04112026 Living Water

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the Living Water, who can quench the deepest thirst of every man.

“Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water” (John 4:10).

Our church had a baptismal service on Sunday, in which two women were baptized, both of whom were saved as adults. One came from a broken home and a history of feeling something was missing, and the other came out of Catholicism and the emptiness of religion vs. relationship. Based on their testimonies, I think both would acknowledge the truth of the above verse. Their souls were thirsty, and God gave them satisfaction.

Not for the first time, I was reminded of my own “boring” testimony. I grew up in a Christian home, and I believe a made a childhood profession, but if so, I did not clearly recall it. After years of doubts, I was saved (or became assured of my salvation) at the age of thirteen.

Many times I have heard stories similar to my own. I believe the vast majority of Christians I have known share similar testimonies; they grew up in Christian homes and in good churches, and salvation was a matter of time. They always knew the truth, and it was a question of when they would make it personal. They, like me, were not rescued from a life of spiritual squalor or deep angst. Certainly, some of them were more aware than others of the emptiness in their souls, and in reality, we did have empty souls, but the intensity of that emptiness was well-masked by the relatively protected and truth-filled environments in which we grew up.

As a result, I find some challenge in sensing the meaning of certain hymns. For example, “All my life long I had panted for a draught from some cool spring, that I hoped would quench the burning of the thirst I felt within. Hallelujah! I have found Him whom my soul so long has craved! Jesus satisfies my longings; through His life I now am saved.”

God interacts personally in drawing each person to Himself, and recent pondering has led me to appreciate how special even “boring” testimonies are. Here are some of my thoughts. The Halfway Covenant of the 1600s allowed unconverted children of church members to be baptized and become church members. This led to a church membership that appeared healthy but was actually weak. The church was diluted; compromise and worldliness crept in. Many of the great revivals, including the Great Awakening, were in response to these situations of seeking to truly win people who claimed to be Christians.

Anecdotally, I have heard that it can be tough for Christianity to last more than three generations. The first generation, rescued from the world, is fervent for Christ. The second generation is solid and firmly established. The third generation finds Christianity to be routine. They did not personally experience the great rescue, and they did not see it second-hand (as children in the home). There is nothing dynamic to make them choose what has always been chosen for them. So we all know people that have walked away from Christianity under scenarios similar to that.

Why do those people say they walked away? Often it is because of hypocrisy in the church or because of experiencing pain due to the failures of Christians around them, either their parents or church leaders. Here’s the reality – none of us are perfect. Someone who grows up surrounded by Christianity is going to have plenty of chances to see examples of hypocrisy and is going to experience the pain of failure by others. From that aspect, the young generation has a high level of risk for falling away. Growing up in the blessed environment that they do, they don’t often experience that great soul thirst, and it is easy for them to become disillusioned when “what they have always known” is less than perfect. They don’t have a compelling passion to seek God when they don’t sense their thirst, as someone lost in the mire of the world might.

My conclusion is that it is no simple matter for church-raised children to accept Christ. There is nothing routine or boring about it. It is a work of God’s drawing and of divine grace that enables these young ones to make a true profession and passionately claim Christ.

Having said all that, I’m not in any way diminishing the powerful testimony and impact of those who are saved more dramatically. Families’ stories of redemption have to start with someone. And it is amazing and encouraging to see how greatly God can transform a life. We need people to be saved from those scenarios. But we also need the children and grandchildren to be saved. There is such possibility for stability and strength in the church when we have generations that are taught right from the beginning, rather than having to constantly start over with instruction and discipleship. If the second and third generations are not coming to Christ, that is certainly reason for concern.

Maybe this seemed like a bunch of rambling. It’s not meant to be that. It is some personal reflection, but it is also a call to praise God for every single convert. Praise God for the ones who are saved when their life situations may have made them seem like unlikely candidates! And praise God for the ones who are saved when their familiarity and potential contempt for Christianity might have held them back from a personal decision! Thank God that He is able to work in every possible dynamic to draw men to Himself. May He continue His good work. There is hope for all, because God’s invitation is for all.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA