Wednesday, June 7, 2021
O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. Psalm 71: 17-18
Carrying On A Legacy of Faith
This past Sunday we celebrated a great legacy of faith left by our long-time pastor, Van Houser. He has been the pastor at North Side for 24 years and has retired, leaving a legacy that will live on for decades to come. His retirement is not the end of his legacy. It only ends here if we let it and what a tragedy that would be. It is up to us to continue, not the programs and traditions, but the dedication and the commitment that he inspired in us as the body of Christ doing the work of Christ.
A legacy of faith is not about programs or traditions. A legacy of faith is about how one person’s dedication and commitment to the work of God inspires others to be dedicated and committed to carry on the work that God started through them. God used Brother Van and his time at North Side to fulfill His purpose at that time at to prepare the church for what is yet to come. His leadership, guidance, and inspiration is the model that will propel us forward in this transition. It is not something to be left behind and it is not something to forget. We need to let his example be an encouragement to us to stay committed and keep working. It is not the time to bail, and it is not the time to sit on the sidelines to just wait and see what happens. It is a time for us to keep moving forward, doing the Lord’s work. If his legacy means anything, we will work to continue in the fulfillment of what God has for North Side.
In the passage above, David recounts what God has done in the past: “You have taught me.” He then describes the present: “I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.” And he looks out into the future: “Even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me.” His overriding concern is that he wants to live long enough to “until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.”
One of Brother Van’s desires for North Side was more evangelism. We have many good works that God has done to proclaim. We remember the faithfulness of God and how faithful He has been to us. We need to carry on the legacy by proclaiming His good works.
David is declaring God’s deeds and his desire is to proclaim God’s power to the next generation. If you’ve witnessed the wonder and works of God, then proclaim God’s power to those who don’t know and do it with a sense of life-and-death urgency.
Dr. Warren Wiersbe says, “Our faith is the foundation that we build everything else on." The members of North Side have a strong foundation that has already been built on, but it is not complete. There is more building to be done, more wisdom to be conveyed, and more soul to be saved. Now is the time for us to move forward into what God has for us next.
