To the Fourth Generation

by Conference Minister Ron Hamilton

The theme for this year’s annual meeting in Providence, Rhode Island is “For Every Generation.”

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. (Psalm 33:11)

This teaching calls us to celebrate God’s faithfulness to those who place their faith in Him. It also challenges us to keep this message fresh for every generation.

Paul shared a practical pastoral lesson to his protégé, Timothy, when he taught that the message of faith must be passed on through reliable and faithful people for generations to come.

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2:2)

Paul’s life was changed with he encountered the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus. Paul met Timothy on one of his church planting journeys and invested in him by discipling him to be a teacher and pastor. He then encouraged Timothy to pass on faith in Christ to faithful people who would then pass it on to others. This teaching of 2 Timothy 2:2 casts a vision for passing on the faith to the fourth generation.

I was thrilled to learn that my granddaughter accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior at camp a few years ago. As I reflected on her decision to receive Jesus, I counted five generations of faith that began with her great-great-grandfather and grandmother. I realized that this was one of the greatest blessings that anyone could ever experience.

It is exciting to live out our faith in Jesus at this time in history. Each generation brings special opportunities and challenges for the Christian faith. We live in a time when we can celebrate the growth of the Christian faith around the world as we learn of unprecedented expansion of the Kingdom of God. We also face unique challenges to our faith as religion is marginalized in our society. Our challenge is not to survive the test to our faith. In contrast, our task is to engage in equipping people to pass our faith on to the next generation.

One of my favorite pictures in our house contains my mother-in-law Evelyn, my wife Shirley, my daughter Shannon and my granddaughter Megan. It is a photograph of four generations. 2 Timothy 2:2 paints a similar portrait as we are challenged to pass on our faith to the fourth generation. This is God’s call for us as we celebrate, “For Every Generation.”