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THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 4, NUMBER 9, FEBRUARY 29, 2004 THERE AROSE ANOTHER GENERATION Standing before the congregation as I do four times weekly gives me somewhat of a unique perspective. As I look out over the auditorium I can see at a glance the diversity of the Northern Kentucky Church of Christ. We have those who are older and who, by virtue of years, have silver hair and slumped shoulders and yet are always present. The years have not dimmed their enthusiasm for the Lord. We have those in the generation just before them, many of whom are strong and faithful and as solid as the foundation on which their faith is built. We seem to have a large number of young adults, married and unmarried. As I see this group of saints I must confess that to me the immediate future of this congregation looks bright indeed. There are also the children, from the infants in the arms of their mothers and fathers who are always surrounded by admirers, to the teenagers who sit on the front pew and join whole-heartedly in the worship services. For the purpose of this article, I want to focus on the children. In Joshua 2:7-10, we find, “And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord, that he did for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash. And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.” All it took in the days of old was for one generation to fail in its duty to teach their children, and “there arose another generation after them which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.” As I look at our children there is little doubt that they are learning the basic Bible facts. Most of them at an early age can name the books of the Bible, recite the names of the tribes, tell you who the Judges were, give you the names of the Apostles, and a host of other things. Some of them have considerable amounts of scripture committed to memory from all of the memory verses they have been required to learn. Every bit of this is good and important information that all Bible students should know. What we also need to teach our children as they grow older is that the Bible is more than just a book of facts – it tells us what God wants us to be and how He wants us to live. So, it is important to know the facts; it is equally important to know how to practically apply what we know in our lives. Let me give you some examples. A teenager who has attended services all of his or her life ought to be able to explain to someone the gospel plan of salvation- yet we know that not all can. Why not? It is somewhat disconcerting to have a teenage Christian say that the reason we don’t use mechanical instruments of music in worship is because the Bible says we can’t. Brethren, that is not the reason. Try asking your older children how we get authority for religious beliefs and practices from the Bible. If they don’t know the answer to that question, how can they properly reason in the years ahead? Do our children know why there are no women preachers, no women elders or deacons? If the institutional question were to rear its ugly head again in 20-25 years when most of those who went through the battle in the 50’s and 60’s are gone, will the principles of sound Biblical reasoning have been instilled in our children sufficiently to enable them to withstand the innovations? Obviously, very small children can only handle facts, and a limited diet of those. But as years go by and intellectual capacity increases, we must teach our children not only what to do, but why. Could it be possible that one of the reasons so many young adults leave the church, taking their children with them, is that while they were growing up, they were taught the what and not the why of religion? Let us make sure that as our children are able to handle it, we teach them the principles of sound Biblical reasoning which they will need to make them truly faithful children of God. Apostasy only takes a few untaught generations. Greg Litmer JUST FOR TODAY Lord for tomorrow and its needs I do not pray; Keep me, my God, from stain of sin, just for today. Now set a seal upon my lips, for this I pray; Keep me from wrong or idle words, just for today. Let me be slow to do my, prompt to obey, And keep me, guide me, use me Lord, just for today.
Contributed by a dear old friend who has gone on, Elsie Shull
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