Family Tree

Mark Dunagan
03/01/15 - Sunday Morning

Family Tree

In my lifetime I have seen a resurgence of interest in researching one’s family tree and learning more about one’s ancestors. The Bible speaks both of the godly person being like a strong tree with deep roots that even bears fruit during times of drought (Jeremiah 17:7-8), and also what we would today call a “family tree”. For instance, Jesus is spoken of as a branch that comes from the stem/roots of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1). 

Our Spiritual Roots

From time to time, Christians are admonished to consider the godly examples found in the previous generation: “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:7). Likewise, Solomon is often found exhorting his son in the book of Proverbs to follow his parental instruction (Proverbs 2:1; 3:1). If your parents or grandparents are Christians, especially first generation Christians, you need to take the time to hear their moving story of being spiritually rescued.

• What hard choices were they confronted with in coming to Christ?
• How did they explain their decision to follow Christ to their parents?
• How did they go about breaking from popular, yet false denominational teaching and human religious tradition? Matthew 15:9
• How did they resist the pull of the crowd? 1 Peter 4:3-5
• How did they break from a worldly, materialistic or very carnal family upbringing? 1 Peter 1:18
• Perhaps they were raised in poverty – or wealth and power – if so, how did they avoid getting caught up in the sinful culture or worldview of either?
• What really convinced them sacrifice what they did in order to follow Christ?

Your Present Opportunity

Solomon sought to impress upon his son the priceless information that was being handed to him. That he was being given a course of life, a path that would lead to:

• Wisdom: Proverbs 2:10
• Good choices: 2:11
• Length of days: 3:2
• Peace: 3:2
• A good reputation: 3:4

If one has Christian parents, then one needs to appreciate dearly that he or she is being given rare and precious wisdom about the original church spoken of in Scripture, Christ's own plan of salvation, the honest truth about baptism and no one is telling them that they are saved – if they are not. If one has a mother and father who love and follow God, they can honestly say, "I am being given the truth about eternity – both heaven and hell", "I am being taught how God actually wants to be worshipped, "I am being taught a method of Bible study that is actually found in the Bible – the same method that Jesus and the apostles used and taught"; "The people around me are putting my spiritual and eternal welfare ahead of their own advancement and popularity in the religious world", "I am not being taught just a portion of the Bible, but instead I am being taught the whole counsel of God":  Acts 20:27

Every Family Has a Tree

Not only does every family have a physical line of descent, but while there is no guarantee that the next generation will just naturally be faithful, there exists a spiritual heritage as well. The Bible often records various breaks in the faithfulness of families or a certain branch of a family.

• Cain leaves the faith of his family and never returns – nor do his descendants.
• Eli’s sons are not like their faith-filled father:  1 Samuel 2:22
• Samuel’s sons were not true to God:  1 Samuel 8:3
• Neither the children nor the grandchildren of Joshua’s generation serve the Lord as their fathers had:  Judges 2:9-10

Thus, in light of these Bible examples and witnessing firsthand the children of faithful Christians fall away within our own lifetime, the question naturally arises, “What is my branch of the family going to look like in the future?” Will my branch be a faithful and spiritual branch? Or will it become an unbelieving branch needing to be pruned? Will it be filled with active Christians, elders, deacons, preachers, song leaders, and Bible class teachers, good parents, strong marriages, wise choices, courageous examples and people who sacrificed and served? Or will it be filled with unbelievers, the self-absorbed, those with lots of drama in their relationships, very foolish choices, cowardice, moral and personal failure, addictions, selfishness, abuse, sinful perversions and lost souls? 

The Power of My Choices

Centuries ago, Moses addressed this issue when he said, “Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. For they will turn your sons away from following Me” (Deuteronomy 7:3-4). In other words, the choice of whom we marry can either strengthen our branch of the family and ensure that the faith continues to the next generation, or such a choice can severely weaken or even end the faith in our line. The following choices are huge when it comes to what my branch of the family will look like in the years to come:

• My close friendships:  1 Corinthians 15:33
• The worldview that I use in parenting:  Ephesians 6:1-4
• My ongoing commitment to the spiritually healthy habits of Bible reading, prayer, and involvement in a local congregation.
• How much effort I put forth in my own spiritual growth.
• My unbiased honesty with the text of Scripture.
• How I handle adversity. Whether I go through life with the attitude of a victim or a victor in Jesus:  James 1:2-4
• Whether I resent learning experiences or embrace them?
• How I prepare for questions from unbelievers:  1 Peter 3:15
• How wisely I use my time: Ephesians 5:16

The Reconnect

Even when the faith seems to die out in a family, or specific family branch, there are many examples in the Bible where a new generation of believers arose and picked up the fallen standard:

• Seth and his line pick up the faith of Abel and the faith abandoned by Cain and his family:  Genesis 4:26
• Joseph becomes a believer, much like his great grandfather Abraham had.
• Jonathan was far more a faithful believer than was his father Saul.
• David had many unfaithful children, yet Solomon picks up the faith again.
• Kings Hezekiah and Josiah stand out as bright lights among a number of unfaithful kings.

In my life time I have seen the faithful die out in entire families, or a specific branch. Yet I have also seen a generation down the road pick up the faith that was practiced by their grandparents or great grandparents.

The Challenge

If you have Christian parents from whom the faith is being passed down:

• Resist the temptation to think that whatever is “old” is dated and therefore untrue or backward. New fads, whether in religion or the world, quickly become dated. 
• Make certain to not allow the privilege of learning the truth, being continually around the truth, and constantly hearing the truth, cause the type of familiarity that would breed contempt for, or a devaluing of, the truth.

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net