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There’s a difference between being the best “in” the world and the best “for” the world.  Being a disciple is not a marathon or a sprint, but it is a relay race.  At some point the portion of your race will end, and will you pass the baton?

 

Tony is wild haired; his wardrobe for college is jeans and a T-shirt with holes in it. He recently became a believer while attending a campus Bible study.

Across from campus is a well-dressed, very conservative church. One Sunday Tony decides to go there. He walks in late and shoeless. The sanctuary is packed. Tony heads down the aisle looking for a seat. Having nearly reached the pulpit, he realizes there are no empty seats, so he squats down on the carpet. The congregation is feeling uncomfortable.

Then from the back of the church, a gray-haired elder in a three-piece suit starts walking toward Tony with a cane. The worshipers don't expect a man in his eighties to understand some college kid on the floor. With all eyes focused on the developing drama, the minister waits to begin his sermon until the elder does what he has to do.

The elderly man drops his cane on the floor and with great difficulty lowers himself to sit next to Tony.

"What I'm about to preach," the minister begins, "you'll never remember. What you've just seen, you'll never forget."

 

Being a multi-generational church is inevitable, but becoming intergenerational is a choice.  To empower the next generation or any generation for that matter, there must be an intentional decision to create opportunity for mutual investment relationally and spiritually.    That is what Passing the Baton means.

 

A generation refers to all of the people born and living at about the same time.  Today Pew Research and other resources tell us there are 7 generations living right now.  A quick and brief study of these generations would show us that we are becoming more ethnically diverse, digitally dependent and are now fully realizing the reality of a mental health crisis in an unprecedented measure.

 

We can study, research and discover all kinds of data and statistics from a thorough generational research, but today I would like to share three reasons how God views generations.  And three ways we can empower the next generation.

 

First, God USES Generations.

 

In Matthew 1:17, there were 42 generations of people used to bring Jesus into the world.  The entire book of 1 Chronicles tells of the generations of people from Adam to King David, only to illustrate how no generation is wasted from God’s perspective.  Scripture clearly portrays a God who is weaving His purpose in and throughout all of human history and every generation.

 

Second, God LOVES every Generation.

 

Exodus 20:5-6 tells us that God will punish the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generations of those who hate him, but He will show love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.  God’s covenant of love and promise does not end with any one generation, He always has a remnant that will carry His covenant through to the next generation.  Consider Genesis 9:12, where God had wiped out the earth because of its wickedness, yet He rescued Noah and his family, and gave Noah a sign of promise for perpetual generations to come.

 

Lastly, God doesn’t want any Generation to FORGET HIM.

 

In Deuteronomy 6:9-10, God warns the people of Israel to not forget what they have seen.  The smoke on Mount Sinai, the parting of the Red Sea, the bread from heaven, the water from the rock, the law that was give to them through Moses.  Do not forget what you’ve seen and teach your children to fear God.    Can you imagine what it was like to experience what those Israelites coming out of Egypt experienced?  Could you imagine seeing Elijah call fire down from heaven, or David slay Goliath, or Jesus perform miracles?  Is it possible that the next generation could forget God?  Let it not be so, we can drop every other baton in our life, but don’t drop the Gospel, we must pass it on to the next generation.  

 

So how do we pass the baton?  

 

Stay Gospel-Centered.  

 

God created us to be with Him. Our sins have separated us from God.  Sins cannot be removed by good deeds. And Paying the price for our sin was Jesus who died and rose again.  And Everyone who trust in Him alone will have eternal life and that Life start now and will last forever.   If we bobble the parent baton, the good citizen baton, the hard worker baton, and yet somehow still pass the Gospel baton, we win and so does the next generation.  Stay Gospel-centered.

 

Stay SPIRIT-EMPOWERED.

We need to stay hungry for another move of God.  We need to live in the peace of God.  We need to operate from the joy of the Holy Spirit. We need to be compelled by the love of God and stay generous, humble, and self-controlled.  

 

Finally Stay PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE.

 

The next generation is not meant to become a burden but rather a blessing.  Pray for them. Model integrity for them. Teach them God’s word. Introduce them to the Holy Spirit. Pass along the passion and not just the tradition. Preserve the memories from Generation to Generation. Find opportunities to serve together and remember we all succeed TOGETHER.  Every living generation will see that Today is the day of Salvation.

 

The Psalmist declares I am confident of this.  I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  May every living generation today see the goodness and the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.