GOD'S FAMILY

For a long time I have held a great concern in my heart, but because of age and position have found it impossible, or at the very least unwise, to speak of it. However, recently someone much younger and wiser than I am has given expression to my heart even better than I could, so I feel a liberty to post it here in the hope that others will read and understand!

So here is a quote from a young person I love and respect who wrote about the current focus on youth initiatives:

"And what is the role of the older generation....?
As a young person I love my generation, but I see how necessary it is that we have wisdom, leadership and input from the older generation. It is vital to our success and survival that this happens. Our generation is already unbalanced in its views. The world has put emphasis on us by giving us 'liberation' in so many areas, sex, drugs, lifestyle etc.. we are given so many things and take for granted so much. We are the generation burdened with choices. We have little respect for those that may be in authority or who have gone before us and may have paid a price for us to live as we do. By annihilating moral absolutes the world has declared war on this generation. There is no sense of family unit which adds to the unbalance. We needs spiritual mothers and fathers, leaders in the body. The church needs to even the score and balance rather than further emphasise the imbalance by enhancing the inflated sense of how precious young people are. We need to be understood, released, inspired and given opportunity in the context that this world is not all about us and our generation. Every person alive on the face of the earth is precious as far as God is concerned. A point to remember is that my generation can't be seen through rose-coloured glasses either, as much as the world or people within the church limit our opportunities or put us down and are responsible for shutting us out or down in different areas, we are responsible for our own inability to commit to anything, respect anyone, our laziness and selfishness. We create as many issues for ourselves as the world and church creates for us. We must own our issues, not be excused from them or have someone pass the blame for us."

Ephesians 2:14-18

For he himself is our peace, who has made the TWO ONE and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility. By abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to CREATE IN HIMSELF ONE NEW MAN out of the two, thus making peace, and in this ONE BODY to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father, BY ONE SPIRIT.

In the Complete Jewish Bible the word for barrier is 'm'chitzah' - the divider between men and women in the orthodox synagogue, or metaphorically the 5 foot high stone wall between the Court of the Gentiles and the Inner Courts of the Temple where the Jewish people could go. What a wonderful picture this gives us of His great desire to bring together men and women, Jew and Gentile, all to be ONE in Him.

We must take care in placing a stronger emphasis on one part of the Body than another - we could find ourselves breaking down the Family of God rather than building and strengthening it for His Glory.

SHALOM