Trail Markers for the Older Generation

When we talk about the power of a multigenerational church, I know many who are a little older think, “But why does everything have to change?! We’re comfortable. We don’t want to leave our comfort zone.”

Listen, the payoff will be well worth it if we choose to make the journey.

So today I’d like to share three trail markers specifically for the middle-aged and older.

EMBRACE

Embrace the fact that God uses young people.

David was a teen when God called and began using him. Jeremiah was a youth when God gave him a word for the nation. Timothy was young when the apostle Paul entrusted him with great responsibility. When Job’s older friends brought no wisdom, God used Elihu, a young man, to speak into the situation.

A preacher friend was once at a conference where everyone in preaching ministry was called forward for prayer.

To my friend’s dismay, he found himself face to face with a smiling 18-year-old girl. He thought to himself, “What a waste of time this will be!”

As if hearing his thoughts, the young lady looked at him and said, “My, aren’t you cynical.” Then, through a gift of the Holy Spirit, she began to speak to him about his inward weariness and struggles—things that God alone knew of.

She prayed, and he began to sob as a mighty presence of God descended upon him. That encounter changed his life, his ministry, and his entire mind-set about the younger generations.

REMEMBER

Remember, God still looks at the heart. Where you see inexperience, tattoos, and a topknot, God sees potential and the future of His Kingdom.

When Samuel was sent to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to become Israel’s next king, God had to interrupt the process. Jesse brought all of his most strapping, handsome sons to stand before Samuel. But God said, “Do not look at [their] appearance or at [their] physical stature…. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

REJOICE

Rejoice in the successes of the younger generations.

Guard your heart against jealousy and resentment when you see younger believers surpassing you in achievement and influence.

Genesis 37:9-11 says of Joseph,

Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.” So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?” And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

Jacob’s first response was to recoil at Joseph’s dream, saying, “Who do you think you are? You think you’re going to have more influence than I do?!” Joseph’s brothers became incredibly jealous and resentful.

We shouldn’t feel threatened by the big dreams of the young people in our midst. We ought to encourage them or, better yet, help them build!

Did you enjoy this reading plan? Get equipped to successfully reach, raise up, and release the next generation by reading my book "From Generation to Generation."