From Generation to Generation

From Generation to Generation: "

One generation of believers transferring the truth of God to the next generation is a theme that can be found throughout Scripture. Take just a handful of biblical passages and the lessons we can learn from them:

• The older generation is called to proclaim to a younger generation the glorious deeds of God: his deliverance, faithfulness, and righteousness (Psalms 71:18, 78:4, 145:4)
• To some degree the faithfulness of one generation can be traced back to the faithfulness of a previous generation (Psalm 78:5–8)
• In contrast, the faithlessness of a generation can often be traced to a generational distance from faithful believers (Judges 2:10–11)
• Believers in an older generation can hope for long life in order to carry out this stewardship (Psalm 71:18)
• This heritage is often passed on in the home, from parents to children (Deuteronomy 6:6–9)
• A vision for this heritage extends to a generation that is yet unborn (Psalms 22:30, 78:6, 102:18)
• Fundamentally, this heritage is rooted in the unchanging faithfulness of God to every generation (Genesis 9:12–13, 17:9, Deuteronomy 7:9, Psalms 33:11, 89:1)

This succession from one generation to another is also reflected in New Testament pastoral ministry. Pastors are called to identify and train their successors, following Paul’s model: he trained Timothy and expected him to train a generation of teachers that Paul himself could not see (2 Timothy 1:13–14, 2:2).

This stewardship of the gospel requires that churches and pastors think seriously about transitions. This heritage is a priority in Sovereign Grace, and a topic that recently caught the attention of journalist Collin Hansen in his article "Gospel Integrity and Pastoral Succession." In the end, Colin writes, “Succession isn’t simple. It isn’t smooth. It’s not often successful. Yet it’s a matter of gospel integrity.” You can read Collin’s full article here.

Posted by Tony Reinke

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A Secondary School In Milimani

This morning I went through memory lane! I remembered those days as a preacher-boy riding the small blue phoenix bicycle to Milimani an hour away from Mt. Kenya Baptist Church.  I went to lead in a prayer meeting cum bible study.
One thing was for sure I did not know what the future had for me HOWEVER I knew that God had a plan for me for good and not evil, to have a hope and a future - Jeremiah 29:11.  One of the favorite songs that came to my mind as I shared with Moses our youth director was "Go Out With Joy" by Maranatha Singers. "For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." Isaiah 55:12

The Lord has been faithful these many years! Not that I am am so old, I am still young and need more of God more than when I was just a young preacher-boy!

It was a joy to serve and share the Gospel this morning with the about 300 teenagers in Kalalu secondary school in the Millimani area.  The theme was on the Distinction Between Being Interested and being Committed!  In Luke 9:62, our Lord gives us the example of one who has put their hand to the plow.  Our Lord instructs us to be committed to our work as His disciples - IT WILL COST YOU! We are not just to be interested about being disciples of Christ but committed not looking back but keeping the focus of the upward call! Paul said, pressing toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God.  It calls for a commitment not just an interest!

Ken Blanchard says in his small book "The heart of a leader" that trying is just a noisy way of not doing something.  He further says that, "When you are "interested" in doing something, you only do it when it's convenient, but when you are "committed", you follow through not matter what - no excuses!

Are you trying to be a disciple or are you committed to be a disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ!

♫ "How Deep The Fathers Love For Us" - Stuart Townend ♫

The love of our heavenly Father is great, unfathomable, overwhelming.  For God so loved us that today we should be called children of God and that is who we are! Enjoy this blessed song!

A Prayer Of Understanding

Jeremiah was the kinsman redeemer of Hanameel his uncle's son.  Hanameel came to him and told Jeremiah, " Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself." Jeremiah 32:8.  This is happening in the backdrop of a politically dangerous time, Israel is in imminent overthrow.  The Babylonian army has besieged Jerusalem.  Jeremiah is arrested in the court of the prison.  Jeremiah is at odds with King Zedekiah - He had prophesied that Israel and Judah would be taken captive and has even given him these instructions in writing - Jeremiah 29:3.

Do you buy land when there is political unrest? When there is uncertanity?  When you are in prison do  you even have rights? The time was not the best to purchase land; yet God for a purpose instructs Jeremiah to redeem this land, to purchase this land in Anathoth.  This is a sign of a God's big picture for Israel - They would return many years from this time! The time of their captivity would be a long one - Jeremiah 29:28


Jeremiah resorts to a prayer for understanding. It is a great prayer. I love this verses, listen:

"Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name, Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings" Jeremiah 32:17-19

Nothing is too hard for our Lord GOD! He is the creator, He has great power.  In God's dealing with man He shows unfathomable loving-kindness to man.  God has great counsel and is mighty! His ways are way above ours -  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. - Isaiah 55:8,9

As much as it looked out of place to purchase land, God was showing Israel that the thoughts He had for Israel was for peace and not of evil, to give them a future and hope. Jeremiah 29:11 As God had a big picture for Israel even so today He has one for you and I and we need to seek His understanding when we have a dilemma in decision-making.

Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices

Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices: "
And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” (Revelation 12:10-11).

Satan is an accuser and a deceiver. In both cases his weapons are words, which is why we must overcome him with the word of our testimony.

In other words, it is through our belief in the gospel and our confidence in the power of Jesus Christ that we can stand secure in the face of Satan’s lies and accusations. And it is by the truth of the word of God–believed on and hoped in even unto death–that we can expose and destroy the deceptions of the Deceiver. This is how we do battle, with the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.

So when Satan whispers, “Can God really forgive you? Can your sins be washed away?” you can answer confidently: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” (Rom. 8:1-2).

When the Devil says your situation is hopeless, when he calls you an addict and says you can’t change, you can reply: “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” (Rom. 8:8-9).

And when Satan suggests that it must not matter then how we live, that grace and freedom are an excuse for license, we must answer: “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Rom. 8:13).

And when our Enemy points to our suffering and says, “Look, God cannot be trusted. Surely, there is no use in serving this Master” we will inform him that we “consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18).

And if Satan should tempt us to believe that God is singling us out for pain, we will remind him that “the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now” (Rom. 8:22).

If he spreads the lie that our trials will be the end of us, that God can no longer help us, we will declare, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good” (Rom. 8:28).

And when he shows us our weakness, when he points to the failures of the church, when he accuses us of having let God down and makes us doubt the power of the gospel and the ultimate triumph of the saints, when he comes at us with words and all the weapons of the world, we will stand our ground with a defiant shout: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:37-39).

Satan is hell bent on destroying the church. He breathes fiery accusations like a dragon and hisses deception like a serpent. He is in pursuit of the woman and her children. But the salvation and the power and the kingdom belong to God and to Christ our King. And we shall overcome the devil, by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony.


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Two great men

Pst Carl Boonstra and Pst Jerry Daniels.