My Great-great-great Grandfather Levi was a preacher who planted churches in East Tennessee. When I found out, I was reading a book in a public library in Waco, Texas. Short of shouting, "Eureka," I remember I was so happy. Most of my Brooks granddads were a bit notorious, if not infamous. To know that one preached the unsearchable riches of Christ gave me great joy. Sometimes I have wondered where the Brooks men went off the rails. My own exploration revealed that upon their weddings in East Tennessee, they received a bed, a team of horses, and a still. The women went to church and the men made whiskey. But Levi planted churches.
God confirmed circumcision as the sign of the covenant with Abraham and his descendants. Note the intentionality that each successive generation would be set apart for the Lord. God had a plan for his people. Later we learn that circumcision symbolized an inward spiritual reality. God's people would set themselves apart to God, distinguishing themselves from the nations around them.
Twenty years ago, Mang and Thong, members of our congregation who served as hospital chaplains prayed with me about planting a Burmese congregation. Last Sunday, we celebrated the anniversary of this congregation, the Greater Houston Burmese Christian Fellowship. Fifty children and twenty students ascended the stage to sing songs of worship to God in their choirs. We are grateful that this one daughter church has planted ten other churches. God is blessing generations of people because one couple, a modern-day Priscilla and Aquila have obeyed the Lord.
How may we be intentional about passing the baton of faith to the successive generations? In my experience, people do not naturally drift closer to God. As we look at our kids and grandkids, I wonder what God has in store for them and the future generations. Sunday we will give Bibles to students to recognize their graduation from High School. We want them to know the Lord. Perhaps some of them will plant churches someday. Or maybe their Great-great-great grandchildren will.
