Passing on faith and life from generation to generation
Psalm 128:1-6 describes the image of a happy family: “Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in His ways! You will eat the fruits of your labor; you will enjoy the blessing and things will go well for you. Your wife is within you. Your house is like a fruitful vine, and your children are like olive trees around your table. Behold, how will you be blessed who fear the Lord! May the Lord bless you from Zion all the days of your life! Good things! May you see the children of your children! Peace to Israel!”
This happy family is not only blessed by God and enjoys all kinds of family happiness, but also sees their children and grandchildren getting along in harmony, and even blesses the entire nation. This picture of harmony also represents the family and nation passing on their faith and life from generation to generation. However, have we done this?
Traditional Chinese expectations for their children probably include attending a prestigious school, a prosperous career, a high vocational high salary, a happy marriage, many grandchildren, and a glorious ancestor. In short, everything in the world is successful, successful, and successful. Many Christians also expect this for their children.
But do we often forget: Which investment is more valuable, worldly fame and fortune or heavenly life? What is the most important thing in life? Have we “buttoned the first button”—committed our lives to the Lord first? Have you led your children to follow the Lord?
God has no grandchildren
Wales, England, experienced a great spiritual revival in 1904. At that time, thousands of people believed in the Lord, the hotel was closed, the police had nothing to do, and the horse did not understand the owner's call (no swear words were heard). Afterwards, the Welsh people were fervent in their hearts and sent a large number of missionaries overseas. One of the missionaries led a twelve-year-old boy to Christ in Argentina. The boy later became the famous pastor and evangelist Luis Palau (born in 1934), known as the Billy Graham of Latin America. In the early 1970s, Bao Le went to Wales as a missionary and wanted to take this opportunity to repay his gospel debt - to thank the missionaries in Wales for passing the gospel to him.
然而，包樂驚訝地發現，威爾斯的屬靈情況完全改變了：只有不到0.5％的人上教堂、離婚率創新高、犯罪率迅速上揚、許多教堂關門或淪為酒吧、英式橄欖球（rugby）取代基督教成為「國教」。包樂牧師於是製作了一部影片：《上帝沒有孫子》（God Has No Grandchildren），意思是上帝只有兒子，也就是說每一代要負責將信仰傳承給下一代。1
▲Luis Palau, source: Wikipedia Luis Palau.
Passed down from generation to generation rather than passed down from generation to generation
It is common for Chinese people living overseas, including Christians, to send their young children back to China to be raised by their grandparents due to their busy schedules. Parents and children can only see each other through video on weekdays. How can this be embarrassing? Is it worth sacrificing the close relationship between parents and children for the sake of career?
Research shows that intergenerational parenting has higher risks. It is not uncommon for children to develop deviant behaviors and emotional problems because they do not receive personal guidance from their parents. Paul mentioned the positive influence that Timothy received from his grandmother and mother: “Considering the sincere faith that was in you, which was first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, I am convinced that it is also in you.” (2 Timothy 1:5) However, there are also cases where grandparents’ incorrect beliefs have a negative impact on their grandchildren. For example, Asa, king of Judah, "deposed his grandmother Maacah from being queen mother because she had made an abominable idol, Asherah. Asa cut down his idols and burned them by the Kidron brook" (1 Kings 15). :13)
There are many verses in the Bible that remind believers of the importance of passing on their faith and life from generation to generation, such as:
“My steadfast love will extend to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:6)
“We will not hide these things from their descendants, but we will tell them about the goodness of the Lord, his power, and his wonderful works.” (Psalm 78:4)
"O God, when I am old and gray, do not forsake me until I show your power to the next generation, your mighty power to the next generation." (Psalm 71:18)
Witnesses to the inheritance of faith and life
Christians have a profound impact on their families and future generations. When we believed in the Lord, the “family tree” was changed to the family tree belonging to the family of Jesus Christ. What a blessing is this? As the first Christian in my family, the author can feel this change even more. Over the years, most of my family members have believed in the Lord, and the entire family has changed their family tree and received great blessings.
When a family that loves the Lord passes on its faith from generation to generation, God blesses the family and enables its members to exert influence at all levels of society. Here are a few examples:
Andrew Murray Sr. (1794-1866), a Dutch Reformed missionary, was born in South Africa. His father and great-grandfather were devout Christians. He was educated in Scotland and the Netherlands, was ordained as a pastor in the Netherlands, and returned to South Africa to pastor. He was a promoter of the Great Spiritual Awakening Movement in South Africa in 1860. He was also a prolific writer of spiritual works, writing 240 books in his lifetime. He and his wife had eight children, many of whom became pastors and missionaries.
Andre Murray's father, Murray Sr., and his wife, Maria, gave birth to sixteen children, eleven of whom grew up to be devout and loving the Lord. When the children came to say good night to him after family worship, he would ask them, "Dear, have you given your heart to Christ?" Or at a birthday celebration, "Today is your birthday." "Are you born again?" Mr. and Mrs. Murray attach great importance to Sunday worship. There are three services and Sunday school on Sunday, and the children all participate in it, and the children also like to participate in all worship activities. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Murray, as well as almost all of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, believe in the Lord and serve God faithfully throughout their lives. A few years before his death in 1917, Andre Murray wrote to the entire Murray family: "A godly family line is a priceless treasure; its blessings not only benefit the first generation of children, but are also passed on to many subsequent generations." ( A godly parentage is a priceless boon. Its blessing rests not only upon the children of the first generation, but has often been traced in many successive generations.)
最有意義的是1922年，安德烈逝世後五年，他南非出生地Graaff-Reinet舉辦老慕瑞從蘇格蘭移民到南非宣教（1822）一百週年紀念特會。老慕瑞夫婦的486位後代中，220位參加了這個聚會。大家注意到這一百年期間，有五十多位傳道人與這個家族有血緣關係，約有五十位成為海外宣教士；有些年輕一代正在神學院深造或預備進神學院，有些則在醫學院就讀，預備成為醫療宣教士。2
Founder of the China Mainland Mission. Five generations have been pastors, with many descendants, many of whom have dedicated their lives to the Chinese. Among them, the fourth generation Pastor James Hudson Taylor III (1929-2009) was the president of the Chinese Evangelical Theological Seminary in Taiwan, and the fifth generation Pastor James H. Taylor IV ) married his Taiwanese daughter, Mrs. Ke Ruimin, and continued to serve among the Chinese. Counting from the time when James Taylor, great-grandfather of James Taylor, was the first generation to believe in Christianity in the UK, Pastor Dai Jizong’s son is already the tenth generation of Christians.
A great American entrepreneur and philanthropist, he founded Standard Oil. In its heyday, he occupied 90% of the oil market in the United States, becoming the first billionaire and the richest man in the world in history. He devoted the last 40 years of his life to philanthropy, mainly in the fields of education and medicine, and founded two of the top universities in the United States - the University of Chicago and Rockefeller University.
His goal in life is said to be "to make as much money as possible, to save as much money as possible, and to donate as much money as possible." He lived diligently and frugally throughout his life, and loved the Lord devoutly. His family were all devout Baptists, especially his mother. He read the Bible and prayed every day since he was a child. His mother taught him to donate money on Sundays when he was a child. Most of his descendants are also philanthropists. Grandson David. Rockefeller was a major American banker and served as CEO of Chase Bank (now JPMorgan Chase) for more than 20 years. Another grandson, Nelson, served as the Republican governor of New York and the 41st Vice President of the United States. Many of his other descendants also hold important positions.
蘇格蘭長老會第一位赴臺宣教士馬雅各（Laidlaw Maxwell, 1836-1921），在南臺灣宣教時第一批信徒中的高長，也是臺灣第一位傳道人（1837-1912）。高長牧師有五個兒子，其中兩位成為牧師，三位擔任醫生。二十個男孫中有三位為企業家兼工程師，五位為牧師（含高俊明牧師），十二位醫生（其中高天成曾任前臺大醫院院長）。第四代後裔數百位，人才濟濟，多成為牧師、醫生、教授及專業人士（包括神國資源為基督協會創辦人高俐理）。3
丈夫去世後，陳織娘成為七個兒子的單親母親。她以裁縫維生，教養孩子成人，而兒子們都有不凡的成就，其中五人成為牧師，即華人基督教界所熟悉的唐崇平、唐崇明、唐崇安、唐崇榮、唐崇懷。她一生以生命與信仰培育了這群優秀的兒子，將最寶貴的信仰傳遞給她的孩子。4
Survey research shows that children from single-parent families who grow up with the same educational and economic background perform almost the same as children from two-parent families. There are countless famous figures raised in single-parent families, such as Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of the Republic of China, Washington, the founding father of the United States, Presidents Lincoln, Clinton and Obama, Chinese writer Liu Yong, etc. So don’t be discouraged as a single parent. As long as you educate your children well according to God’s ways, you will still be blessed.
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) was an eighteenth-century Puritan theologian and preacher, and the leader of the Great Awakening movement in the United States during that century. Her father is a pastor and her mother is a pastor's daughter. After graduating from Yale College, he continued to study theology and served as a church pastor. His wife is also the daughter of a pastor. He and his wife have eight daughters and three sons. In 1740, evangelist George Whitefield (1714-1770) traveled from England to the Eastern United States to preach, triggering a great spiritual revival, in which Edwards also participated and became a central figure. In 1757, he was also appointed president of Princeton University. Unfortunately, he contracted the plague shortly after taking office in January 1758 and died in March of the same year.
Remarkably, in 1900, some scholars investigated the descendants of the Edwardses and found that many outstanding figures were related to them. For example, Alan Burr (1756-1836), the third president of the United States, Jefferson's vice president, was Edwards. Son-in-law, originally a pastor; wife of US President Roosevelt (Edith Roosevelt), writers O. Henry and Robert Lowell, publisher owner Frank Nelson Doubleday, and several university presidents (Timothy Dwight, Jonathan Edwards Jr., Merrill Edwards Gates) , are all descendants of Mr. and Mrs. Edwards.
150 years after Edwards' death, there were about 800 descendants, as follows: one first lady; three U.S. senators; three U.S. governors; 13 university presidents; 30 judges; 65 professors; 8 Ten government officials; 100 lawyers; 100 missionaries, pastors and theologians.
At the same time, some people were also investigating the situation of about 1,200 descendants of another evil New York family, Max Juke: 310 poor people (living on government relief funds); 300 people who died in infancy due to malnutrition; 130 criminals ; Sixty thieves; Fifty prostitutes; Seven murderers.
從以上兩個家族後代的比較，就知道信仰傳承的重要性。但每一代需要為傳承下一代負責任。戴繼宗牧師就認為，今天很多家庭無法一代一代地傳承下去，可能其中的困難之一，是父母親在教會服事很熱心，好像很屬靈，但回到家裡，父母行為又變了樣，沒有好見證。5
Worldly possessions and spiritual possessions
The Bible has some teachings on leaving property to future generations. For example, Proverbs 13:22 mentions: “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children, but a sinner stores up treasure for the righteous.” This means that we can leave property to our children. But Proverbs 27:24 also warns: “For riches do not last forever, how can a crown endure to all generations?” This means that earthly possessions are not permanent. It is more important that we leave our spiritual possessions to our descendants than our temporal possessions. When leaving worldly property to your children, you must first teach your children to recognize God’s “ownership” of all worldly property, manage finances according to biblical principles, and become good, loyal, and knowledgeable stewards that please God. .
Young children are highly malleable, and it is best for parents to teach their children the gospel when they are young and guide them on the path to eternal life. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them; for of these the kingdom of heaven belongs to such." (Matthew 19:14) Proverbs 22:6 points out the importance of teaching children the truth from an early age. : "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 14:26 mentions that fearing God is the way to rely on God: "He who fears the Lord has great confidence; and so do his children. Refuge." Psalm 145:4 mentions the importance of the inheritance of faith: "This generation will praise your deeds to the next generation, and they will proclaim your power."
Comment
1. abspoel.blogspot.com/2007/07/god-has-no-grandchildren.html.
2. See the Andrew Murray article on Wikipedia and www.vancechristie.com/2015/01/29/godly-parentage-priceless-boon-andrew-murray/.
3. www.ct.org.tw/1242572; www.shen-guo.org/family-faith-river.html. The fourth generation dictated by Gao Lili.
4. "The Life of Chen Zhiniang", Campus Study, original author, Tang Hanfudou (the wife of Pastor Tang Chongping); translator, Shen Yiqun, 1994.
5. thinkgospel.wordpress.com/2014/10/28/the-juke-edwards-story-a-contrast-in-family-legacy/and AE Winship: Jukes-Edwards: A Study in Education and Heredity, Dodo Press, 1900 (www.amazon.com/Jukes-Edwards-Study-Education-Heredity-Press/dp/1409960811). Helen K. Hoiser, Jonathan Edwards, The Great Awakener, Barbour, 1999. Dai Jizong: Meet Taiwan Christian Forum’s exclusive interview with Li Rongzhen,www.ct.org.tw/1269487.
Wen Yingqian:Honorary professor of Donghua University in Taiwan, Kingdom of God Resources is the chairman of the board of directors of the Christian Association and the editor of the talent unit of "Kingdom of God Magazine".