It is often tempting and inviting to appear to be more than we really are. We want to appear to be morally upright, fighting for the good, compassionate, thoughtful, caring, have the right priorities, be spiritually astute – we want every good and desirable thing. But we aren’t all those things. So, we fall into the trap of what is known as being an imposter. It even has a name – the imposter syndrome. We humans have always suffered from it.
Matthew 15 records Jesus calling out a group for this very thing: “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’” Matthew 15:7-9 NIV
We do this when we proclaim our belief in the Bible, prayer, the Ten Commandments – we believe they should be in the schools and we bemoan the fact that they aren’t, as if that could save our children. The list could go on and on of what we think should happen out there, and we spin our wheels over it, criticize and argue about it, yet we are blind to the opportunity we have right in front of our eyes within our churches. We have unimpeded access to the next generation to volunteer and teach and train, invest, and develop spiritual truths and disciplines. We face no resistance in doing so. It’s easier to talk the talk than walk the walk.
So we remain stuck. It brings some sort of false comfort to our depleted souls to say the right things, to even say them with passion. We smother the truth that the only hope for the next generation and for our own spiritual satisfaction and purpose is for us to take the responsibility to invest in them.
God never intended faith to be isolated to one generation. His plan has always been multi-generational: “Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power. I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles. Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue; I will proclaim your greatness.” Psalm 145:4-6 NLT
This is the greatest privilege of our lives. We have a chance to invest in the Kingdom of God in an ongoing way that will impact the ongoing future into eternity as we prioritize sharing the faith with the next generations.
We have an incredible open door. This generation is very spiritually open and curious about spiritual things. This spiritual hunger represents a significant opportunity to connect with these young people in relevant and meaningful ways. This involves engaging in authentic dialogue, providing resources that address their questions and doubts, fostering supportive communities, and demonstrating the practical impact of faith on daily life.
There is a hunger for transcendence in the world, and the next generation is marked by it. Some of the greatest signs of hope for the future comes from a recent study from Barna Research – their largest one to date – of teens around the world, which says that teens are probably fueling this hunger. David Kinnaman says, “In a culture that has generally downgraded the reputation of Christians and relegated Sunday worship and other church-related activities to the sidelines of society, teens remain refreshingly open to Jesus as an influence in their lives. It doesn’t really matter where they come from, people are weary of the constant tension and division we see played out on the public stage and in our social media feeds, of hurtful rhetoric and of love with limits. But it seems that this coming generation still believes that there is a Person who reminds us that there is a good and right way to live.” We as followers of Jesus know that Person and can share Him.
The next generation’s openness to the world and all the potential it offers is amazing. They are in the early stages of developing their worldview and character. They are generally optimistic despite the fact that they grew up in a pandemic. They are open to different faiths, including Christianity, and they’re open to friends, causes, and ideas because although they are optimistic, they are aptly called the anxious generation. They are wrecked with general anxiety, something they also see in their parents. They are looking for answers.
Kinnaman says, “Though parents, educators, and others who mentor young people have a tall task to provide wise guidance to emerging adults, today’s teens are confronting the church with something that I think we haven’t seen before – a kind of blank slate; a chance to imagine a different future.” Isn’t that an exciting open door?
We are the Church. We are called by God, equipped by God, and empowered by God to pass the faith on to the next generation. Doing it together is a privilege and the door to some of the deepest significance we will ever know.
Let’s do it.
newpointe.org/nextgen