September 30

Day 200 (!): Assumers

I don't know who to credit for saying this, but here goes: "The first generation believes, the second generation assumes, the third generation ignores, and the fourth generation denies."

I've mentioned this statement before. Because it sticks in my mind. It may be the Church of Jesus Christ (ours included) is home to both believers. And assumers. (Those of the third and fourth generations, if respectively true of them, probably don't bother with church anyway, right?)

Back to the first two generations. The Biblical book of Judges evidences this well. "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes."

Everyone did what they wanted. And everyone thought what they wanted to do (or not do) was "right." But here's my point - the book of Judges begins with the VERY NEXT generation after the Israelites had followed Joshua and taken over the land God had promised and given to them. The very next generation. The assumers.

We may be unknowingly raising assumers in our own homes. Or, we may already be the generation of assumers, raising our own children who will grow to ignore the gospel, and their own salvation.

Are we guilty of "assuming" that if we just get our children to Awana, or youth group, or to Echo Ranch,  or to Christian college, we've done our job? Hoping in these venues our kids will hear and believe the gospel? So we don't have to do it ourselves?

Are we mistaken to believe that while the parents are capitulating to the culture, their kids will somehow grow to have gospel impact on the world? An impact the parents were unwilling to have, even in their own homes?

Barry Webb has said, "A church that merely plays catch up to its ambient culture will increasingly have nothing to say to that culture, and in the end, no reason to exist."

Jesus took His disciples and turned them into apostles. Sent out ones. And He left them with this: Go and make disciples.

We are, all of us, making disciples in our homes, with our children. Disciples of something. The question, rather, is this: What are we, as parents, discipling our children toward? The ambient culture? Or Jesus?

Awana, youth group, Echo Ranch and even a Christian college can all help the cause, for sure. But it's in our homes where disciples are made.

But if the parents in the home number themselves amongst the assumers, the children will easily matriculate toward those who ignore.

While thinking all along, like their parents before them, that it is perfectly fine just to do what is "right in their own eyes." Just like the ambient culture around us.

-Mike Rydman, Lead Pastor, Radiant Church | Juneau