plant pine trees to cover the land. Thirty years later, those pine seedlings, once below my waist, now tower in the front, side, and back part of the property. It really is an amazing sight to see and I never get tired of looking at the scenic view.
Galatians 6:7-10 speaks to the principle of sowing and reaping. The principle applies to both the natural and the spiritual life. Thirty years can represent one generation. Being 2016, the generation of pine trees that stand around my old home represent a harvest that is ready to cut down. A generation comes and a generation goes. The pine trees are a symbolic picture of human life. Humans tend to have longer life spans, but one day, a new generation will arise. The question to ask in next generation ministry is, “will the next generation carry on the seeds of faith?”
I began my next generation ministry studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC in the winter of 2014. I can remember it like yesterday, because two months into my studies, my last grandparent passed away. As I began my next generation studies, I saw the last of a generation fly away. I say “fly away” because my Grandmother was one that passed her Christian faith onto others, albeit family members or friends. In word and in deed, she lived a life worthy of the high calling of Jesus Christ and I believe her soul is currently in the presence of the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). Even in her death, her life was still speaking to me. And she did often sing the old hymn, “I’ll fly away” in her small country church.
It pains me to see and hear of family members and friends who have lived faithful lives being called to depart from this land. Although they lived this life as strangers and pilgrims in a “foreign land” (I Peter 2:11-12) and a heavenly home awaits (John 14:1-3), I still hate to see them leave. But what pains me even more is when I see there is no one that is coming up from behind to replace the individual’s life of faith impact. On a regional, societal, national, and global level, a cumulative effect takes place when our faith is not transferred. Domestically and internationally, cultures change and a Christ-less culture is to be pitied most of all.
The spiritual and moral landscape that once made our country great begins to fade away when we stop talking to others about Jesus. Schools replace the home as the primary place of instruction and students learn that life is meaningless since man evolved from apes, homosexuality is an accepted lifestyle, sex is ok as long as it is practiced safely, and the Bible is merely a book of ancient history. People stop pledging allegiance to the nation’s flag and prayer becomes a thing of the past.
I am not saying God has taken his hand off of our country or that his channel of blessings have stopped flowing. But when people are offended that his name is in the pledge, on their money, and on their national monuments, I wonder how He feels.
Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States, once stated ALL the counsel we need is found in the Bible. My, how far we have come in 30 years! What’s true for the nation can be true for churches, school houses, and homes. Parents and leaders, let’s guard the truth and make sure we pass it down to the next generation.