One of the most powerful commandments in the Old Testament is the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4-9. The Lord commanded the children of Israel to love God with all their being. They were to tell it to their children in the morning, at night, and as they went about their day.
(4) "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!
(5) You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
(6) "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
(7) You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
(8) You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
(9) You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 NKJV
In other words, let it be on your lips, so it will be in your children’s heart.
Evangelism begins in the home. When our actions back up our words, it is a priceless inheritance. A consistent example over time is stronger than a powerful evangelist’s words.
I have been a pastor for decades. I am a firm believer and promoter of the local church. However, the pastor of the church and the people of the church are not a substitute for godly parents.
As a child, I had some wonderful men of God who were pastors and evangelists in our local church. I owe them a debt of gratitude. But my mother and father were my greatest Christian influence.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ came to me through many faithful people. It came from Jesus but was brought to me by many generations of people. It began with the followers of Jesus Christ in the upper room on the day of Pentecost. They were filled with the Holy Spirit. They received a power that was stronger than any earthly power. It was not a power that came and went but a power that remained in them and flowed from them.
It blows my mind, that there was an unbroken chain of witnesses who brought the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the door post of my heart and soul. This chain of the Gospel passed through villages and towns. It crossed oceans and rivers. It was soaked in the blood of the martyrs and showered in the prayers of the saints. It braved wildernesses and tyrants.
The Gospel passed the lips of one person to the heart of another through a multitude of generations. Eventually, it made its way to a little boy named Harry in Sand Valley in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. I heard, I believed. It changed my life and even those around me.
It is impossible to repay those past generations who kept the chain of the Gospel solid and strong. I can only pay it forward, by keeping the chain strong for the next generation.
We can only be responsible for three generations, our generation, our children’s generation, and the generation of our children’s children.
People are concerned about the inheritance they will leave their family. They worry about their own name and legacy. We need most of all to be concerned about the spiritual lineage we leave behind.
If time goes on, our beautiful homes will be reduced to rubble. Our position of employment will be given to another, and our name will forgotten where you labored for decades . Our grave will eventually be un-visited regardless of the size of our tombstone. It will be rare if our grandchildren’s children are able to recall our names.
The only remnant of our existence on this earth worth talking about will be the spiritual vitality in Christ Jesus of those we influenced.
Tell the Good News of Jesus Christ, who was crucified and resurrected to your generation, your children, and your children’s children. In His name is the only salvation afforded to those who walk beside us and behind us.
One generation declaring the Gospel to the next. Then another generation to another. The Good News of Jesus Christ is an unbroken chain from the apostles to us. Will the chain be unbroken from us?
Yours on the Journey,
Harry L. Whitt
Pathway Journey 