by Pastor John Kim
Hebrews 11 gives an account of men and women who lived by faith. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). As you consider the examples, many, if not all of them would seem to be outside of the scope of what we would imagine to be our own lives. Noah building an ark, Abraham offering up Isaac, Moses leading the nation of Israel out of Egypt – all these would seem to be exceptional rather than normative in the life of a Christian. But we would do well to consider the principles that are interwoven in Hebrews 11 instead of just looking at the examples.
Hebrews 11: 6 states that without faith it is impossible to please God. Pleasing God can only take place through a life that is lived by faith. This is a pretty important principle to consider since we are called to live to God’s glory and pleasing Him is tied to that call. If we truly desire to please God, then living by faith is a non-negotiable. I’ll address the implications a bit later.
Hebrews 11:8 describes Abraham who lived his life by faith by going in obedience to a place he didn’t even know. Can you imagine leaving your homeland to go to a place where you have absolutely no idea what it’s like? There were no brochures of his destination, there was no internet site to look up and see pictures. He was going to a completely foreign place with just a promise from God.
Hebrews 11:13 shares something that might at first glance seem a bit sad – “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” These believers who died in faith did not see what they had hoped to see in culmination but they did see from a distance the promises that God had given to them. The idea of not seeing the fulfillment of what was hoped for would be disheartening for most people but for the one who lives by faith, it is welcomed because the reality is we know that we are strangers and exiles on this earth and that our citizenship is in a kingdom that is not of this world.
I wanted to highlight these three particular aspects of living by faith because I would like to challenge my generation, those who are in their 40’s and 50’s who have children graduating from college and high school and we are starting to look at the back end of our lives where the retirement years are beckoning and the hope for getting settled seems more appealing. I would also like to challenge the generation below that to follow, but as I look forward (God-willing) to the second half-century of my life, I can definitely make some anecdotal observations that serve to illustrate my concern for the 40’s/50’s crowd in the church.
I had a talk with an old college friend and we were discussing the issue of why so many of our peers seem to be settling for just a comfortable life and not be very engaged in spiritual matters like we used to when we were in college. Those college years were definitely full of activity and it seemed like we had inexhaustible energy that propelled us to be witnesses for the gospel, minister to fellow Christians, go on short-term missions, and eagerly soak up the word of God and pray. But after getting married, working hard to put the kids through school, that energy seems to be in short supply, the schedule seems constantly filled with various events for the children, and we are content with settling in places where every service is provided, including church. As parents we look for well-organized nursery ministries that have professionally trained staff that are also CPR/First Aid certified. We expect the comforts of nursery ministry to transition to a preschool ministry that helps our kids to mature and grow to make it into the elementary ministry, where we are happy to see a solid program that provides everything a parent could hope for their children to receive. Then on to the youth ministry where there are multiple staff members who disciple your kids, take them out to McDonald’s, attend their sporting events, and cry with them at their graduations. Not to say that anything is wrong with any of these things in themselves. But could it be that so many are willing to settle for what is provided for them and so few are willing to go out in faith to be a part of church plants because the cost is too steep and the new churches can’t provide enough services that make it convenient to go to church? Could it be that instead of living by faith, there are many who choose to live by sight and their actions are built on the principle of “the assurance of things that are proven and the conviction of things that are seen”?
I raise this question because it concerns me that not only does a life of faith seem to dissipate as Christians get older, the example of faith is then lost to the younger generation that follows. Is it no surprise then that a life of faith seems to be more the exception to the rule than the norm? Not that there needs to be a percentage or numbers to back this. That’s why I am quick to acknowledge that this perspective is based more on my observations than any scientific surveys or statistical studies.
I share this portion with a grain of salt because I truly do not wish to make this sound like I am the only one doing this. God has truly been gracious to provide the opportunity to be a part of three church plants and it really has been by His mercy that our family has been sustained through the tremendous changes and even trauma that has impacted our family through the many moves and relocations. And I am truly thankful for those that God has brought to partner in the church plants – without them these ministries would truly not be able to work as a church should. But the particular point that I would like to raise as a challenge is this – as you get older, will you see a life continue to grow deeper in faith and in trusting in the Lord or will you live more by sight and what is conventional?
Consider the lives of those mentioned in Hebrews 11. I find it interesting that for many of them, their lives of faith continued and are even highlighted in their latter years. Noah was 600 years old when the flood came (Genesis 7:6). Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old when they were told by God that they would bear a son (Genesis 17:17). Moses was 80 years old when he faced off with Pharoah in Egypt (Exodus 7:7). Yet even these saints did not see the fulfillment of all that they would have hoped. But they lived and died in faith.
Church planting is not just for younger folks who have less at stake in life. Yes, the transitions might be a bit more convenient and there may be fewer things to uproot. But I would dare say this – we need more older folks to live by faith and not grow lax in their latter years as they approach their 40’s and 50’s. There are obviously many challenges and even trials that come by taking the road less traveled when it comes to church planting. The likelihood of fewer families attending is high in many church plants because the children and youth ministries are small and still in development. The families that are there tend to be in the throws of parenting the little ones, and time and energy are at a premium while many are not able to participate regularly. Church services are either at a very inconvenient time (like 4:30pm on Sundays) or we are setting up and tearing down because we have to share the facilities with several other churches at a rental site. There are few established sub-ministries and usually nothing official in many areas. But the harvest is plentiful. The opportunities to share the gospel abound. There are many who still have yet to take a step into a church because no one has ever invited them. Many don’t even have a copy of the Bible because no one ever gave them one. Strange and weird perceptions of what Christians are like abound because there are some crazies out there and there are not a few who are not biblically grounded and gospel centered. But you know what would be helpful, even if it were to be increased by a few? A few more older families, with marriages that are seasoned so that those older couples could disciple younger couples and even singles who are dating. A few more older families that have grown children and can be a light through how they raise their family and to provide some perspective, especially for those with newborns and toddlers. A few more older families that would be willing to live more by faith and trust that even with the lack of “establishment” that by faith there will an investment to see things eventually grow and that the early years of being part of a church are crucial in having older mentors and disciplers that could provide some sense of balance for those that are still waiting to enter the later stages of life. A few more older families that would be willing to show that they are willing to sacrifice some of the comforts of life and to forego some of the freedoms and liberties for the sake of passing on the greatness of God to the next generation (Psalm 145:4).
Yes, we need older families to stay with the home base as well and provide consistency and stability. Yes, we need older families to continue to grow the churches that sent out church plant teams. No, I am not saying all the older couples need to feel guilty and go out with the church plants. But I am raising the thought to consider – maybe a few more would be helpful?
So if you want to please God, maybe go somewhere you don’t know anything about (or maybe don’t want to know anything about), and even consider that you are just going to be a link in the chain and not even see the fulfillment of the investment, then step out in faith and consider passing on the greatness of God in the young churches, the new churches, the churches that are lacking the older, godly presence of men and women that can be the kind of examples, mentors, and disciplers that would model the life of faith that the next generation can not only observe but then pass on to the following generation.
Please lift a prayer for the other Lighthouse churches. We really need to pray for one another. Pray in faith and then for those that God would lead, both younger and older, but maybe a few more of the older ones – consider fulfilling the Great Commission by actual going and partnering with one of the younger congregations and invest your life for eternal things for the glory of God.
