Cross-generational discipleship or “Pass it on!”, Overcoming the “last dinosaur” syndrome!

2 Kings 2: 1-13

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what I can do for you before I am taken from you?"

"Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied.

"You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah said, "yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise not."

John 14: 10

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to my father” .

If I was in Elijah’s place perhaps my response to Elisha’s bold request would have been something like this:

This impudent fellow could have tactfully asked to be just like me. But instead he asks to be twice as good as me! He is practically telling me that I have not been good enough. And this man is my protégé! Do you mean to say that all this time he was with me he was taking note of my shortcomings? You mean to say that my accomplishments and triumphs did not dazzle and impress him enough to prevent him from noticing my failures? Should I have been more guarded, more remote, more inscrutable and “spiritual?” Why did I open my heart to this fellow? I was transparent to him and he has been able to discern that I was not up to all the challenges.

But wait a minute! Surely, he knows that there will never be another Elijah! I am the Model T Ford! Future cars may be more advanced but there will never be another Model T! Aircraft may be more advanced but there can never be another “Wright brothers” experience! Ah! The young man is not trying to upstage me. He has always been respectful to me, like a son to a father. He just made an honest assessment and came to the brutally frank conclusion that me, his master, I am limited! It is true! I am a man of human passions! His request is not a put down. He just wants to be able to overcome or avoid the things which caused trouble for me. If my abilities were unable to overcome certain challenges, then it is logical that he should want double my abilities!

If he gets twice as much, then he will accomplish twice as much. And what if he does? Everyone knows that he is my protégé. He will be a progression of the work of God started by me! His mission coincides with my mission.

Smart young man, this Elisha, I am proud of him. He shows such excellent perception and assessment of things, and of me! And guess what? I have the privilege of equipping him for his mission! It is I, Elijah, who he must follow to the end. He must observe my rapture, as the “sweet chariot swings low, coming for to carry me home”!

Perhaps Elijah was not aware of it then but long after he was gone another “Elisha” was to come in the Spirit and power of Elijah, i.e. John the Baptist, the herald and forerunner of our Lord, the Messiah and King of Israel! John was to be Elijah (not Elisha), to those who would receive him! Then in the even more remote future, as the end of this evil age draws near, there will be another Elijah, to bear witness just before the coming in of the World Kingdom of our God and his Christ!

In my assembly I am surrounded by a group of sharp, perceptive young people (in addition to the three little ones in my house). Some of these young men and women probably exceed me in natural intelligence: many of them have more formal education than me. They are certainly observing me closely as I observed my seniors in my youth. To some extent they know my flaws and I hope that to some extent they appreciate my abilities. Why should I not encourage them to be twice as able as I am, or even more? Why shouldn’t I help them avoid the traps I fell into? Why, like David to Solomon, should I not point out the “Joabs” in my life that I was too weak to address personally? May the Lord enable us to pass the mantle with grace!

My subjective recollection of assembly relations with the older brethren over the years was that there seemed to be a readiness and ability to apply the rod but not the concurrent readiness and ability to nurture and give positive feedback. There was formal nourishment in ministry but less personal engagement.

There seemed to be a great focus on “disciplining” but not on “disciple-ing”.

In general,! don’t remember having a close relationship with my elders. Perhaps I was also at fault, but these are the memories I have.

In Guyana I have heard of fathers who, accustomed to dispensing corporeal punishment to their sons, tried to do it when the sons were older teenagers. The result is that the sons had to tell them “Daddy, you can’t hit me anymore, I will not allow it!” Some fathers persisted in the attempt and fights ensued, or the son leaves the home permanently. Similar things have happened in assemblies.

Over the years I see the age gaps in many assemblies. Often there are older brethren and some young people but little in between. In the NYC metro area, where I spent 30 years, I have seen many young adults leave the meetings. Was their leaving entirely their fault? Did the elders realize that they had to be respectful in their approach to older young people and young adults and not treat them like they were kids?

I spent my young adulthood learning how to be respectful to the older saints and now, in my middle age, I find myself having to learn how to be respectful to the younger saints.

Prophetic schools should graduate prophets!

Sons of the prophets should grow up to become prophets. It is an aberration to have generations of student prophets with no graduates. No father is happy if his children remain immature and/or retarded. Spiritual men should discern, groom and guide those who will follow them. From my perspective this is an area in which we brethren have not done well, particular those who have been involved in the Lord’s work overseas as missionaries or visiting teachers.

It is amazing that a country like Guyana, where the Brethren testimony has existed since the days of Mr. Darby’s visits, is still considered to be “the mission field”. Compare the caliber of the work done there with respect to establishment of the saints and assemblies to the work done by the apostles in their time! Within a few short years Paul could write about those in the assemblies in Rome who exercise gifts such as ruling and teaching! How many generations is it taking for there to be such development in the assemblies in these “mission” countries? What is the problem? Is it that Paul thought better of Cretans and Macedonians and Syrians than today’s Westerners think of third world people? Is it that deep down inside the Westerner heart there is no expectation or desire that the saints in certain countries progress pass the level of being “sons of the prophets”? Do the missionaries desire that any their converts and protégés have a double portion of their knowledge, abilities or Spiritual energy? If so, then what has been done to pass the mantle? Or is it that the mantle is passed only to another young foreigner who gets the “call”, since the “natives” never seem to get it!

Of course, if generations of mere student prophets are produced in these countries then Westerners can continue to be masters in these schools of the prophets! Imagine having a readymade group of students which the current masters did not even labor to gather! The acquisition of knowledge of the principles (especially regarding the mechanics of conducting the various meetings) is encouraged, but is the recognition and development of the all the gifts, including ruling and evangelism, also encouraged?

It is a gross failure of laborers if there is labor for decades in an area and the saints and assemblies are still immature and dependent!

Of course, it is possible that some Western laborers think that these people are not cut out to be anything but students. Well, feelings of superiority are really nothing but pride and arrogance, even when the person is outwardly refined in manners and gentle in voice! Such thoughts contradict the clear scriptural teaching that the gifts are given in all the members of the body, whatever their complexion, accent, continent of origin or financial condition.

All of this suggests that dependency has been taught, whether intentionally or unconsciously, whether actively or passively. I am not implying that there was nothing good done: I am not making a blanket judgment of all aspects of the work which has been done. Usually the doctrinal truths are taught (especially the positional truths) and much assembly principles are taught. But apparently the expectation that any or all the gifts could become manifest among the saints in any location is not encouraged, especially about the gift of leadership! The lack of development in this area is either evidence of a deficiency in the teachers or some genetic or spiritual defect in the students. Being that I was such a “son of the prophet” and I have also observed well the teachers, I know for sure that there is no genetic or spiritual defect that prevents certain manifestation of the Holy Spirit among third world Christians. So the problem must be that the teaching about these things was not complete.

As we await the Lord’s coming, may we not be the “last dinosaurs”. May we instead “pass it on” and “pass it down” to faithful men (and women).

Makiliwè Colin Younge

July 12, 2010