Model It!
By Don Gentry
We are doing a two-part sermon series on how we can reach the next generation. We really need to understand the we are reaching the “current generation.” If we fail to reach this generation then the next unborn generation is without hope.
As we think about reaching our current generation we need to wrestle with the question of how do we reach them. There are two primary modes of reaching the current generation. The home and the Church. If we want to reach anyone for Christ these two components must work in unison.
I will forever be an advocate that parents/home trump the church when it comes to learning about God. I am talking about church going people. I am not addressing people living far from God. There are stories of people being saved and reached for Christ without having a good home life or Christian parents. That is an entirely separate conversation. When the church and the home are combined children/youth will gravitate towards what mom and dad do, not what church does or says. Let me explain.
If you ever say or think, “do as I say not as I do,” you are a hypocrite. I am not saying we must be perfect, but we do need to learn to apologize and repent when our actions don’t coincide with what we say are our beliefs. Don’t use the old excuse that I am just human and I am a sinner. The church is then designed to come alongside and support whatever is being taught in the home, not to replace the home.
Whether you are a parent or an adult that attends church the “next generation” is watching. Kids are always watching! They are watching you in the lobby at church, listening in the hall and parking lot, they are watching how you interact with others, they are listening when you are on the phone, watching how you drive, sneaking in on you while you watch TV and surf the net, on and on I could go. What you model is what they learn and do!!
Kids are sponges! They soak up everything, so be careful what you are leaking. The church is here to help lead the “current generation” to God, but the church can’t make up for toxic waste that was leaked at home. Please hear me, I am not preaching perfection or guilt; godliness and holiness should be the desire of our hearts. Kids will always be able to tell if they are expected to live out of a list of rules or if they are expected to live out of a love for Jesus. If you wonder what they are learning, just watch what is leaking out of their sponges.
Love you all and hope to see you on Sunday!