One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. (Psalm 145:4 KJV)

While serving as the pastor of an inner-city congregation, I was genuinely shocked when a young neighborhood boy came into my office at the church, looked around the room at all of my books, then spotted a wooden crucifix hanging on my wall and asked, “Whose that guy climbing on them sticks?”  In all of my years of ministry, teaching, preaching, door to door cold calling, and street evangelism, NEVER had I met anyone completely ignorant of who Yeshua was.  This boy was the first soul that I had ever met that, literally, knew nothing of God or Yeshua, heaven or hell, sin or salvation, or sadly, hope.  Life, poverty, fear, violence and death, were, however, very real to this young boy.  I was so taken aback by this total absence of knowledge or faith that I hardly knew were to begin.  Over the months that followed, I began reading to this boy from a children’s bible, beginning with creation and continuing through to the resurrection and out pouring of the Spirit.  Over time, this young boy became quite the little evangelist, teaching his brothers, sisters and father, the stories he had learned.

This simple encounter caused me to think about how I myself came to learn these stories.  How did I come to believe in the infinite, invisible, all knowing, all powerful, creator of heaven and earth?  How did I become aware that life was not a serendipitous accident of nature that began with a bang?  When did I come to know that man “climbing on them sticks” as the one who gave his life upon the cross that I might know life? 

Family!  Family is where I learned of God, creation, sin, death, the Messiah, hope, grace, and salvation.  From birth I was surrounded by believers.  From childhood I was taught to pray before meals and before sleep.  I watched and observed my Grandmother and Grandfather reading their Bibles and praying each morning.  I was dressed up and carted off to Church and Sunday-School where other grown-ups confirmed what my family was imparting to me.  Certain neighbors also had Bibles in their homes and prayed before meals.  The Apostle Shaul  has spoken the truth; faith comes by hearing.

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17 KJV)

In the Psalm quoted above, we see this truth confirmed.  One generation passes the faith to another.  While much may be learned about the Creator from his creation, merely observing creation is not enough to lead us to the Creator.  There are many who observe the wonders of creation but never come to understanding or faith.  We know that creation is the work of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Father of our Master Yeshua, only because those who experienced these things passed this knowledge down from one generation to another.  Fortunately for us, others saw fit to preserve these events for us in the writing of scripture.  The Sovereign Creator of the Universe commanded that we pass down this holy information to our children.

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: ⁷ And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7 KJV)

And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (Deuteronomy 11:19 KJV)

One of the ways that we teach our children the faith is by the pattern and rhythm of our lives.  In the twenty-third chapter of the Book of Leviticus, YHWH our God, commanded that the children of Israel keep a pattern of appointed, holy, rehearsals; including the weekly Sabbath, Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits Offering, the Feast of Weeks, The Day of Blowing, The Day of Coverings, and the Feast of Tabernacles.  Each of these appointed holy rehearsals, celebrate some part of YHWH’S interaction with his chosen people.  Each one of these appointed holy rehearsals likewise points to some present or future work of the Creator among his people.   By keeping these appointed holy rehearsals we are not only given the opportunity to teach these events, but also relive them.  By celebrating a past event in the present each generation is given the opportunity to experience these events for themselves and make the events their own.  By celebrating the appointed holy rehearsals we provoke questions from the next generation.

And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand YHWH brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage: (Exodus 13:14 KJV)

By experiencing the deliverance from bondage as their own the next generation embraces the faith for themselves, takes up the standard of the children of Israel, and trumpets the truth of YHWH our God to yet another age.  The Psalmist encourages us, as the saints of YHWH, to recall and declare his wondrous works from age to age that all of the world, through all of time may come to know YHWH the Sovereign Creator of the Universe, and Yeshua his Messiah.

All thy works shall praise thee, O YHWH; and thy saints shall bless thee. ¹¹ They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; ¹² To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. (Psalm 145:10-12 KJV)

As the children of Israel and the disciples of Messiah we have been called to become a light to the world.  Our obedient lives are the living testimony of the living God shedding light on the identity, nature, character, love and will of the Sovereign Creator and Redeemer of the whole universe.  Let his works be declared throughout every generation that his name may be praised in all the earth.