Generational Faithfulness

The first Sunday of every month is communion Sunday at our church.
I look forward to sharing this time of fellowship with my church family.

It is also the day new members are welcomed.
More family members…making our circle bigger.

Three of the four new members that were added this month are part of the same family.
Typically, that would not have been something unusual.
This time, however, it was two generations of the same family.
A patriarch…his daughter and her husband.

In fact, there are actually four generations of this family in our church.
The patriarch…his daughter and her husband…their son and his wife…and two daughters.
Children, parents, grandparents, great-grandparent!
Generational legacy for Christ!

Posterity will serve Him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn – for He has done it. (Psalm 22:30, 31)

Our pastor welcomed the new members with the right hand of fellowship.
Pastor usually says a few things about the person as he welcomes them.
When he reached the patriarch, he commented on this 91 year old man’s faithfulness.
He talked about the goodness of God.
He remarked that this is what the church is to be…generations loving and serving Him.

We don’t typically see multi-generations of the same family in the same church body.
People move around so much today…taking them far away from extended family.
Others want to forge their own way…in their own church…with their own family.

God will use us wherever we are.
However, the uniqueness of what we witnessed in this family is such a testimony.

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.
(Deuteronomy 7:9)

We all prepared our hearts for communion.
The deacons served us the bread representing the body of Christ.

The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
(1 Corinthians 11:23, 24)

I sat there with the element in my hand remembering.
We all ate the bread.
A body…a family…having meal fellowship together.

The deacons served us the cup of juice representing His blood.
I sat and looked down into the cup.
The profound truth touched my heart.

The blood that He shed for me..
The blood was spilled…not in vain…but with a purpose.
The blood was shed to save.

It costs me very little to sit with a cup in my hand on a communion morning.
It cost my Lord Jesus everything.
It cost Him His life.

In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
(1 Corinthians 11:25, 26)

I have heard the words many times before…new covenant.
“Covenant” is defined as: an agreement that brings about a relationship of commitment between God and his people.
Agreement. Promise. Commitment…generation after generation.

The new covenant…not signed in ink…but signed in His blood.
The juice I held represented the glorious promise of a committed relationship.
The death He died…so I could really live!

The death He died so that four generations of one family would know Him.
A legacy of faith.
A legacy of faithfulness.

If you are the first generation walking with him…praise God!
The legacy begins with you!

Once it begins, it is your job to continue the legacy…with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Pass down the faith to your children…to your children’s children.
Never stop telling and sharing the Story.
Live the Gospel out…boldly…unashamedly.

I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make Your faithfulness known through all generations. (Psalm 89:1)

Your family has a song to sing!
We all have a song to sing!
A song of praise to our God.

The world desperately needs to hear it!
The world desperately needs to see a family that belongs to Him alone!
The world desperately needs to see Acts 2 in action!

They broke bread together in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their numbers daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:46,47)

The family of God…for generations.
Proclaiming the Lord’s death until He comes.