Two events occurred this week that overwhelmed my heart with joy. I’m not just talking about a fleeting moment of happiness. No, I’m speaking of an inexpressible gladness in God’s work here at Mayfair.
What happened that was so fantastic?
A: Younger disciples learning, worshiping, and even playing with older disciples of Jesus. Look at this great picture taken Tuesday night during our guy’s weekly basketball meet-up:
Photo credit: Mia Hutchison
Here you see a great number of younger guys along with a few not-quite-so-young guys talking about God’s truth and praying together before hitting the court. I love it!
By the way, if you’re interested in shooting some hoops with these men, just head on over to our gym at 6pm every Tuesday night at Mayfair Bible Church!
Just a day later, we held our ReFOCUS Praise and Prayer gathering in the Library (7-8pm on Wednesdays).
Again, my heart was filled with joy as teeangers, middle-aged folks, and senior saints all sang and prayed together. This scene was captured during ReFOCUS last week:
ReFOCUS Praise and Prayer
How Good It Is!
As it turns out, I’m not the only one who is filled with unspeakable joy at the sight of the younger praying and learning together with the older.
Far more importantly, God Himself rejoices over such a beautiful sight. Here’s how David put this
truth to song:
“Behold! How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! . . . It is like the dew of Hermon coming down upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing – life forever.” (Psalm 133)
Let’s not skip over the implication of the short phrase, “dwell together.” Certainly, this includes all ages of fellow believers. When God’s people cross-generationally gather to serve, love, and worship, the very sight of it invokes the blessing and joy of God.
Pastor Greg Laurie recently said:
“Younger Christians need older Christians in their lives to stabilize them. Older Christians need younger Christians in their lives to energize them. We need each other!”
Now some of the more seasoned gentlemen among us may no longer have the lung capacity (or knees!) to run around on a basketball court. Sometimes a song chosen by an older disciple may not be the first choice of a younger disciple. A more youthful person may think about mission-effectiveness differently than someone with more rings around the tree. But in every case, the beauty and joy of God is found in us joining together – despite the challenges or obstacles in doing so.
The Path of Unity
How can we continually live in the joy of unity? Humility. Such an ethos in the church is impossible without humble submission to God and one another. This is precisely where Peter goes in his admonition to the younger and the older:
“You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5)
Spiritual maturity cannot occur in a heart of spiritual arrogance…no matter how many verses have been memorized in the cranium or the number of gray hairs on the head. Now don’t be mistaken, God’s call to humility should step on the toes of the youngest and the oldest and everyone in between (including mine).
The pattern of older-younger discipleship repeats across the Old and New Testaments. Here’s an excerpt from a personal note by the older church-planter (Paul) to encourage a younger pastor (Timothy): “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 2:1)
Prof. Howard Hendricks, one of my all-time favorite teachers at Dallas Theological Seminary often challenged us with this principle: “Everyone needs a Paul, a Barnabas, and a Timothy. You need a teacher-mentor, an encourager, and a disciple.”
So may I ask you some heart-level questions?
Q: Who is your Paul? Barnabas? Timothy? If you’re missing one of these key elements for spiritual growth, ask God to guide you to a relationship that fulfills what you’re missing.
Q: Has your pride or generational preference created an obstacle to “dwelling together” with people of differing ages or backgrounds? If we’re honest, we all probably struggle in this area. Let’s take a moment to confess our failing to God and ask for His grace to pour over our pride and wash it away.
Remember, we need each other!
_________________________
- ReBORN Story Video Library: This past week we developed a new page on our website that will contain our growing library of ReBORN transformation stories! Check it out here and share it with friends! — > https://www.mayfairbible.
org/reborn-videos/ - New Harvard Research Says Christianity is Not Shrinking but Growing Stronger: We often hear dire, disturbing news that Christianity is in massive decline across North America. A new study out of Harvard suggests something else may be the case, “They want the genuine deal, and the demographics on religion of the last few decades unmistakably support the fact. Continue reading this important article here: –> http://thefederalist.com/2018/
01/22/new-harvard-research- says-u-s-christianity-not- shrinking-growing-stronger/ - What Not To Ask Someone Suffering: We all struggle with what to say (or not say) when ministering to someone in suffering. Nancy Guthrie, founder of GriefShare, provides some practical, helpful notes for everyday use: —>https://www.desiringgod.
org/articles/what-not-to-ask- someone-suffering
In Christ Alone,
