With Great Heritage Comes Awesome Responsibility
Pastor Fred Gonzalez, Jr. and family
By Pastor Fred Gonzalez, Jr.
I remember a crazed drunk backslider coming into our church when I was a young boy, speaking obscenities and threatening to kill my father, who was the pastor. The man was waiting outside the church after service, and attempted to assault my dad, but thankfully he was quick to avoid the onslaught, and the authorities took the drunken man away. The next day, my father went to see that man in jail, in an attempt to lead him to Christ. Not only did my dad demonstrate grace to the drunken man, but he also showed his son a valuable Christian practice.
We all have our own thoughts about people. We can label them and write them off. I had my own thoughts about this man, but through my father’s example I learned that ultimately what matters is what God thinks of an individual, and it was God who gave this man yet another opportunity to get his heart right.
Although none of us deserves grace, we all need it. The indispensability of God’s grace in our lives is an absolute. All that we are in God has always been and will always be because of God’s grace. Ephesians 2:8 says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” None of us deserves all that God has done for us. Beginning with our salvation, and extending to the many blessings He has showered on us – it has all been because of His grace. All the blessings that we have today, both individually and corporately, are due to many years of faithful labor and constant focus on the work of God.
With this great heritage comes an awesome responsibility. As godly parents, we are called to impart unto our children some key absolutes that will be necessary to complete the task that has been entrusted to them. In Psalm 145:4 we read: “One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.” This scripture shows us that it is especially important that we let our children know what God has done in our lives. We must let them know what we used to be like before salvation, how Jesus found us, and that without His wonderful salvation that was purchased by His blood, we are truly lost! Our children need to know what God brought us out of, and why they should be thankful.
But it is not only that God’s grace is in our lives; it’s also God’s grace working through our lives. Being raised in the church, we can become critical of others, focusing on all the imperfections we may perceive in God’s people. That is why we must teach our children to show grace to others. This is best taught by example, as my dad taught it to me.
Another absolute in the Christian life is that it will always be about souls. One of the young pastors who grew up in our fellowship was sharing with me how God had set him on track to strive for the ministry. He was faithfully attending his church when his pastor announced the weekly outreach. After the service, his young son asked him what an outreach was. He was smitten in his heart, as he realized he had never taken his son on outreach. In fact, it had been years since he himself had been a part of any evangelistic effort.
It goes without saying that we can easily lose focus. In fact, if we look at church history, we can learn something: revivals die when the saints lose focus and fail to pass on the passion for souls to the next generation. If the focus is not outward, then it turns inward. In God’s Word we read several times that Jesus is moved with compassion as He sees the condition of man. In having the heart of God, we must see the need of man and be moved with that same compassion.
It’s amazing to see that children tend to take on the affections of their parents. I thank God for godly parents who made sure we went with them to church, outreach, and fellowship. We saw them caring for and loving people. This was not seen as a duty, but as a passion. I’ve seen my own children get excited when a new person comes into the church, or when someone we have been praying for gives their life to Christ. When we demonstrate a heart for souls, we demonstrate the heart of God. If we are to live for Jesus, it will always be about souls. The work of God is always going to be by His Spirit. Zechariah 4:6 tells us: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, Says the Lord of hosts.”
As parent we really have but a short time. We can provide as much spiritual guidance as we possibly can, while we can. Our children will soon be making their own decisions, and they will need the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The world, the spirit of this age, the enemy – they are all offering guidance. Our children must be tuned in to the Spirit of God.
In middle school I was confronted with Eastern religion. They asked us all to sit around in a circle, cross our legs, and meditate. Something in me – the Spirit of God – told me there was something very wrong with participating, so I refused. My parents had to meet with the teacher, and in fact, she was mixed up in all sorts of pagan religion. The Spirit doesn’t just show us the counterfeits; He gives us the power and strength to stand up against them. When it comes to life decisions such as, college, work, and marriage (whom to marry), our children are going to need to hear from God. God’s will is still the most important thing. The world will say trust your own judgment, go with what you feel is right. But the children of God, they are not of this world! Romans 8:14 says: “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” Our children must know that it is the Spirit of God that directs our lives. That without His guidance and our obedience we will forfeit our inheritance. This is vital to the task that is at hand. It is essential to finding God’s will for their lives.
As my children get older, I find myself challenging them to embrace their godly heritage. It is my prayer that they would see and understand what we are a part of. This great heritage has been passed down to us from our parents and spiritual leaders. The inheritance that we have obtained is rich, and has come to us as a result of much sacrifice. I get excited when I think of all that God has planned for us and our posterity. We are positioned by grace to see God do His greatest work in these last days. Let us embrace our heritage and prepare for the promise of a great outpouring of God’s Spirit. What is coming will dwarf anything we have seen or anything that has ever been seen.