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Winning Or Losing
The Next Generation

God cares about winning or losing the next generation. According to the teaching and parables of Jesus, the Kingdom of God is to continue to grow and expand until all of life, all over the world, is under its influence. This is only possible if succeeding generations take what previous generations have learned and done and build on it. Certainly, what the next generation does will have unique aspects, but it should also have a solid foundation and structure.

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Deut. 6:6-7, ESV

Sections: Faith Of The Fathers - Apologetics - Heathen Duelism

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On the other hand, what has been built by hard work can be lost in a generation if it is not passed on properly. Moses prepared and successfully passed the torch to the next generation through Joshua. Although himself a great man, Joshua failed in this regard, and Israel entered the dark ages we read about in the book of Judges.

What do you think about our next generation? Upward or downward?

There are many positive developments, and some churches and cultures are better at reaching the next generation than others. However, I want to look at some reasons why a lot of the next generation is being lost.

Winning Or Losing The Next Generation:
Faith Of The Fathers

Children raised in Christian homes fall into two categories.

Some children faced a contradiction. They heard the teaching of Christianity, they lived in homes that were “Christian” and with parents who considered themselves Christians, but their parents cared very little about practical Christianity. What they really cared about was their reputation, and their lives at home were very different from what a truly loving Christian home should be. Young people then rebel at what they see as a hypocritical faith and wonder if there is genuine Christianity at all.

Other children had Christian parents who, despite their failures, really believed in and tried to live out their Christian faith in their everyday lives. These children saw a consistency between what they were taught and what they saw lived out. This is a positive heritage to be passed down.

The bottom line is that while these children will face different struggles, the faith of the parents is never enough. They must have their own salvation experience with God. They must have their own faith; otherwise, all they have is dead ritual. Churches reaching the next generation must include them as a vital part of the church's worship, teaching, ministry, and community. To ignore them as “just kids” or treat them as second-class citizens in the Kingdom of God is to lose them.

Winning Or Losing The Next Generation:
Apologetics

Probably most churches and families fail at this point. We live in a world that has rejected and now mocks Christianity. Statistics show that the majority of young people raised in Christian families and the church - even those actively involved in it - abandon their faith soon after entering college or university. Why is that?

At church [hopefully] they were taught a Biblical world-view. They were taught about Creation, the Fall, Noah’s Flood, the birth, life, atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, etc. But they were often taught them with either “cutesy” stories or a “just believe it” attitude. They are not taught how to question things, logically examine facts, and work through issues, including doubt. Even adults who have questions about precious doctrines have found themselves scorned by church leaders and members, rather than being taught how to search for answers logically.

“If you were a new Christian living in Rome around the year AD 200, you would have been required to do three years of schooling with an authorized teacher once a week, outside of the weekly church service, in order to be baptized...Students studied the Scriptures in-depth, and the material was heavily apologetic, instructing new believers on how Christian truth stood superior to pagan philosophy and religion. To modern ears, this sounds rather intense. Today, we would fear that such requirements would turn away prospective believers. After all, there are barbeques to get to and baseball games to watch...They had to put in the time to deeply understand their faith if they were going to persevere through great hardships...They understood that in order for new believers to stand strong in a culture dominated by an opposing worldview, they needed more preparation than weekly worship and potlucks.” Natasha Crain, Faithfully Different, Kindle version

Children and young people need to know that Christianity and its doctrines can be defended logically, and that the Biblical world-view is the only world-view that makes sense of all the facts. In age-appropriate ways, they need to know that Adam and Eve were real people, and that there is scientific evidence for a young earth and a worldwide flood. They need to know that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most provable event of ancient history. They need to know why the Bible we have today is a reliable copy of the originals. Older teens and young adults need to know about worldviews that oppose Christianity and their weaknesses.

There are many great resources out there [some of which can be found here], but my point is that it is not often taught in the family [guilty] or the church. Too often, we lose the next generation because we send them into a vicious battle armed with BB guns.

Winning Or Losing The Next Generation:
Heathen Duelism

Much of Christianity has slipped into a heathen dualism. It has abandoned true Christianity for a pietistic faith based on Bible reading, prayer, personal moral living, church attendance, and sometimes witnessing. It has fallen into the pagan idea of a divide between the sacred and secular, between the “good” spiritual realm and the “evil” material or physical realm. I know some of you just got mad, but hear me out.

I want to be very clear. Bible reading, prayer, personal moral living, church attendance and witnessing are the foundation and structure of our Christian life. We need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that continues to grow and develop over our entire lifetime. But if that is all we have, then we are self-focused and have denied the total Lordship of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is not just the Lord of our personal lives or the church we attend. Jesus is LORD of lords and KING of kings. This means that every person, organization, school, government, and all other things are to be submitted to Jesus Christ and to operate by His Law.

Christianity is holistic, which simply means that it covers all of life. If there is any area of life in the universe that is not under the total Lordship of Jesus Christ and to subjected to His Law, then God is not truly sovereign. As ambassadors, it is our job to announce and advance the Kingdom of God until every government, business, school, etc., bows its knees to Jesus Christ and implements His Law within its delegated authority.

We will not win and inspire the next generation if all we do is teach them to be navel-gazers. Until we give them a cause worth dying for, we will not give them a cause worth living for. They must be given a program for victory, not just for their personal lives, but a massive cultural victory. They must be taught that the success of Christianity in every area of life is inevitable, although it may take hundreds or thousands of years. [This also means we must quit giving them mindless dribble about being raptured out of all their problems. Jesus is coming again, but for a victorious, glorious bride, not a fearful whiner.] The knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. But they also need to know that God has given them an important role in this victory, which may require great personal sacrifice.

Winning Or Losing The Next Generation:
Conclusion

Are our actions winning or losing the next generation? We have a great God Who loves this world that He created and redeemed. Too much of the church has limited God to the so-called "religious" or "spiritual" area of life. We must believe in and present a holistic Gospel and Christianity, including a proper understanding and application of the Law of God, if we are to pass on a victorious faith that will weather all storms and see the kingdom of God established on earth before the return of Christ. Let’s ignite the next generation with a true vision of Christianity!

For more information about Glenn Davis, see our About Glenn page or visit Glenn Davis Books.

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