2nd, 3rd ,4rth generation Christians and so on....

I don`t know what your story is, perhaps you were saved out of a rough past, perhaps you were saved out of abuse, but many in the area I group in are referred to as 2nd, 3rd, 4th generation Christians and so on.

What is this, well its when you have a Christian heritage. My heritage on my mothers side, which I am so respectful of is as follows.

My moms parents grew up Old Order Mennonites (OOM). Grandma always said it was different then because even the non Mennonites drove horse and carriage. The OOM didn't have all the rules then to maintain their lifestyle, they didn't need to. They were saved in their early twenty`s and a group of them coming out of the OOM church began a church in a small town. God used these people mightily and today that church has grown into several well established churches in the area.

So you can see, church is part of my heritage. I was raised in a good Christian home. So if my grandparents are 1st generation Christians, I am 3rd. It doesn't mean I inherited Christianity. It simply means my heritage was one of Christian faith. I still had to become one.

2nd and 3rd generation business`s often suffer because the labour  and sweat the business was built on by the 1st generation is not understood. It is taken for granted and sometimes mishandled into bankruptcy.

So it is growing up a 3rd generation Christian. The good values and principles are 2nd nature, but have rarely been tested. We take what we have for granted. We may not even understand why we do what we do sometimes. Just like in a business that was built up, there are certain ways to do things, but if one didn't have the benefit of being part of the process, it can be hard to understand the rational, the procedures or what seem like rules.

For example I grew up in a church that frowned on drinking. It was looked down on with little explanation. The 1st generation had experienced with drinking, they new its ugly potential. But when you get to the 3rd generation, it seemed like it was a man written rule. Its seems like do 1st and then love. Its seems like a works based faith instead of grace based.

We should love God and obedience will follow because we love him, not the other way around.

Ephesians 2:8-9

New International Version (NIV)

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

James 2:18

New International Version (NIV)

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.

My grand parents became believers after they did a lot of soul searching. Many of us grew up with good principles and plenty of Godly teaching. We haven't experienced rough in the sense that our grandparents did or some people in today's society do. Our faith hasn't been put to the test. We are living the good life, but what will we do if we are tested, thats the question. Will are faith crumble.

James 2:17

New International Version (NIV)

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Abandon - Live It Out

Sidewalk Prophets - "Live Like That"

"Leaving Eden" by Brandon Heath