The Wonder of Passing Along Faith

Last week we talked about the wonder of children and how Jesus welcomed them and taught his disciples that they should have faith like children. During this last month we’ve also been talking a lot on the website about the importance of investing in others, especially in the next generations. Building on those two ideas, today I want to explore the wonder that comes when we pass down our faith.

For many, the thought of sharing or passing down your faith may not bring to mind the word wonder. Instead, you might find that words like terrifying, scary, or awkward come to mind. If sharing your faith with others, whether they be the next generation or anyone else, is not something that you’ve ever done, then the fear of the unknown or the fear of failure or rejection can be very strong. Sometimes that fear can even become crippling and stop us from doing what we know Jesus has called us to do:

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” (Matthew 28:18-20)

Even if you have shared your faith with others before or have been actively passing down your faith to the next generation, there are still times that the fear can creep back in and the resistance to being faithful to obey feels strong. With all of that, how can we say that passing down faith is a wonder?

While getting past that kind of fear can feel tough, for those who do and are faithful to share and pass their faith along to others, wonder and joy are so often found on the other side. Yes, rejection is possible. Even in the rejection though there is a joy that comes from being faithful and being reminded of good news of Jesus yourself. So many times though, rejection is not what you experience in these situations. Whether it’s teaching children, students, or even adults about Jesus and seeing something spark and take hold in their lives, or actually leading someone to a relationship with Christ, there is no feeling quite like it. Moments like that are definitely full of wonder, amazement, and joy.

In my ministry, I have had the opportunity to do this countless times. I have also had the privilege of working with many different leaders some of whom have had to overcome their own fears about sharing their faith. One such leader had been helping to teach children in a church for several years, but had never actually shared the gospel with a child or anyone else. Fear made her always leave that to other leaders. She reached the point that she knew she needed to be faithful, and felt strongly that God was calling her to step up and share with a child at camp that year. With much encouragement, she did just that. The child chose to follow Jesus and those of us around were celebrated, but beyond the child’s eternal decision there was always almost equal excitement for the one who had shared. This woman who had been so frightened of sharing her faith came out of the situation with so much joy and wonder that you could see it all over her face. She kept saying how awesome it was and the passion to pass along her faith was ignited in a new way. Her wonder and excitement became contagious.

If you have never experienced this particular kind of wonder, then I challenge you today. Pray. Remember that Jesus’s command to go and make disciples was prefaced by him saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and earth” and followed by “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” We all can remember His words to help us overcome our fear because what waits for us on the other side when we choose to pass along our faith is wonder and joy.