Series: All Nations & All Generations
May 3, 2015
The Unrecognized Mission Field
Intro: May is missions month at New Life – we focus on our missions
outreaches – take faith promises –
Ellisons were scheduled for today, but their plans had to change – I felt
God lay a message on my heart – and I’ve received help from
conversations with our team of pastors and deacons. Last year in some
of our staff meetings and board meetings we had some good
conversations about reaching all generations – focusing on getting the
message of the Gospel to all generations –
I came to the meetings with God having strongly laid upon my heart a
desire to reach the next generation …
But I was reminded – and I must remember – and we all must remember
that the Good News of Jesus Christ is for every generation – that is what
I feel the Lord wants us to emphasize this month –
Please be aware of that as I teach today. Part of my teaching may focus
on one generation – another part of my teaching may focus on another
generation. Don’t tune me out or think that because part of the time I am
addressing one generation and another part of the time I am addressing
another generation that I am not thinking of all generations. What I say to
one, all need to hear –
Next week is Mother’s Day – we will talk about mothers – that doesn’t
mean that we don’t care about women who are not mothers – or that we
don’t care about Fathers. Next month we will think about Father’s Day –
it doesn’t mean we don’t care about men who are not fathers and that we
don’t care about mothers –
When we teach from the Old Testament is doesn’t mean that we don’t
recognize the New Testament and vice-versa. I hope you get my point.
Throughout the Bible there is a strong emphasis on each generation
passing the blessings of God on to the next generation – This places a
responsibility on all generations – Now, we may have people here today
that may be from the WWII Generation – “The Greatest Generation”
- The post-WWII Generation – those raised in the 1950’s – my
parents
-
Those raised in the 60’s generation – those from the 1960’s – a
generation of great turbulence, turmoil and change in this
country –
I know that technically speaking and Biblically speaking a generation is
more than 10 years – Biblically, many say a generation is 40 years –
often today people think of generations in terms of 20 years.
The “Baby Boomers” – run the gamut from 1946-1964 – which puts me
right at the end of that generation, but I’ve never felt like most of the
characteristics of that generation applied to me.
When I was in school, they had 50’s days – now they have 80’s days …
dress up in those clothes …
So, we’ve had generations called the GI generation, the Baby Boomers,
Generation X, Generation Y, the Millennials … etc…
But for our purposes today – think of it this way – you are in one of two
generations – you are either in “This Generation” or “The Next
Generation” –
Prop: The Next Generation is often the Unrecognized
Mission Field
We think of the mission fields we support …
- Vanuatu
- Paris
- India
- Chile
- Philippines
- Spain
- Sommers going to Texas border
- Bridges Outreach
- CAM Center
- Crossing
- Gift of Hope
- Kokomo Rescue Mission
- NLC Food Pantry
- Living Alternatives Crisis Pregnancy Ctr.
- Teen Challenge
- Kokomo Urban Outreach
- Neighborhood of Hope
- Soon a church plant near Indy
There is no doubt that those places and those people are mission fields
and we all realize we have an obligation to reach them – When we think
of reaching people of various nations, we have no problem singing a
song in African style – or Filipino style – or Jamaican style – because we
know we are adapting to their culture so that we can reach that
generation.
- We have no problem with the missionaries dressing in their
strange clothing
- We have no problem with the missionaries learning their
language
A key in this, and it is emphasized by the missionaries themselves, is
that those to whom they are going must receive their message! This is
the other side of the coin! The missionary cannot and does not do all of
the work. People must have hearts to receive! Often, missionary leaders
study where hearts are receptive, and people and finances are sent
there so that the harvest can be great …
Others feel called to go to hard places …
Let’s apply this to generations –
If the next generation is a mission field – and if it is the unrecognized
mission field – and if we agree that the Gospel must go to all people, if
we are going to reach them, then we should have no problem singing
their songs, dressing like them, and learning their language –
I do a lot of things that I would never do if I were not called to reach all
people – I have done a lot of things for all generations that I would not
naturally do, but I feel called to all people!
I did things in the Philippines that I would not naturally do, but I wanted to
reach those people –
- Shellfish soup
- Century Eggs
- The inside parts of the cow
- A stomach in Uruguay
- Yolanda – not a meat eater – ate groundhog on a stick in
Ecuador!
- I drew the line at Balut!!
When we are trying to reach people that God tells us to reach, we do
things we might not otherwise do. When I was 20, it was a lot easier to
relate to the youth group in the church then – it has become harder work!
I had to serve and minister to those in their 80’s when I was in my 20’s –
that required some adjustments on my part – and on theirs –
And here is where we have to work together – Just like the missionary to
the foreign culture, needs receptive and willing hearts –
If we recognize that we are called to pass this faith along to “the next
generation” – then those here who still consider yourselves in “the next
generation” you must be open and willing to receive from those who
have gone before you!
This is a two-way street! So, remember that as we look at the Scriptures
and think about them today –
There is an emphasis throughout the Bible of the faith being passed from
one generation to another – Sometimes the generation passing it down
did well – other times they did not –
Sometimes the generation that was receiving the pass did well – other
times they did not –
Sometimes the wide receiver makes a great, miraculous catch! Other
times they drop an easy pass!
Sometimes the second baseman makes a miracle grab and turns it into a
double-play – other times they drop the ball and allow the other team to
score!
Sometimes a waitress can carry seven plates to a table on one arm –
other times a waiter or waitress may only be carrying two plates and drop
them with a great crash – making a great mess – and drawing the
attention of everyone in the restaurant!
Each generation has an obligation to pass the faith to the next –
and each generation has an obligation to receive this faith from
their predecessors!
Think of this:
- Adam & Eve had Cain … Abel … then Seth …
-
Noah had 3 sons – one had to be cursed – the other two were
blessed – one would be the ancestor of Abraham
-
Abraham – Isaac – he even wanted blessings for Ishmael
Abraham’s heart: “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” – that should
be our heart’s cry for the next generation!
-
Jacob & Esau both wanted the next generation blessing
desperately
-
Jacob blessed his sons when dying
-
Joseph brought his sons to be blessed by Jacob
-
Eli lost his sons
-
Samuel lost his sons
-
David lost most of his sons
-
After that, many generations of Israelites were lost -
Deuteronomy 29:10-29 NRSV - 10You stand assembled today, all of you,
before the LORD your God—the leaders of your tribes, your elders, and
your officials, all the men of Israel, 11your children, your women, and the
aliens who are in your camp, both those who cut your wood and those
who draw your water—12to enter into the covenant of the LORD your God,
sworn by an oath, which the LORD your God is making with you
today; 13in order that he may establish you today as his people, and that
he may be your God, as he promised you and as he swore to your
ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 14I am making this
covenant, sworn by an oath, not only with you who stand here with us
today before the LORD our God,
15but also with those who are not here with us today. 16You know how we
lived in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the
nations through which you passed. 17You have seen their detestable
things, the filthy idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold, that were
among them.
18It may be that there is among you a man or woman, or a family or tribe,
whose heart is already turning away from the LORD our God to serve the
gods of those nations. It may be that there is among you a root sprouting
poisonous and bitter growth. 19All who hear the words of this oath and
bless themselves, thinking in their hearts,
“We are safe even though we go our own stubborn ways” (thus bringing
disaster on moist and dry alike)—20the LORD will be unwilling to pardon
them, for the LORD’S anger and passion will smoke against them. All the
curses written in this book will descend on them, and the LORD will blot
out their names from under heaven.
21The
LORD will single them out from all the tribes of Israel for
calamity, in accordance with all the curses of the covenant written in
this book of the law. 22The next generation, your children who rise up
after +you, as well as the foreigner who comes from a distant country,
will see the devastation of that land and the afflictions with which the
LORD has afflicted it—
23all
its soil burned out by sulfur and salt, nothing planted, nothing
sprouting, unable to support any vegetation, like the destruction of
Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD
destroyed in his fierce anger—24they and indeed all the nations will
wonder, “Why has the LORD done thus to this land? What caused this
great display of anger?”
25They
will conclude, “It is because they abandoned the covenant of
the LORD, the God of their ancestors, which he made with them when
he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 26They turned and served
other gods, worshiping them, gods whom they had not known and
whom he had not allotted to them;
27so the anger of the LORD was kindled against that land, bringing on it
every curse written in this book. 28The LORD uprooted them from their
land in anger, fury, and great wrath, and cast them into another land,
as is now the case.” 29The secret things belong to the LORD our God,
but the revealed things belong to us and to our children forever, to
observe all the words of this law.
Psalm 22:30-31 NKJV - A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted
of the Lord to the next generation, 31 They will come and
declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He
has done this.
Psalm 48:12-14 NRSV - Walk about Zion, go all around it, count its
towers,
13
consider well its ramparts; go through its citadels, that you may tell
the next generation
14
that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will be our guide
forever.
Psalm 78:1-8 NLT - O my people, listen to my instructions. Open your
ears to what I am saying, 2 for I will speak to you in a parable. I
will teach you hidden lessons from our past—3 stories we have
heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us.
4
We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell
the next generation about the glorious deeds of the LORD, about
his power and his mighty wonders.
5
For he issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel.
He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children,
so the next generation might know them—even the children not yet
born—and they in turn will teach their own children.
6
7
So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting
his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.
8
Then they will not be like their ancestors—stubborn, rebellious, and
unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God.
Psalm 71:14-18 NIV - But as for me, I will always have hope; I will
praise you more and more.
15My
mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long,
though I know not its measure.
16I
will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD; I will
proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.
17Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare
your marvelous deeds. This could be my verse – and the
next one also:
18Even
when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare
your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to
come.
I can now say what the older preachers used to say: “I’ve been in this
thing my whole life!” – How thankful I am – but I wanted my kids to have
this! I wanted my kids to have this relationship – this passion – I was
passionate about passing this legacy on to the next generation my family
–
Family Picture
That passion has not stopped now that they are gone –
If you are 20 years younger than me – I want you to listen to me – that’s
your obligation – My obligation is to try to pass the message along to you
in a way that you can understand it –
If you have teens – I want your teens to get this message –
If you have children –
And if you have those that are not yet born …
Psalm 102:16-18 - When GOD rebuilds Zion, when he shows up in all his
glory,
17When
he attends to the prayer of the wretched. He won’t
dismiss their prayer. 18Write this down for the next generation so
people not yet born will praise GOD:
Proverbs 27:23-24 - Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into
caring for your herds,
24
for riches don’t last forever, and the crown might not be passed to
the next generation.
Joel 1:1-3 NASV - The word of the LORD that came to Joel, the son of
Pethuel.
2
Hear this, O elders, And listen, all inhabitants of the land.
Has anything like this happened in your days Or in your fathers’
days? 3 Tell your sons about it, And let your sons tell their sons,
And their sons the next generation.
Tell Them – Andrae Crouch –
Tell them even if they don't believe you
Just tell them even if they don't receive you
Oh, tell them for me tell them for me that I love them
And I came to let them know.
Intro to Acts from The Message - Because the story of Jesus is so
impressive—God among us! God speaking a language we can
understand! God acting in ways that heal and help and save us!—there
is a danger that we will be impressed, but only be impressed. As the
spectacular dimensions of this story slowly (or suddenly) dawn upon us,
we could easily become enthusiastic spectators, and then let it go at
that—become admirers of Jesus, generous with our oohs and ahs, and
in our better moments inspired to imitate him.
It is Luke’s task to prevent that, to prevent us from becoming mere
spectators to Jesus, fans of the Message. Of the original quartet of
writers on Jesus, Luke alone continues to tell the story as the apostles
and disciples live it into the next generation. The remarkable thing is that
it continues to be essentially the same story. Luke continues his
narration with hardly a break, a pause perhaps to dip his pen in the
inkwell, writing in the same style, using the same vocabulary.
The story of Jesus doesn’t end with Jesus. It continues in the lives of
those who believe in him. The supernatural does not stop with Jesus.
Luke makes it clear that these Christians he wrote about were no more
spectators of Jesus than Jesus was a spectator of God—they are in on
the action of God, God acting in them, God living in them. Which also
means, of course, in us.
Next generation – are you going to receive this? Are you going to
receive God’s power for yourself and for your generation? Are you going
to receive from the generation that has gone before?
This generation - Look around the room – think of your kids … you
grandkids … your great-grandkids –
Their clothes are different – their language is different – their music is
different – some of it I don’t even classify as music (but I try really hard to
not get into that … I hear Lecrae is great … but it will never be my style!)
… their hairstyle is different – (don’t I know it – have you seen my son?)
Picture of Randy and me with swords
Picture of Randy with crazy hair
If I would have won many to the Lord but lost my kids I would have
deemed my ministry a failure –
Family picture from Shelby’s wedding
I’m thankful my kids are serving the Lord – but I remain compelled and
burdened to pass this on to the next generation – and prayerful that the
next generation will understand their responsibility to listen to us.
I don’t want to leave the previous or the current generation behind. The
Scriptures teach us that we should all go together – that the older should
pass this on to the younger – It shouldn’t be a choice of either or – it is
both and …
The Scriptures also show us story of failure after failure – I don’t want to
follow in the footsteps of those failures. I want to find the ones who
accomplished this purpose of God and follow them.
I want to honor the previous and current generations – I value my
heritage – I have pictures on my wall …
Picture of my office – with pulpit –
I think about them all the time – it was a goal of mine to pass that
heritage on to my kids – but their ministry will look very different …
I’m so thankful for many people in the previous generation and this
generation who have been so supportive of what God is doing here and
how God is leading - just to name a few –
Don Budd … Bob & Esther McCauley … Betty Garner … others … they
have a great heritage – and they are very godly people – none us want
this ministry to stop in our generation I want to honor the previous and current generations – and do whatever I
can to try to stay connected to the next generation – They are a great
mission field – often unrecognized as a mission field!
I don’t think we should cater to any generation – but each generation
must see an obligation to the other – to pass on – and to receive Pastor Nathan Peternel served with me in Indianapolis and here – He is
the next generation – passing the faith along to the next generation –
We are wonderfully blessed with Pastor Pete and Sarah Campbell – two
of the finest – our church is blessed beyond measure with their gifts,
skills, calling, wisdom, knowledge and commitment –
Likewise we are blessed with Pastor Sharon Daniel – she has been
passing this faith along to the next generation for mmmpphph years …
And Pastor Steve Eckart – what a blessing! What a heart! What wisdom,
knowledge and experience he brings to us! We all have much to learn
from him!
We must pass on – and we must receive – each generation –
We’ve had families come join our church family – they’ve left churches
that have no young people – no children’s ministries – no youth
ministries – no young couples – no young families –
I could take you to several churches in this county alone – only one
generation – They love Jesus, but they have missed the mission field –
in some cases – the next generation has not received – either way, they
only have a number of years before the church becomes an antique
store because once the last member dies the ministry and the heritage
ends. God doesn’t want that to happen to us.
I feel God has spoken to me very clearly about preparing our church
family for the next generation I don’t fully understand how I am going to do this – But I do believe that
this is an overarching direction from the Lord for the next phase of my
ministry – I’m learning as I go – part of what I’m learning is that it
involves two phases – One generation must learn to speak and minister
to another generation in their language and culture – like a missionary
does when they go overseas – and the next generation must be taught
how to receive from the previous generation, even as the folks from other
countries who have never heard the Gospel must be taught how to
receive it without compromise.
I’ve always believed that growth was God’s plan for the church – I’m
often concerned about the consequences when the church doesn’t grow.
But I have felt led in this way: whether or not we see continuing,
consistent growth, it’s not just about what I see in the lifetime of my
ministry! The ministry of my great-grandfather and grandfather is living
on in me! The ministry of John Walker is living on in me! Christ is the
Builder of the Church and God is the One who makes things grow. If you
consider yourself a part of “this generation” – you have to see your
obligation to the next generation – the unrecognized mission field.
If you see yourself in the “next generation” – you have to realize your
obligation to receive from us! (I just gave away which generation I see
myself as a part of!)
Last year as we were having some of these discussions with our team of
pastors and deacons, I received an email from [Naomi Stites] – someone
in “this generation”:
Randy,
I was blessed, challenged and motivated to greater obedience to God by
your sermon. I pray for the day when we as believers realize that life is
not about us but about God and Kingdom work. We are to bring the
atmosphere of heaven to earth...into our church...into our communities
for the salvation of souls.
At the same time, someone from “the next generation” [Kyle Kjormoe]
told me how much he and his wife appreciated the message. He talked
about how hard it is to reach this generation and this culture.
It is difficult to keep the next generation in the church, much less reach
those outside the church. He talked about how much he appreciated the
emphasis on the fact that the truth is the most important thing – This is
what some of our leadership expressed also – Preaching the truth of the
Gospel regardless of reaction is the most important thing – that has been
and needs to stay the emphasis of this ministry –
…far above all the other issues and factors. The young man said that
the Truth is the most important thing and nothing else really matters.
Just communicate the Truth.
I know that I have said things in the past that have been misinterpreted
as “making fun” of the past – that has never been my intent. Sometimes I
try use humor to lighten a tense atmosphere when I sense resistance to
what I am saying. But there have been times when I have presented
what I believe is a vision for ministry that God has given me with an
attitude that has been misinterpreted, offensive and unhealthy … I am
sorry for that.
I hope I have not been received that way today. My desire is that we
move forward together –
This Gospel has no racial boundaries – no gender boundaries – and no
generational boundaries. The Gospel is for all people. Let’s take this
Gospel to this unrecognized mission field – the next generation – and
may the next generation receive what we have to give.
Altar – have people under 40 come up – then have people over 40
come up to pray with them?