Future Generations

You know, the spread of the gospel and the demonstration of Biblical truth is not just for us individually, or our families, our churches, and our contemporaries - we are called, I believe to leave a permanent mark on those who will come behind us. Psalm 145 states:
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.
5 I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works.

So, there really is a tremendous responsibility we have to live out our faith, recognizing that people are watching.  We can be bold to live in a manner that glorifies God and communicates to the world that He loves humanity and desires for all to come into a relationship with Himself. We can continue to pray and be involved in God's work in order that people can come into that saving knowledge of Christ. As Jesus instructed us, we don't hide our light, but allow His light to shine through us. 

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It is important that each of us is determined to leave a faith imprint to the generations to come. Psalm 78 addresses this transmission of the Word of God:
4 We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.
5 For He established a testimony in Jacob, And appointed a law in Israel, Which He commanded our fathers, That they should make them known to their children;
6 That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children,
7 That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments...

The Bible speaks powerfully about the generations to come - and it's important that we are concerned about the spiritual health and devotion to the Lord of what is known as Generation Z, or Gen Z for short. 

The Christian Post recently reported on the spiritual viewpoints of this generation, stating: "The latest chapter of the American Bible Society’s State of the Bible USA 2023 report...focuses on the spiritual practices of Generation Z, who were born in 1997 or later."

Here is one of the major talking points:

The newest installment of the annual survey examined the beliefs and practices of Gen Zers, comparing and contrasting them to older generations. The report shows that, although a higher share of respondents belonging to Generation Z identify as agnostics, atheists or “nones” (34%) than the older generations, 58% of Gen Z respondents identify as Christians.

Of course, when you see those words, "identify as," I think you should pause and think that this is self-identification - and their definition may not line up with the Bible. And, as the article notes: "Thirty percent of Gen Z respondents meet the definition of a Bible user, which refers to those who interact with the Bible on their own outside of a church service at least three times a year."

But, there is a dynamic of practice and experience that showed up in this survey, as The Christian Post notes:

Despite the lack of Scripture engagement among America’s youth, about half of Gen Z respondents agreed with the statement that “the message of the Bible has transformed my life.” Among Gen Z adults between the ages of 18 and 21, 49% agreed that the Bible had a transformative effect on their lives. That number rose to 52% among Gen Z respondents between the ages of 22 and 26.

ABS Chief Ministry Insights Officer John Farquhar Plake stated that Gen Z is “a generation struggling to find their footing with faith.”  The article says:

After noting that “scripture engagement rates for Gen Z have been on a steady decline over the past three years,” he expressed gratitude that “this generation still shows significant interest in the Bible and the message of Jesus.”

“Ministry leaders may be surprised to find how open Gen Z adults in their communities are to discussion about God’s Word,” he added. “And if the trends we’re seeing continue—it’s crucial to be having those conservations now.”

Coming up later this month, you will hear from the leader of Precept, David Arthur, the son of ministry founders Kay and Jack Arthur.  The ministry has just launched a new outreach called "Yarrow." The Precept website notes:

In 2021, Precept sensed God calling us to reach out to the next generation with the hope and truth of God’s Word.

Yarrow is our answer to that call.

A product brand of Precept, Yarrow is the Bible study guide for the next generation.

The significance of that name? The Yarrow website notes: "...while the yarrow plant has been known to humans for a while, its uses vary widely. From treating headaches to elevating your salad, this plant keeps giving!" The site goes on to say, "The Bible is like that—you can read it over and over and yet still come away having discovered something new every time..."

The Church and individual Christians can consider the importance of reaching future generations with the gospel - the perpetuation of the practice of Biblical Christianity. While those in the Gen Z category may communicate differently and might even relate to the Scriptures in a different way - the Bible's meaning does not change.  While the packaging may be altered, the "precepts," if you will, are reliable and powerful.

And, there is a spiritual sensitivity among these future generations - and through the Internet and especially social media, there is no shortage of options.  So, while a person may claim to be "spiritual," that doesn't mean that he or she is devoted to Biblical Christianity.  The spiritual smorgasbord that exists does not necessarily point to the principles of Scripture.  So, each of us should make sure that we are devoted to the one true God and the truth of His Word - accept no substitutes!