There always have been and always will be ‘generation gaps.’ The Greek philosopher Plato complained in 400 BC, ‘What is happening to our young people? They disrespect their parents. They ignore the law. They riot in the streets.’ Researchers Neil Howe and William Strauss submit that Americans experience a new social mood/’turning’ every 20 years and a fourth every 80-100 years. There’s a need for mutual respect if we are to bridge generation gaps today. In my sixties, after 38 years of pastoring traditional churches, I like many younger folk despaired of life in the institutional/over-organized church and decided to bail: the system was just too program-driven and controlling rather than ‘life-of-Jesus inspired’ and transforming. Thus I feel for those who were hurt by the machine, as was I and my family. Under God we chose to follow the way of ‘simple/natural church,’ an organic grassroots form of ecclesia that met in homes and informal spaces ‘under the functional headship of Jesus’ (Frank Viola) . My disappointment with many Generation X’ers lies in their ‘deconstruction’ of church but never getting to ‘reconstruction’ thereof! (Mt. 16:13ff)
American statistician George Barna recently declared that millenials and Gen X’ers who have abandoned NT congregational gatherings have perhaps been too concerned about money and power and party-politics rather than Jesus and his ecclesia. As a senior I also have noted their tendency to self-centredness, individualism and egoism rather than Christ-centredness – of course we all struggle with the former and latter. Note how the apostle Paul addressed the much younger Timothy:‘You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days (including 1st century AD: Acts 2:17ff; Heb. 1:1-2) there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents (a reference to family-life and the attitude of some young people towards their parents), and ungrateful (devoid of elementary appreciation)… They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!’ (particularly in the assembly) (2 Tim. 3:1-5/NLT). Dr. John Stott comments, “In an ideal society the relationship of children to their parents should be marked by obedience, gratitude, respect, affection and reasonableness. In times of ‘stress’ all five are lacking… the inevitable consequence of a godless self-centredness.” In 1973 already, Dr. Stott warned large student audiences like Urbana, ‘The church of our day urgently needs to heed the message of this second letter of Paul to Timothy. For all around us we see Christians and churches relaxing their grasp of the gospel, fumbling it, in danger of letting it drop from their hands altogether. A new generation of Timothy’s is needed, who will guard the sacred deposit of the gospel, who are determined to proclaim it and are prepared to suffer for it, and who will pass it on pure and un-corrupted to the generation which in due course will rise up to follow them.’ The truth proclaimed will always produce true worshipers! The Scriptures regarding the saints’ assembling are not divine suggestions but divine imperatives! Sadly, our generation, young and old, are guilty of not taking God’s Word seriously enough. The prophet Isaiah, having spoken to Israel of God’s immense greatness goes on to announce, ‘I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word’ (cf. 66:1-2,5). Let’s be honest, when last did you and I tremble at God’s Word, and witness others do the same!?
The interesting thing is that wherever the Church is under oppression/persecution, believers cherish fellowship – they love gathering even if their life is at risk. I witnessed this in the Chinese underground house church movement. The gatherings were made up of many younger people and were certainly inter-generational. Below is a house church in Iran (the fastest-growing in the world) gathering for teaching, fellowship and worship – these groups span all ages, predominantly young adults led by women!
The historian-evangelist Luke sketches the early Church as made up of Christ-followers who ‘were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer’ [Acts 2:42].
The MSG paraphrases Acts 2:42, ‘They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers…’ [Every believer needs, some time or other, to read Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s ‘Life Together,’ his inspiring account of the unique fellowship in an underground seminary at Finkenwalde during Germany’s Nazi years. It reads like one of Paul’s Letters, giving practical advice on how ‘life together’ in Christ can be sustained in families and church groups. It is bread for all who are hungry for real Christian ‘koinonia.’ I submit true fellowship = ‘life together” = ‘the Christ-life within us lived out together!’] (1) The enthusiasm of those first believers knew no bounds, every day was a celebration of Jesus, and people were attracted to what they saw. All this, of course, under persecution, whether under Nero, Vespasian, Titus or Domitian. The pattern of exciting fellowship under persecution continues today. Just a few weeks ago a smiling young pastoral couple on China’s S.E. coast was fined $55,000 for ‘organizing religious activities,’ i.e. overseeing a thriving underground house church network. A very reputable source reveals that in N. Korea in 2023 some 70,000 believers have been imprisoned, some just for possessing a Bible. Yet covertly many N. Koreans continue to seek God!
The author of Hebrews exhorted Jewish believers not to return to Judaism in order to escape persecution: ‘Let’s hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, because the one who made the promises is reliable. Let’s also think about how to motivate each other to show love and to do good works. Don’t stop meeting together with other believers, which some people have gotten into the habit of doing. Instead, encourage each other, especially as you see the day drawing near’ (10:23-25/CEB). Fellowship is not just for our own sake, but for others’ sake! How selfish we can be?
Dr. William Lane takes the Hebrews scripture deeper: ‘The writer regarded the desertion of the communal meetings as utterly serious. It threatened the corporate life of the congregation and certainly was a prelude to apostasy on the part of those who were separating themselves from the assembly. The neglect of worship and fellowship was symptomatic of a catastrophic failure to appreciate the significance of Christ’s priestly ministry and access to God it provided.’ [In one of the local ministers’ fraternals I frequent every pastor complained about the devastation of Covid on their members’ attendances: many just got used to not gathering and left the flock]
What about genuine believers who for very practical reasons cannot join the gatherings, for reasons of old age (people are living longer), chronic sickness, immobility, geographical isolation, etc. We have a dear couple like that in our local house group: we keep in touch via daily whatsap messages, a monthly visit, etc. Such believers can still fellowship as a couple, or with a neighbour. I’ve never forgotten the paragraph of fellow-South African blogger, Tobie van der Westhuizen, some years ago,‘I foresee a return to the wisdom of the little people, emboldened and enlivened by the presence of Christ in their midst, when they meet in twos or threes or more. I see a hunger for truth that is true in the moment of relational encounter, never contrary to one jot or tittle from Scripture, but always as the pouring forth of that life that breathed out Scripture in the first place. And I can see a disenchantment with the formulations of the super-apostles and religious ideologues and denomination-makers, the manna of yesteryear, the searching and categorizing of the Scriptures apart from Christ’s presence in our midst. Jer. 31:33-34.’ [cf. naturalchurch.wordpress.com]
Let me challenge you (and myself) to a new inter-generational mindset! Simon & Garfunkel’s classic ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ comes to mind: ‘Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down…’ C’mon, let’s begin to build bridges toward each other, no matter how small our steps to begin with. We’re practicing with our six grandsons! In fact, even better, let’s be a bridge to our neighbour, whether young or old.
FOOTNOTES:
(1) Col. 1:18-21. I highly commend David Bolton’s latest series on the Christ-centred Church. Cf. christcenteredchristianity.com
(2) So many other scriptures indicate the corporate-ness of believers: Jn. 17; 1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4, etc. The Christian life will always be a team-sport!
Erroll's Blog 