THE NEXT GENERATION

This is my "next generation."

This past Sunday, our pastor presented a sermon that has stuck with me this week AND that has caused me to search myself.

I had heard this statisic before, but I wanted to read about it.  I found an article about youth ministry, and, this is what I read:

Often in youth ministry, we are consumed with 

present responsibilities and miss a window of 

opportunity with our seniors. The pattern of 

students dropping out of church typically starts 

when they earn their driver’s licenses, but becomes 

most visible with seniors. Many youth workers, 

although frustrated by the disappearing act, tolerate 

it and end up with a “soft focus” on seniors. 

It is vital that we aggressively take on this challenge 

rather than just tolerate it. Recent national surveys 

show this loss to be in the hundreds of thousands 

of students. The Southern Baptist Council on 

Family Life reported that 88 % of children reared in 

evangelical homes leave church at the age of 18, 

never to return.

The pastor did not reference this article, but, I found it relevant in light of the topic of the sermon.  This is the text that was used for the sermon.

" Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one.  Love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up,  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Sadly, I have already released my own children to the world, and, I am afraid that I have probably failed them.  With God's help, I hope to gain some ground and do a better job.  My responsibility remains to my own children, but more importantly, my responsibility is now to my grand children.

This is what the message was for me:
If I want THE God (of all the universe) to be their God, then there are things I MUST do.  
If I want my children/grand childred to love their God with all their heart and with all their soul and with all their strength, THEN I MUST LOVE THE LORD MY GOD WITH ALL MY HEART AND WITH ALL MY SOUL AND WITH ALL MY STRENGTH!

1) MODEL
I must be a Christ-centered person who serves God and trusts in Him on a daily basis.  They must see that He is important to me and NOT just on Sundays.  I cannot tell my kids not to lie and then turn around and stretch the truth.  I can't tell them to pray/ read the Bible if they don't see me pray/read the Bible.   I'd be wrong to insist that my kids go to church if I don't go to church.    I look back and see that I was more of a preacher than a role-model.  I think this can be said of a lot of parents - we tell the kids what is right and what is wrong, but we don't live a Godly, and show by our lives that we love the Lord.
I realize that I did not always model Christlikeness in the past, but I sure intend to now.

2) TALK ABOUT THE COMMANDMANTS HE HAS GIVEN
Verses 7-9 
These verses say to impress these commandments on my children.  Talk about them when I sit, when I walk, and when I lie down.  IMPRESS God's word upon them - over and over and over again.    If I want THE God to be their God, I must talk about Him.


It is our responsibility as moms, dads, and grandparents for impressing this on our children.  "We can't outsource the discipleship of our children."

It's easy to say, "Don't lie.  Don't steal. Don't cheat."
It's hard to just talk to that person on the phone, instead of saying [in front of your children, no less], "just tell them I'm not here."
I'ts hard to be honest about the cashier forgetting to charge you for something.
It's hard to let that free cable that you've been getting go.
It's hard to ............  (you fill in the blank)


There is more to this message.  Listen to it at the link you will find at the end of this blog.
God bless you all and pray for me to do a better job for the sake of my future generation.


So you see, this was a very good message for me, and I hope that you will listen to the entire message right here:

LAUNCHING THE NEXT GENERATION
http://mckinneychurch.com/media/sermons/beyond-ordinary-2/beyond-ordinary-hope/