Just as tides roll in and out on the shore, generations come and go across the sea of time. Without a God-given supernatural interruption, the generational tide that comes in will also disappear in the blink of an eye.
When we observe previous generations, we witness the cycle of movements. The first generation generates. The second generation motivates. The third generation speculates. The fourth generation usually dissipates. With each new movement of people, it is generally believed that their tide of enthusiasm and expertise will continually rise but over time it goes down. Over time, movements become the opposite of what they started out to be. History is replete with movements that became monuments.
Why do movements become monuments? I believe the answer is two-fold: 1) The lack of fresh vision; and 2) The slack of bringing enough young leaders into the movement in a timely manner to keep the movement young, vibrant and full of faith and vision.
For decades, the church—and more specifically youth leaders—have been challenged to communicate to the next generation. Yet, generations come and go, and it seems that they are not adequately reached, won or discipled to become Christ followers. This begs the question: When do we stop planning to reach the next generation and begin communicating to the now generation?
Roughly 2,700 years ago, there was a generation that had lost its moral compass and was filled with paganism and idolatry. The high tide of holiness had given way to the low tide of hellishness. Yet, a faith-filled prophet named Elijah spoke into his generation and turned the tide around in a short period of time.
When Elijah was approximately 30 years old, he was called by God to speak to his generation. He lived in the timeframe of Ahab and Jezebel. Ahab, the son of Omri, did more evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him (1 Kings 16:30). Elijah appeared in a tempest and left in a whirlwind. He was the only person of faith who would stand before his generation while 7,000 others hid in caves. During the darkest hour in Israel’s history Elijah’s words and work were a witness for God, truth and purity. Elijah had several beliefs in his life which enabled him to communicate to his generation.
In like manner, the only way to interrupt the eroding tides of our culture and communicate to “GenNow,” is through a supernatural invasion of communication, conviction and conversion.
We Must Be Convinced of the Present Reality of God
Notice what Elijah says in 1 Kings 17: “as the Lord God of Israel lives…”
As Christ-centered communicators, we must base everything we say and do on the aliveness of God. In Elijah’s generation, they thought of “gods of the hills (1 Kings 20:28).” In other words, their gods were far away and not present in their location. God does not have go somewhere to get to somewhere. He is here and yet he is there. He is with us when we get up in the morning and is with us in our automobiles and yet he arrives before we do. We must be convinced of the aliveness of God!
When we communicate to GenNow, they need to be convinced that Christ is not just a historic leader of a bygone era, but One whose presence can be felt, found and fostered in today’s society. If we are not convinced of the present reality of God in the affairs of people, we will lack the courage and confidence to communicate to an indifferent, ignorant, idolatrous and immoral generation.
We Must Be Committed as a Personal Representative for God
Elijah continues in 1 Kings 17, proclaiming, “before whom I stand…”
Elijah believed that God looks upon individuals and not masses of people. He believed that his work was to be a witness for God in the darkest hour of the nation. One of the greatest sins of the church is when we neglect to tell others about the Gospel message.
