One generation should learn from the next. Scripture reinforces this expectation. It’s a framework that sets learning within a trusted context of relationship.

This thought seems obvious, but more and more, our approach to it seems to be shifting. As technology continues to advance, education seems to be eroding into little more than a high-speed data transfer. In this expression, knowledge moves increasingly fast, but unfortunately, maturity continues to develop slowly.

As such, the manner in which we cultivate faith within the next generation demands a much more measured approach. We must be intentional about answering the questions of an emerging generation, carefully guiding them with wisdom and understanding.

But in a world where access to information is as vast as the ocean, we must begin to see their questions as an invitation into something much more important…

LINKS

⏵ All Things New - cumberlandchurch.org/atn

⏵ Connect -  https://go.cumberlandchurch.org/Connect

⏵ Bulletin - cumberlandchurch.org/bulletin

⏵ Give - cumberlandchurch.org/give

⏵ App - cumberlandchurch.org/app

⏵ Counseling - cumberlandcenters.org/

⏵ Kids Church Online - cumberlandchurch.org/nextgen

⏵ Made a decision for Jesus? - https://go.cumberlandchurch.org/Decision

⏵ RightNow Media - app.rightnowmedia.org/join/cumberlandcc

David wraps up his powerful Psalm 23 testimony with the assurance that his faith journey leads to a worthy destination.

For us, this is a reminder that the PROMISED LAND of Israel becomes the PROMISED LIFE for the Church, and we will forever enjoy relational security with the One who calls us His own. 🙌

Without faith, you’re not actually on a "faith journey."

Unsurprisingly, our Good Shepherd demands that we ACTUALLY TRUST HIM. Not in some shallow, cursory manner of empty religion, but in a way that demonstrates real dependence on Him.

In practice, this gets worked out in ways that we would never choose for ourselves.

We learn to trust God in the moments where everything else seems to fail us. Our need for God compels us to follow Him into places of extreme uncertainty, discovering the eternal security that only He can provide.

There’s a difference between *eliminating* needs and *satisfying* them.

So often, our desire is to simply opt out of adversity. We long for a particular way of life that is absent of challenges - requiring very little of our faith, and even less of our character.

Without even recognizing it, our expectations exchange the long pursuit of God’s glory with shortcuts for our own comfort and convenience.

We long for lies that can never fully deliver on any of their promises.

But what we have been given, instead, is simply a shepherd.

The function of the shepherd says much about the nature of the sheep. David’s testimony in Psalm 23 reveals this truth, and it provides an affirming lens through which we are to continuously measure ourselves.

There’s always something trying to divide us. Something pushing us to distinguish our lives as unique from others.

So we pursue individualism.

And over time, we learn to frown upon anything that hinders that specific expression. But as much as we try to present ourselves as unique exceptions, there’s one commonality that we cannot escape:

We all need God.

This truth is constantly being revealed to us — not just in the grand opportunity of our ambitious goals, but also in the practical worries of our fragile lives.

Some mountains are too high to climb.

Some burdens are too heavy to carry.

And some battles are simply too hard for us to fight.

We need help.

We need more than what we can provide for ourselves, and that which goes beyond what we can expect from each other. And though the challenges we face may be diverse, we can find unity in remembering that all of our help comes from the Lord.

For many, the bitterness of life has reduced “hope” to nothing more than a dangerous gamble. We’ve been conditioned to brace ourselves with a measured sense of skepticism, guarding our expectations against the devastating possibility of disappointment.

This attitude towards uncertainty reveals a privately held belief that doubt is a much safer option than hope. So we find ourselves placing limitations on our own faith.

But God is faithful. And trusting in Him gives us a reason each day to “get our hopes up!”

Unity in LOVE is meant to be a distinguishing mark of Christianity. And it's not because unity doesn't EXIST elsewhere, but because it won't LAST anywhere else.

Today, we’ll wrap up our Witness Fitness series by exploring the root cause of our bias. We’ll arm ourselves with a response to help counter the seeds of division, and prepare us for the type of communal life that God intends for His Church.

What’s hindering our gospel unity? Early on, even the apostles struggled in following a God who moves and leads towards love because of their BIAS against the Gentiles.

Through Paul, the Lord directly challenged their stagnancy, compelling them to rethink their understanding of His sovereign plan.

Likewise, we must come to grips with our own biases, and be ready to follow the Lord into even greater expressions of His love.

God is unchanging. But that doesn’t mean He’s not moving...

God actively led Israel out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and into the Promised Land. And for the Israelites, the test of faithfulness was found in their response to His dynamic presence.

In the same way, the Church must remember that God continues to move, even today. We hold a faith that is actually in motion - one that is in constant pursuit of the ultimate intentions of God’s heart. This is why Jesus invited people to follow: It was a contrast to the stagnant religious expression of the Pharisees.

This distinction sits at the core of Christian witness - a collective testimony of a people held together in a movement towards good. In this new gospel reality, belonging requires believing, and believing leads to becoming. 

Learning… Changing… Growing… Maturing… Moving…

This is the fingerprint of our faith, and it’s the manner in which we measure our willingness, our readiness, and our “fitness” in following a God who is on the move…

God is calling you to make a difference wherever He places you. In your home… in your job… in your neighborhood… The call to influence the faith of others is not simply a responsibility. It’s a ministry.