About and To Be About

05.18.14

Psalm 78.1-8

1 My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old—

3 things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us.

4 We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.

5 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children,

6 so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.

7 Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.

8 They would not be like their ancestors—a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him. (NIV)

In building a mission statement it’s important to consider what we’re about and what we’re to be about – this brief passage in Psalm 78.1-8 is a great place to start when thinking about what we’re about and what we’re to be about.

We’re to believe in God and we’re to believe God. We’re to remember what we believe and why we believe. We’re to be eager to tell the next generation about God so that they may forge a faith of their own built upon the foundation of the faith of those that went before them. We’re to help them and encourage them with our own trials and triumphs and also prepare them for trials and triumphs of their own.

We’re to help them learn from their mistakes as we learned from ours being fully open and honest about the things we learned and how we learned them. Part of the mission of the Church is to bring others to a saving knowledge of Christ but among those brought ought to be our kids and their friends.

I love the psalms of Asaph because they smack me around a little and make me think about why I believe what I believe. And part of the what and why, is teaching the what and why to the next generation whose problems and issues, though different in appearance than mine, will still revolve around the same question: can I truly trust God in every part and season of my life?

Father, You never intended for our faith to be so private that it never gets shared. I think about the kids I minister to and pray for them that their faith may be forged like mine: built upon the accounts of those who’ve gone before us. I thank You for the privilege of serving them and pray for courage and creativity to share the message with them in a way they’ll find understandable and acceptable. Help me God. Amen.