Intentionally Intergenerational

Our goal is to provide a practical resource for you, your small group, your Sunday School class, or your family, that can be easily implemented and applied.

For this edition we’ve created a four-week topical Bible study centered on the theme of intergenerational ministry. Each week, read the assigned Scripture along with the devotional, and answer the reflection questions.

Companion videos, along with a PDF version of this study, are also available for you online at: www.FFBOOKS.org/4weekstudy

Timothy had an unconventional upbringing. The son of a Greek father, he was raised in the Christian faith by his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois. Though we don’t know the exact timeline, it is likely that this Lystran family came to faith as a result of Paul’s preaching in their hometown during his first missionary journey (see Acts 13:8-19). From the cradle, Timothy was taught the fundamental truths of the Scriptures by his mother and grandmother.

Lystra was a Roman province located along a major trade route in modern-day Turkey. In a market town like this, Timothy was exposed to a vast array of sights, sounds, smells, languages, and religious ideas, along with pressure to conform to the Greek culture around him.

With a mixed lineage, he was neither fully Jewish (he was uncircumcised) nor fully Greek (he had a Jewish mother), so it is reasonable to assume that he felt out of place. We also know that he was timid and prone to bad health. Factor all this together, and you have someone in desperate need of discipling.

Enter the Apostle Paul. Paul became a spiritual father figure for Timothy, mentoring him in the faith and taking him along on his missionary journeys. Paul was a continual source of encouragement for his young protégé, providing sound instruction and guidance as he sought to establish the early churches throughout the Mediterranean world.
 
Eventually, Paul passed the torch to Timothy, and he became a faithful pastor in his own right. The mentorship of Paul, Lois, and Eunice was indispensable in Timothy’s spiritual upbringing, with God using these relationships in powerful ways to spread the gospel and grow his Church.

Reflection Questions

1. Which part of Timothy’s life experience do you identify with the most? Why?
2. Who in your life has functioned as Eunice, Lois, or Paul did for Timothy? How has that relationship affected your life?
3. Pray for God to show you who you might disciple or who might disciple you.

Picture an elderly priest at work in the house of God. He’s in his 90s, his sight is failing, and he stumbles through his duties slowly. He’s been doing the work here at Shiloh for close to 40 years now, and it’s starting to weigh on him. He pauses frequently to catch his breath, reflecting with some bitterness on his family tree. None of his sons had followed him into the family trade, his own failures as a father had seen to that, but he’s not alone in his work. There in the Holy Place, across from the table containing the bread of the presence, stands a young boy―maybe ten or twelve―tending to the lampstand.

In contrast to Eli, Samuel moves with some pep in his step. He has been a priest-in-training since the age of three and Eli, old enough to be Samuel’s great-grandfather, has become his day-to-day mentor in the House of the Lord. The vigor of youth and the wisdom of old age were working in tandem, and it must have been a sight to behold. For some reason, God saw fit to throw this odd pair together; a failed priest who couldn’t even keep his own sons in line, and an awkward pre-teen with zero previous altar-boy experience. What could possibly go wrong?

God’s ways are surprising, if not outright amusing, at times. No one would describe these two candidates as “qualified” for the ministry, much less as rostered Ministers of the Gospel in the First Church of Yahweh. Nor do we have any reason to assume that they would automatically forge a compatible, mutually-beneficial partnership. Yet for some reason God, in his grace and wisdom, brought Eli and Samuel into one another’s lives. Despite appearances to the contrary, discipleship was happening at Shiloh.

We don’t always have a lot in common with the people God calls us to disciple or be discipled by. We may not share the same hobbies or have compatible personalities. We may not always get each other’s cultural references. By worldly standards, there may be much to prevent such a relationship from forming at all. But the miracle of the Church is that God brings us, his perfect spotless Bride, together. Whatever our differences, the blood of the Lamb makes us eternally more similar.

Reflection Questions

1. How might Eli have struggled in discipling Samuel? Why do you think God put them together?
2. What are some challenges to intergenerational mentorship? How can you pray about this?
3. Read Psalm 145:4-6. What can older generations offer younger ones concerning the faith? And what can younger generations offer older ones?

“Don’t urge me to leave you or turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16b). Ruth’s words to her mother-in-law Naomi reveal the depth of her love. Drawn together by the shared trials of famine, death, homelessness, and widowhood, these two women forged a friendship whose strength weathered the worst of life’s storms.

Shared experiences―even the bad ones―have a way of bonding us together. When we attend the same event, participate in the same activity, share a common meal, change a flat tire together, or ride out a blizzard in front of the same fireplace, we get to know one another at a depth we otherwise would not. We see one another’s quirks, weaknesses, and strengths more clearly. We learn more about each other’s pasts and regrets and hopes and fears. The more time you spend with someone, the more vulnerable you become, and the more the relationship grows in depth and transparency.

Being vulnerable is uncomfortable, yet it is only when we are vulnerable that we open ourselves up to the possibility of being truly known and loved. Throughout Jesus’ life, he portrays perfect vulnerability, opening himself up to ridicule for his actions, speaking truth when he knew it would be rejected, and ultimately humbling himself before God’s will at the Cross. In this weakness and vulnerability, Jesus bridged the gap between sinful humanity and God, making a way for us to have peace with our Heavenly Father. Through reconciliation with our Creator, we are set free to be vulnerable with others. Since we are fully known and loved, we have nothing to fear. Our identities are secure in Christ, opening us up to the real possibility of genuine friendship with others.

Reflection Questions

1. In what ways did Ruth and Naomi depend on each other? How might they have supported each other?
2. Think of a good friend. What traits make them a good friend? How does it feel knowing they are there for you?
3. Why is friendship such a challenge? What barriers prevent us from being vulnerable? How does Jesus’ example of vulnerability embolden you?

The word translated by the NIV as “indignant” in verse 13 means more than merely “bothered.” Throughout the New Testament, it has strong connotations of irritation and anger. In ancient sources, the word can literally mean “bubbling” or “fermenting.” This wasn’t just a casual eye roll. Jesus was bubbling with frustration at his disciples’ behavior. Why? Because they wouldn’t let the little children come to him. Don’t get between Jesus and his kids!

If Jesus had been a pastor, I’m guessing he would have given a children’s sermon every Sunday. He loved kids; the littler the better. Such an observation might not shock us as moderns living in a culture where kids are often made the center of attention. But in Jesus’ day, his attitude was nothing short of radical. Children in ancient times were supposed to be seen, not heard. They were regarded as ignorant and unimportant. The disciples knew this, and maybe their hearts were even “in the right place” (as we often say). Their rabbi had a busy ministry schedule to keep after all. He’d probably had a long day, and dropping everything to give high-fives to a pack of rugrats was only going to slow them down.

But Jesus always seemed to have time for those the world regarded as unimportant. Not only did he stop to bless them, but he held the little children up as examples: “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (v. 15). Jesus uses children to teach grown-ups about the kingdom of heaven. Specifically, he highlights their dependence. If you want to see the clearest picture of faith, Jesus says, look not to the wizened sage but to the unquestioning trust of a child.

Reflection Questions

1. What stands out to you most about this story? What grabs your attention?
2. How does the faith of a child differ from the faith of an adult?
3. Following Jesus’ example, how might your church better foster discipleship relationships between children and grown-ups?