April 9 – 1 Samuel 4-8

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 1 Samuel 4-8. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word.

In our reading today and yesterday we observe two men and their sons. First we encounter Eli and his sons Hophni and Phineahs. Eli was a noble man of God, however, that character did not descend to his children. They were wicked cruel men as they served God and his tabernacle. They are even responsible for the Ark of the Covenant when it is lost to the Philistines. While Eli was concerned with his duty of serving as priest he failed in his duty as father. He gets a redo in his opportunity to raise our second father in Samuel. Samuel is Eli’s redemption as a father, and this time he succeeds.

However, Samuel seems to not learn from the mistakes of his adoptive father Eli. When Samuel grows old and the daily duties of judging Israel are too much for him he appoints his oldest sons Joel and Abijah to hold court.  Here is what the Bible says of them … “They were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice.” (1 Samuel 8:3 NLT). The elders of Israel decide this arrangement is not working for them. They now want to be like the other nations … horrible mistake, I could write a whole post on this … and they want a king … by wanting a king they are rejecting God … do you do that in own life?

How can two great men go so wrong when it comes to raising their sons? Now sometimes no matter how terrific the parent might be there can be a disposition to a person that causes them to be a “bad apple.” However, I am a high believer that the next generation is a product of their parents and the generations that have come before. Think about this … the sexual experimentation we see in our teenagers today is not their doing … it’s their parents and grandparents generation that has gradually loosened the moral code and allowed so much more on TV, the internet, and in music. Teenagers today are not controlling the content that is out there; they are just simply the consumers of it. This content for the most part has been generated by the generations ahead of them.

Friends, maybe I am on a soapbox, maybe I am meddling this morning, but I strongly believe that we have a high responsibility to raise our children to be followers of Jesus Christ. That should come first and foremost beyond anything else. We cannot get caught up in living our dreams through them. We cannot get caught up in giving them every opportunity under the sun. We cannot get caught up in lavishing every richness of the world on them. All while their faith, belief, and relationship with Jesus Christ is suffering. I am seeing this too often in our church and it is breaking my heart. Do not be like Eli and Samuel … great men and women of God … who have children who do not truly know God beyond the lip service they might pay him.

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Understanding the Generational Gap Part 6

The following is part of a series on generations and what I have learned about them.

What defines the characteristics of a generation? I believe there are several factors at play when the characteristics of a generation are formed. Some of these include the parents they were raised by as well as the domestic and world events during their formative years. In the past couple of days we talked about the Greatest Generation, the Silent Generation, and the Baby Boomer Generation. Today we are going to complete the generation and how we might deal with them in the Church. As we do so, please understand this is a generalization of entire generations.

Generation Jones 1954-65
Now I know you might be thinking that we already covered these years, and yes we did. Some want to draw a line in the sand and break up the Baby Boomer Generation. Those that do sight that birth rates took a plunge in 1954 and that there are some different ideals. Some Characteristics about this generation are they arose less optimistic, they distrust the government more, and are generally cynical. This has a lot to do with the things of their era, like the oil crises of the 70’s and the war in Vietnam.

This generation can be a challenge to work with in the church. They take there distrust of government over to the church. They see the world wearing dark tinted glasses, and they see the church the same way. This generation, like the Baby Boomers can be hard to get involved in things and when they do, the commitment level is not that high. Those who have been in the church most of their lives are committed and even stepping up to be leaders and Elders. This generation is highly educated and wants real answers to the questions we ask. We have to be prepared to give those real answers.

Generation X – 1963-1979
This generation was born at the end of the Vietnam War, and saw the end of the cold war and the fall of communism. They grew up during relative peace; they hold the highest levels of education of any generation; and they saw the rise of computers, video games, and the internet. This generation tends to make less money than their fathers did, but their hose hold incomes are higher because of working spouses. This generation is very pragmatic and perceptive to new things. They are very savvy but amoral. This generation is more focused on earning money than creating art.

This generation can be a great benefit to any church. Getting them in the church however can be a challenge. There are so many things screaming for this generation’s time that adding something else can be a challenge. What this generation is looking for is a church that can help to meet the needs of their families. They want churches that have things for their kids, have things that reduce the number of things they have to do, and have things that get them involved. This generation wants to see technology being used to demonstrate the gospel, as well as seeing things done professionally. They are consumer driven, and want the church to act like a marketer. This has forced the church to keep up with the modern day world.

Generation Y – 1978-1992
This generation was born during the collapse of USSR, the fall of the Berlin wall and the end of the Cold War. This generation was born in a time of resurgence of the US as an economic world power. This generation is driven by communication such as media and digital technology. This generation signs on daily to Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, YouTube, and their person blogs. They can be called the MTV generation. This generation no longer receives their news the “old fashioned” way of the newspaper. 74% of this generation receives its new by TV or the Internet. They grew up participating and trying everything under the sun. Because of social networking this generation is greatly affected by what their peers are doing. They have also delayed the plunge into adult hood by living with their parents longer, waiting longer for marriage, and those who choose to, waiting longer to have children. Because of this delaying of adulthood, this generation is more in touch with their parents than generation before. They have have forced business to change its strategy’s and marketing. When it comes to working, this generation seeks more feedback and responsibility, but does not want to be left out of decision making. However, they want their jobs to adapt to their lives instead of adapting their lives to their jobs.

This generation has become very focused on me. Because their grandparents parents left (the broad Baby Boomer Generation), we have a long way to go when it comes to brining them to Christ. They do not see the need for salvation. They have been raised in a world that say if it feels good do it. Their morals are based on what they want them to be. Teaching about the love of Christ is a long road. However, this generation is looking for meaning and purpose. They want to know what they are here for and they want completeness. We have a perfect opportunity to show them that only true completeness is found in Jesus Christ. We must do that by being open going to where they are, maybe that can be through blogging and social networking. We must also change the way we market the church. We must now look professional, put together, like we know what we are doing. This generation seeks this in all aspects of their lives. This generation is waiting for us to come to them. With this generation, more than any before it, must we follow the approach of Christ, and go to the people, where they, no matter how far away.

There is one more generation living in our society today. However, they are still coming into their own and I will not discuss them here. Check back Monday to see how all of this ties together.

Understanding the Generational Gap Part 2

The following is part of series on generations and what I have learned about them.

Do you know what generation you belong to? For some of us it is pretty easy to define, for others it can be rather difficult. Because there is no specific authority, the lines and names of the various generations can become a little gray. From my research I believe there is between 6 and 8 generations living today. Below is a list of the common names used to describe generations and the years given. (The years and names very from source to source. Generations in green are agreed upon breakdowns)

1. The Greatest Generation – 1901- 1924
2. Some want to split this into two Generations – 1901 – 1913 or 1912- 1924
3. The Silent Generation – 1923 – 1943
4. The Baby Boomer Generation – 1946 – 1964
5. Generation Jones – 1954 – 1964 (Birth rates of this period dropped off the Baby Boom highs thus leading some to say a new generation started in 1954).
6. Generation X – 1963 – 1979
7. Generation Y – 1978 – 1992
8. Generation Z – 1992 - 2010

As you can see there is no real authority when it comes to defining when a generation starts and when it ends. Part of the reason for this difference and for some of the overlapping in years has to do with the parents of the generation. Depending where the parents are born affects what generation a child born during a change is placed. This makes this research a lot of fun.

How does all this affect the church? To have the best church possible you must closely relate it to your people. Knowing the different generations, their likes and dislikes will go a long way in defining what you church will look like. Can you guess what generation most of the people in your congregation belong to?

Understanding the Generational Gap

How do different generations define your church? I have read many books that mention generations and how they interact in the world. Each book defines generations in their own way to meet their own purposes. Today I was reading a blog that was talking about how the church that the writer attended in the early 90’s was geared for the Baby Boomer Generation (those who are who are 45 to 63 years old). Because my mind was confused and intrigued by the different generations I decided to do some research.
After my two hours of quick internet research I feel I have a better understanding of the many generations that exist in our country today. I think defining and understanding these generational gaps is imperative to church growth. Where in society do we try to be all things to all generations? The Church! Apple does not market the iPhone to the Silent Generation (those who are 66 to 86 years old). For the most part Dentucreme (a denture cleaning paste) is not marketed to Generation Y (those who are 17 to 31 years old). There are many products out there for people at specific periods of life. Likewise, there are products out there that for specific generations. But the church is for all people (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
Because of the differences in generations the church has run into many different problems, often based on preferences. The one that comes quickly to mind is worship. In the church we have the task of leading people in worship that are 10 years old and at the same time 80 years old. That is a very tall and challenging task. That is why I believe understanding the generational gap is very important. Over the next several days I plan to lay out some things I have learned about the different generations and how their particular characteristics affect the way we do church.