A Wayward Generation

“Gas prices are outrageous. I should probably sell my SUV and buy that Escort I saw advertised in the paper, but that might be just too smart for me to do it.” Although I had just met Duane waiting in line for the log flume, he and I struck up a good conversation. He was telling me about feeling the pinch of traveling 30 miles to work everyday.

“But I can’t imagine driving around in that little thing,” Duane laughed.

My brothers and I were at King’s Island celebrating his bachelor party (yes, even Baptist ministers can have fun). And being amusement park socialites, we struck up conversations with people in the long Memorial weekend lines.

Duane and I talked about jobs, families, goals, church, and our faith. He and I both agreed that many within our generation have lost sight of what’s important in life. In fact, 81% of young adults between 18 and 25 state that their number one goal in life is to be rich. The second most important life goal for this age group is to become famous.

The next generation is no different. 57% of 8 to 12 year-olds say that they would rather be popular than do what is morally right. Priorities have become skewed. Many people are searching for happiness in worldly endeavors, but they aren’t able to find it.

I am just as guilty – the biggest financial mistake of my life was buying brand new the truck I currently drive. It has push-button rear differential lockers, a four-wheel drive package, and a tow package. Do I need all this? No. But it sure lured me hook, line, and sinker. So now I have a gas guzzler with all the bells and whistles that I never use. It sure looks good on the road, though.

While there’s nothing wrong with having nice material items or being famous, many within my generation place their worth in what they own, how they look, and how many Facebook friends they have. Duane and I agreed that we both had made financial mistakes pursuing a certain image for ourselves.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 tells us “there is nothing new under the sun.” The problems people faced years ago are the same problems of today and tomorrow. My generation is just as wayward as any other – we have just manifested these problems in different ways and through different media.

People don’t change all that much, nor do their problems. At the core of this issue is self-absorption. Many within my generation believe that they are the answer to their own problems. If they can just be rich enough or famous enough, then their feelings of self-worth will correspondingly rise. Unfortunately, there is not a positive correlation between fame, riches, and happiness.

Duane summed it up best, “We all just need to call on the name of the Lord.” Without a doubt, reaching this wayward generation will not be easy. They are seeds choking on the worries, riches, and pleasures of life. But the solution is simple – they need Christ.

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How welcome are the feet of those who announce the gospel of good things! Romans 10:13-15

In short, we’ve got to go to them. Our feet have to carry us to their turf. We’ve got to tell them of God’s great love for the world that can wash away all insecurities. We’ve got to tell them of the riches of His grace. And we’ve got to tell them of Jesus, who is the greatest friend a person will ever know.

God Cares about the Details

Last night I was leading our prayer group at church. Someone asked if my wife and I had sold our house yet. Tired of being asked about it I responded, “No, but it’s all in God’s timing. Keep praying we’ll sell it.”

Like many with “for sale” signs in their yards, we weren’t getting many offers on our place. The goal was to be closer to the church, but months had gone by with no bites. Perhaps I showed my true feelings with my curt response at the prayer meeting. And I don’t know that I truly believed the words I had just spoken about God’s timing.

Sometimes we can preach, teach, and talk about God’s sovereignty as if it’s good in theory but not practice. Or we might refer to His total control over our lives as if it’s there but not really there. My associate pastor calls it the ‘Lord willin’ syndrome.’

For example:

“You gonna be able to get back in time for church, Dan?”
“Yup, Lord willin.’”

“How’s that new deck comin’ along, Stan?”
“Lord willin,’ we’ll get it finished.”

“Your team gonna win tonight, Dave?”
“Of course…Lord willin.’”

“Sam, you sold your house yet?”
“Uhhhh, Lord willin’ we’ll get it sold soon.”

While I don’t want to disparage anyone over trite and perhaps harmless figures of speech, I do want to make the point that God’s sovereignty extends to all areas of life - big, small, petty, and momentous.

Selling a house is certainly frustrating in a cool market, but it is nothing compared to those who sacrifice their entire lives to win people for Christ in places of our world with rocky soil. During our prayer meetings, we always pray for our missionaries overseas. My cousin David and his wife Melinda are on the list. They are thousands of miles from home (though he would probably tell you home is on the mission field). After praying for them, my 52-mile round trip seemed small, and I was convicted about my attitude.

But God cares about even the smallest details of our lives. Even the hairs on our heads are counted. We should never lose sight of what God can do, big and small.

I went back to my office remorseful. One, I had not totally trusted God with all areas of my life. Two, I was also guilty of thinking that God doesn’t care about the drudgery of details. How wrong I was.

When I sat down in my chair, I noticed the blinking light on my phone indicating a voicemail. It was from my realtor. Our place had been sold for the full asking price. God’s timing indeed!

Can You Live Without Your Bible?

One of my biggest pet peeves as a pastor is the number of people that do not bring their Bibles to church. Every time I preach I begin by asking the congregation to open their Bibles to a particular passage. I then follow with, “And that is on page 707 in your pew Bibles.” Even then, only a handful of folks will reach for the Bible in front of them.

Of course, I can always count on a cell phone blaring the popular song of the moment at least once a month. It seems that people have their phones attached to the hip (some literally), yet they cannot muster the effort to bring to church the dusty black leather book sitting lonely on the shelf at home. Clearly, many can live without their Bibles. Most everyone, me included, must have their cell phones attached to them at all times.

So what items top the list with Americans as the most necessary? The Pew Research Center reveals this list in their social trends report. Below are the top twelve most indispensable items and the percentage of those who ranked them as a necessity.

1. Car 91%
2. Clothes washer 90%
3. Clothes dryer 83%
4. Home air conditioning 78%
5. Microwave 68%
6. TV 64%
7. Car air conditioning 59%
8. Home computer 51%
9. Cell phone 49%
10. Dishwasher 35%
11. Cable or satellite TV 33%
12. High-speed Internet 29%

The Pew survey asked the survey participants about consumer products that are designed to make life more productive, more convenient, more comfortable, and more efficient. I feel for those that state high-speed Internet is a necessity. Dial-up can be downright painful. But I just wonder how many of these people would say that the Bible is an absolute necessity. Or how many would say that a day without studying their Bibles is downright painful. I think we all too easily forget that we treasure God’s Word in our hearts so that we don’t sin against Him. Think about that the next time you sign on to the Internet.

139 Billion for the 1.6 Billion

I ran across a list of statistics found at the Center for Missional Research website. Two stats in particular struck me:

First and foremost, approximately 1.6 billion people have never heard the eternally significant good news in this sentence: “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Second, if all members of historically Christian churches in the United States had raised the amount of their giving to the minimum standard of 10 percent of income in 2000, an additional $139,000,000,000 a year would become available.

It is shocking to think that 1.6 billion people have never heard the good news. It is just as shocking to hear that so many members of churches are neglecting one of the most important pieces of worship, giving back to the Lord a portion of what He has blessed us with.

I realize that many within these churches may not be Christians or may simply be absent every Sunday, but of those who give only 3-5% of church members give a tenth of their incomes. I seriously doubt that only 3-5% of current church members are Christians. So, the rest are giving below the starting point if they give at all.

I know I am dreaming, but what if a revival of giving spread across the land? Could this additional $139 billion be used to reach the 1.6 billion who have never heard the gospel? While we must be obedient to the Great Commission and share our faith, we must also be obedient in our giving to the church. I will remain an eternal optimist. And I will never neglect preaching the gospel or the passages that address giving. What an amazing work God could do not only with the additional funds of $139 billion, but also with the softened hearts that decided to give to His glory.

Minority Population Tops 100 Million

This article grabbed my attention yesterday. Ethnic and racial minorities now account for about 1/3 of the United States’ population, breaking through the 100 million barrier for the first time.

On a national scale, Hispanics are the fastest growing, followed by Asians. There are more minorities in the United States today than there were people in 1910. And four states along with the District of Columbia have more minorities than members of the majority white population.

I pastor in a region where the vast majority of people are white. But the fastest growing population is Hispanic. I became convicted reading the article. My church certainly welcomes all, but we are doing nothing intentional about reaching people outside of our own demographic.

Christ certainly did not allow cultural barriers to prevent Him from sharing the good news, as is evident with the Samaritan woman. In fact, He went out of his way to offer her living water.

I am curious to hear success stories about other churches reaching outward to other groups of people outside of their own demographic. Anybody have any suggestions? Any successes of living water being shared across cultural boundaries?