The Choice to Love
God has called us to pass on the torch of faith.
“We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done…so the next generation will know them, even the children to be born, and they in turn will tell their children. Then they will put their trust in God and will not forget his deeds but will keep his commands.” —Psalm 78:4-7
The Jewish people failed to pass on their faith in II Chronicles 36 and disaster fell on their nation.
According to the book So the Next Generation Will Know, biblical truth must be communicated in the context of loving relationships.
Three Ways to Love the Next Generation (& Learn from the Failures of Others):
Show Them True
“Zedekiah was twenty –one years old when he became king…He did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar…he became stiff-necked and hardened his heart and would not turn to the Lord.” —II Chronicles 36:11-13
Generation Z, born between 2000-2015, are digital natives, researchers, multi-taskers, impatient, racially diverse, fluid, focused on equality, overwhelmed, lonely, and transparent. They are more reachable for Christ than any generation in history, and the key is authentic, loving relationships!
Like King Hezekiah, we can be self-absorbed and apathetic about coming judgment, saying,
“Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?” —II Kings 20:19
Godly people loved you enough to tell you the gospel. Will you pass that on to others?
Show Them True
“All the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the Lord…the Lord sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people…but they mocked God’s messengers.” —II Chronicles 36:14-16
A worldview answers five questions:
1) Where did I come from?
2) Why am I here?
3) What’s wrong with me & the world?
4) How can it be fixed?
5) Where am I going after death?
The Bible teaches that you were created by God to love him and others. Your sin which separates you from God can be forgiven by placing your faith in Christ who died for you. Jesus conquered death and offers eternal life to all.
Your behavior (the moral choices you make) is based on your values (the things you consider to be of greater importance), which is based on your worldview (the lens thru which you see the world). A biblical worldview is shaped by loving relationships.
“Train up a child in the way he should go and when he grows old he will not depart from it.” —Proverbs 22:6
Show Them True
“He carried off to Babylon all the articles from the temple of
God, both large and small and the treasures of the Lord’s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. They set fire to God’s temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there.” —II Chronicles 36:18-19
What are/were the most important things to your mother? What are/were the most important things to your father? If you have kids, how do you think they would describe the things that are most important to you? Where would they rank themselves?
God should be # 1 (Matthew 6:33)
Your spouse #2 (Ephesians 5:25-33)
Your kids #3 (1 Timothy 5:8)
Costi Hinn, nephew of Benny Hinn, shares how he discovered the meaning of true prosperity in God, Greed, and the Prosperity Gospel.
Nick Foles led the underdog Philadelphia Eagles to a stunning come-from-behind victory in the 2018 Super Bowl. Nick shares in his book Believe It how he quickly fell away from the lukewarm faith of his childhood only to surrender to Christ in college. Today he is preparing to be a pastor, ready to invest the rest of his life in passing the torch of faith to the next generation. Are you ready to join him?