“In 10 or 20 years, will your children be Christians? Will they fear God? Will they attend church?” Pastor Cao Baoluo, who works for an urban church, challenges Christian parents at a gathering. “Don’t be the last generation of Christians,” he appealed, urging parents to live out their faith and be role models for their children.
The best example of spiritual heritage is the Jews. After Israel’s reestablishment in 1948, people were surprised to find that Jews had preserved their language, culture, and faith well. Although were scattered around the world, they had not lost their Jewish identity.
According to David Parsons, the Vice President of the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem (ICEJ), of the 7.2 million Jews currently living in Israel, half are still devout Jewish believers who strictly adhere to the traditions in the Old Testament. The other half, even though considered “secular” Jews, “still will gather for the Passover meal and fast on Yom Kippur.”
These observations also lead to Pastor Cao’s reflections — how was faith inherited among Jews?
Establishing a Family Culture of Celebrating Important Festivals
Firstly, Pastor Cao believes that during the period when Jews were scattered around the world, all rituals and Jewish festivals were preserved through families.
Pastor Cao shared his experience of traveling to Israel, where they were specially arranged to participate in the Sabbath worship and a Jewish family worship on Saturday nights. The family he visited had six children. On the occasion there were more than a dozen people in the large family gathered around a table full of food. In a Chinese family, if there is already a table full of delicious food, it might be possible to keep children from eating for five or ten minutes. However, these Jewish children participated in the entire family worship ceremony at the dining table for over 30 minutes without first eating, because Sabbath worship has a complete set of rituals and customs, with candles and lampstands on the table. After it ended, the family would start to eat dinner together.
“This is a ritual that Jews have been doing for generations. It’s not just a showcase for tourists,” he said.
However, after 1517, the Protestant Reformation got rid of some good traditions. For instance, now the only widely celebrated Christian festivals are perhaps Christmas and Easter.
If the church doesn’t organize Christmas, for many people, Christmas might just be forgotten without much thought, and few would consider celebrating it at home with their families. The same is true for Easter. Mother’s Day is another example; few believers would hold a solemn ceremony at home to celebrate this festival or use Mother’s Day as a theme for family worship.
Through the lives of Jews, Christians can be reminded to celebrate festivals at home. “We celebrate festivals for a purpose, all related to inheritance so that our faith can be passed down from generation to generation in our families.”
Establishing Family Worship and a Family Altar
“From the first family in Genesis to Revelation, we can see that the family has always been carrying the mission of God’s redemption plan. The family plays an irreplaceable role in passing on faith.”
Psalm 71 records, “From my youth, God, you have instructed me,” and until the author of Psalm is “old and gray.” The role shifts, and the psalmist continues to teach his children and grandchildren. Here we can see that the inheritance of faith goes through families from one generation to the next.
Pastor Cao challenges everyone to check their churches: how many families have a weekly family altar? Do parents spend time with their children in family worship?
“We encourage families to hold worship, with a family altar at least once a week,” he added.
Parental Role Models: Teaching Children Through Opportunities in Different Situations
Parents play a key role in passing down their faith to the next generation. For instance, whether parents love each other and their reactions in the face of different situations before God are all directly observed by their children, and these “role models” influence and teach the next generation.
Some people when facing difficulties and low points in life do not complain but turn to God in prayer, seeking His help; when encountering injustice, they also obey the words of the Bible, not taking revenge themselves but praying instead. These reactions are examples of faith and reliance on God that children in Christian families can see.
Pastor Cao gave an example of a brother who lost his job when he was in his 40s, which was the hardest time for him because he had elderly parents and young children to support. However, as a Christian, even facing unemployment, he let his children see his example of optimism and positive living.
Many parents only spend two hours a week on their faith during church services and don’t think about how to influence their children in their daily lives. Pastor Cao believes that the premise of influencing one’s children in both big and small matters is a change in the parents’ values. Parents need to be renewed by the word of God. After believing in Jesus, an important work of God in us is to adjust our originally disordered priorities, most intuitively reflected in changes in our values and money views.
One of the clearest signs of a Christian’s changed perspective on money is their willingness to give offerings. Taking a step forward in giving can be a big breakthrough and bring real freedom to their lives.
Pastor Cao shared how Jewish families teach their kids to manage money using five piggy banks: one for tithing, one for charity, another for savings, one for investments, and one for pocket money. This training starts when the kids are very young. Many Christian parents don’t teach their kids about managing money or giving. Pastor Cao encouraged parents to start teaching their kids the value of giving and offerings, starting with something simple like tithing.
Outlaying and Creating a Family Environment with a Faith Culture
In terms of family environment outlay, Pastor Cao encourages Christians to reflect faith elements in their decoration. When people enter your home, they should naturally feel, “This is a family that believes in Jesus.”
The outlaying of Jewish homes gives a clear sense of culture. For example, the mezuzah, usually placed in the top left corner of the door, is touched by everyone in the family when they leave and return home. Because Deuteronomy 6:9 says “Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” So the cloth strips inside the mezuzah of Jewish homes have biblical scriptures written on them. In their decoration, they create a faith-filled environment where God is present, and children growing up in such a family environment will find carrying on their faith more natural and straightforward.
Pastor Cao believes that Christian homes also need design and arrangement in their layout. Everyone can think about what is placed in the most prominent place in their home and what design is on the tableware used for eating at home.
“If we are fully aware that this world is competing with us for the next generation, then as parents, every family, and every church, should we raise our holy hands, establish a family altar through prayer, constantly pursue and grow in Christ, as well as pass down the faith across generations?" he asked.
“Ensure that you and your family are within God’s redeeming grace and plan, preserving yourself and your family generations within God’s redeeming plan. Do not be the last generation of Christians!”
- Edited by Karen Luo, translated by Charlie Li
