Family History: Heritage And Ancestry

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version at http://tinyurl.com/2xhfuu

Most people are very proud of their history. Towns and schools often erect signs or monuments to great achievements from the past. Trophies are proudly displayed and heroes are warmly remembered. Having a great heritage and history can be a tremendous advantage to a community.

But simply having a great past does not guarantee a successful future. Sometimes people can be caught reliving the past instead of living the present. Nostalgia certainly has its place, but one must not forget to pick up and do the things that need to be done in the present.

Most people today mistakenly assume that churches they see today have always been around and will be around for generations to come. But the fact is that most churches have relatively short life cycles. In a Bell Curve illustration the majority of churches can be seen with at least one growth cycle, a peak, an extended plateau and then a sudden or gradual decline. All of these events can take place in as little as 40 years or as long as 60-80 years.

The church at Ephesus is a good study in a life cycle of a church. In the first six verses of the book of Ephesians you will see that Paul praises this church and tells them that they are a chosen people, adopted by God. In chapter 2 Paul tells them that they were made alive, having been formerly dead in their sins. They had chosen to leave the lifestyle of the world and instead walk in the way of the Lord.

In verse 12 this is vividly illustrated as Paul says they were “without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” But then he adds this section from verses 19-22.

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

What a great heritage they had! They were building on the foundation of Christ Himself. But, sadly, they didn’t remain on that firm foundation.

In 2 Timothy 4:1-4 Paul gives a stern warning to Timothy concerning some who would depart from the faith. Timothy was working with these people in Ephesus.

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

Paul also warned the elders of the church at Ephesus to be on guard. In Acts 20:27-30 he tells them to “take heed” because after his departure, “savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after themselves.”

And these things happened. In Revelation 2:1-5 Jesus tells the Ephesian church that they had many good works. But then He says, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.”

Within a span of about 60 years or so, the church at Ephesus had experienced a great beginning, looked back on a tremendous heritage and had forgotten their first love. As Paul had predicted and warned Timothy and the elders, that church had fallen. Had they followed his warnings and instructions no doubt that church would have remained strong in number as well as strong in their faith.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we use the past to build us up and may we give glory to God for what others have done for good in the past. However, may we determine this very hour that it is up to us to help the church grow today. May we daily build our heritage, our history that leads new people to Christ.

Our thought for the day: “The reason history repeats itself is that most people weren’t listening the first time.”

May God bless you on your daily walk.

© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.