DECALOGUE 2.0
GENERATION TO GENERATION
part 6

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Thesis: God’s vision of the kingdom is multi-generational. There is a place for all ages and the Holy Spirit is poured out on all.
There is a wisdom of the world that separates us not into generations, but demographics. I am soon to enter into a new demographic. The subtle implication is that I am very different those younger or older than me.

Next week I will be forced to leave the demographic that has been my home for the last 21 years – Male 18-39. Even at 39 it was kind of inspiring to think that I had something in common with 18 year olds. After Wednesday [October 31] I will join the group of 40-62. Hooray! I can look forward to Senior Discounts.

According to their definitions, generation suggests a continuation while allowing for differences. A demographic is a division, slicing up group by certain criteria and making comparisons.
If we are going to be the people of God – the continuation of ancient Israel and the heirs of Pentecost – then we need to have a generational mindset rather than a demographic mindset. By a generational mindset I mean a perspective and vision that views all ages of people from God’s point of view and not from our limited point of view.

However, it is difficult to overcome the limiting “demographic” perspective. One of the typical ways we limit ourselves is we play the age card – I am too old or I am too young.

What’s the Right Age?

I’m too old ... Noah; Abraham & Sarah; Moses; John; Anna & Simeon; Elizabeth
I’m too young ... Samuel; David; Jeremiah; Josiah; Mary; Jesus

God intends to use people of every age ...
If I were to come before you and say, “Some of you are just too old. You need to retire and get out of the way.” You would be offended. But some of you say that very thing about yourselves! Why are you offended if I say it, but it is justified for you to say so?
If I were to come before you and say, “You younger ones need to keep out of the way and stay out of trouble. Stop demanding all the attention, you are young and you need to just wait until you get older.” Not only would you be offended, but many adults would be too. But how is it that everyone would be offended if I say those things, but some of you and some of the adults often say “Well he or she is just too young for that.”

At every point in your life you are either going to be able to say you are too old or too young. God’s spirit rests on the young and old, on men and women empowering them all to serve

• Joel 2 and Acts 2 – God intends all generations to serve him and to serve one another.
• The Cloud of Witnesses – Hebrews 11 - We complete the faith of the witnesses.

Institutional view of church orients us to think demographically – it limits us.
Family view makes us think generationally – it creates options that God works in.

I thank God for Wilma Chase at the West-Side Church in Russellville. She taught the 2-year-olds. When she was in her 70’s and widowed she was teaching our 2-year-old son. Demographically, she ought to have stopped. That is something for younger people. But generationally, she was a great teacher with every year.
She would often say, “Why don’t more people my age teach? They have nothing else to do.”

Legacy ...

“Little Christians are not growing up to be big Christians.” Why? Because we don’t see our faith as a legacy – something handed down to us and that we hand down to another. Too often we see faith as something we have and those older or younger than us don’t.
The notion of a personal faith is limited. Yes, each of us has to own faith – but if that faith is going to have substance it has to be part of something larger than us.
Deuteronomy 6 - Invites the older generation to respond to this you language with we language. They recount the faith narrative in a way that incorporates each new generation into the story. And those who told the story, received the story from those before them.
Telling the story in that way challenges the younger generation to a heroic form of faith. It invites them to see the link of past present and future rather than the selfishness of a single generation (their own or the older one – note that the response in Dt. 6 is not, “Well, back in my day we knew everything from an early age.” That kind of response distances the generations and eliminates common ground and story.)

Crete

This was also a first century problem and Titus (who was mentored by Paul) was an evangelist on the Island of Crete – a place that suffered a breakdown in the family. Paul’s advice to Titus was to bring the generations together in nurture and mentoring [Titus 2:1-7].

Levites

This mentoring was ancient wisdom among the people of God centuries before Paul. [Numbers 8:23-26] – The Levites tradition of mentoring.

When is the last time you took an interest in someone outside your generational group? To mentor them or to be mentored – those of us who are younger need to be asking the older ones. Those who are older need to respond and be available.

Interpretation of the Cord of Three Strands – Who is your mentor, Who is your peer, Who do you mentor?
Paul – Gamaliel, Silas, Timothy and Titus

Let the older ones make the first move ... We must enter into their world of another generation incarnationally. We have to be ourselves, but we can still reach out to the younger ones (whether that means teens or middle-aged). If I can do it, you can too. We cannot fear being rejected – Christ didn’t.

Connections and Consideration/Respect

Randy Harris’ vision – the old and the young hating but deferring to each others' worship styles ... Could we do that? Why wouldn’t we? How would we be blessed if we did?

Chris Benjamin

West-Ark Church of Christ, Fort Smith, AR
Evening Sermon, 28 October 2007

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