We hear over the religious news that a former fundamental Baptist missionary’s son turned away from the faith. He became an evangelical college teacher, and later joined the ecumenical bandwagon called the emerging church movement. Could this really happen among Filipinos? Absolutely! It is already happening just as it has happened in the past. The current generation tends to reject the militancy in the faith of the past generation. Propagandists of change keep on saying that the battles of the past are no longer relevant, so the younger generation must abandon the fight of the old generation.
This is what we call generational disloyalty. This occurs when one generation departs from the former generation’s militant stand on the Word of God. On the other hand, a generation is freed from such charge if the current generation returns to the old militant defense of the faith once abandoned by the former. Where do we stand on this issue, Cornerstone people? The current generation of Cornerstone membership is militant in its stand to carry on the beliefs and behavior of this local church. She unapologetically corrects anyone who errs from the faith. She even expels from the membership anyone who refuses to get right with the Lord after being subjected to church discipline as Mat. 18:15-17 teaches.
Will the next generation of Cornerstone people uphold the faith in similar militancy and passion as well as zeal to advance her faith to other lands? Will they sustain our zeal for missions? Will they preserve our doctrines and practices as an indigenous local Baptist church? Will they preserve our godly music untainted by worldly ones? What can be done to ensure that the younger generation of Cornerstone people will carry on the faith and practice of the current ones? Joshua gave us the answer to this query! The current generation must expose the succeeding generation into the works of God at this local church. They must see and cherish how God started and sustained this local church through indigenous ministerial philosophy. They must imbibe the same principles that governed us through the years so they can stand the hardships of their future situations.
Some significant lessons can be drawn from this success of Joshua, his successor elders, and the people of Israel. First, the Israelites chose to serve the God of Joshua all through Joshua’s term and the next leaders’. They saw and heard from Joshua the need to serve in the manner which he demonstrated to them. We see this happened in Joshua 1:16-18 where the people covenanted themselves with Joshua as witnessed by the Lord. In short they made a contract to remain faithful in the service according to the standards defined by Joshua, their leader.
A covenant is such a great tool in ensuring faithfulness. It binds us to godliness. Though it is not an absolute guarantee of faithfulness, it can reduce temptation of unfaithfulness. We need to enter into an agreement of faithfulness. Joshua led them into this contract-making but he did not coerce them to make one. When Joshua reminded the people, he led them into making a covenant of faithfulness (24:23-27).
Let us be wiser in dealing with our sinful heart’s inclination to unfaithfulness. CBC members, how is your membership contract? Are you loyally keeping each of its provisions which you vowed to maintain until He comes? Why not get right with God for violating some of its provisions before your children discover them and indirectly encourage them to the same unfaithfulness?
Second, the Israelites knew well the perfect works of God. They also saw these works being fulfilled before them (see Judges 2:7). The older generation exposed the young ones to what God has done to them. They did not confine these divine works to themselves. They, rather, devised a system by which all the young ones saw what God has done. Probably, they taught these divine workings to the children. Here we see the need of educating the next generation. Our enemies are gone. But they can always return when the old guards are gone or its spirit is slowly declining from the scene. This has happened in other local churches that resulted to their fall and compromise.
Every Cornerstone ministry must showcase to its people the works of God perfectly done through this local church. Every teacher from the nursery up to the senior adults must remind the membership of our struggles and successes over temptations, over needs, and over obstacles. These must be done biblically and diligently. When the people are ignorant of our history and struggles the devil will creep in to bring deception to the naïve and vulnerable. We ought to teach all our local church doctrines and practices (including our culture) to every child and new member so as to fully integrate them into the body of Christ. This is the reason, we tirelessly keep on with our godly traditions ( i.e., church camp, Christmas fellowship, Missions Nights, Youth camp, Lord’s Supper in December and April) that sustain our belief and behavior system. We want to establish a godly Cornerstone culture that reflects the Bible. So where do you stand now, Cornerstone members in this pursuit? How are your children keeping these godly traditions?
Third, Israel departed from the ways of Joshua and the elders due to ignorance of the works of God and His greatness. This we see in Judges 2:10-14. This generation that departed did not know the God of Joshua. Note that God does not change, neither does His doctrines. It means they had no personal knowledge of the salvation work of God. They were also ignorant of the many perfect works of God. They were either untaught with the words of God or they did not learn from their teaching leaders (v.10).
Consequently, in verse 11, (1) they did evil in God’s sight and served false gods. They committed this due to their lack of knowledge. Remember what prophet Hosea said about this (Hosea 4:6). Then, (2) they abandoned the God of Joshua (v.12, forsook the Lord, cf. v.13). In stead, they embraced and followed the false gods of the people surrounding them. They began to listen to their counsels and models of life and work. What a great tragedy! Further, (3) they provoked God to anger (v.12c; 14). God is never happy over someone’s departure from the true faith be it in one segment of the doctrinal truth we espouse or in practical and moral departure. Some have undermined the latter as less significant. But consider that departure in practice is an evidence of departure from belief or thought.
So God has to chastise the Israelites for this departure with repeated national problems evident in the book of Judges. They even further deteriorated into individualism in decision making (Judges 21:25). Other heinous crimes and sins were committed in the period of the Judges due to this departure in doctrine and practice. For us, Cornerstone people, to ensure the next generation’s faithfulness we must sustain the current zeal for God. We must diligently teach our young ones with the truths we uphold. We are not to be content with mere outward conformity but must look for their true heart and lifestyle change. Let us therefore be striving towards greater consistency, Cornerstone parents and single adults, so the young ones may have no reason to depart from this blessed and pure faith. Amen!
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