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By Frank Powell, edited by Bobby Price
“If your church is serious about the Great Commission, it also needs to be serious about understanding this generation.” Many people are pessimistic about millennials, but I believe this generation is poised to transform the culture (and the world) for good. For many churches and leaders, however, millennials are (to borrow a quote from Winston Churchill) “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” I would agree with Churchill’s statement on some levels, but the riddle can be solved. Once you find out what makes millennials tick, they are not that puzzling. They simply have a unique set of passions, interests and viewpoints on the culture and the world. But the church has largely failed to take stock in this generation because millennials are different. This is a problem. A lack of knowledge breeds fear, and this is true of the church in relation to millennials. Many churches do not take the time to know the next generation, so they are stuck with stigmas (many untrue) that have been attached to them. There are churches, however, that are thriving with millennials, and if you did some investigation I believe you would find similar results, regardless of the church locale. So, what differentiates a church culture that attracts millennials from one that repels them? There are many factors, but I want to highlight 10 really important ones. If your church wonders why reaching the next generation is difficult, the following points might shed some light on your struggle. 1. There is a strong resistance to change. The next generation doesn’t understand why churches refuse to change a program, activity or even an entire culture if it isn’t effective. Millennials don’t hold traditions close to their heart. In fact, for many (myself included) traditions are often the enemy because many churches allow traditions to hinder them from moving forward. Millennials are tired of hearing the phrase, “This is how we have always done it.” That answer is no longer acceptable. Millennials want to change the world. Often, traditions hold them back from this. Change is necessary to remain focused on the vision and staying externally focused, among many other things. The next generation understands this. 2. A compelling vision is lacking. If creating an environment totally void of the next generation is your goal, especially those with any initiative and talent, refuse to cast vision in your church. That will drive millennials away faster than I ran the time I saw a rattlesnake in the woods and screamed like a girl. Don’t judge me. It baffles me when a church doesn’t value vision and planning. In no other arena of life do we refuse to cast vision and plan, but for some reason the church is different. Millennials will not invest in a church that refuses to dream big because they see example after example of an infinitely powerful God doing amazing things through normal people. You might think they are naive, but most millennials don’t believe they have to wait until they receive a certain degree or reach a certain age to start nonprofits, plant churches or lead businesses. So go ahead and believe “the Spirit is supposed to guide us, not a man-made vision,” or just allow sheer laziness to lead the way, but your church will continue to be void of the next generation. 3. Mediocrity is the expectation. Quite simply, the next generation is not content with mediocrity. They believe they can (and will) change the world. Good or bad, they have a strong desire for the extraordinary. Failure is not going to drive the train. This also seems like a foreign concept to many in previous generations, but millennials aren’t scared to fail. And they believe churches should operate with a similar mindset. Failing and being a failure are mutually exclusive. They dream often and dream big because they understand they serve a God who works beyond their abilities. Millennials have a collective concern for making the world a better place, and mediocrity fits nowhere in those plans. 4. There is a paternalistic approach to leading millennials. This is one I have experienced personally. If you want to push the next generation away from your church, don’t release them to lead. Simply giving them a title means nothing. Titles are largely irrelevant to the next generation. Millennials want to be trusted to fulfill the task given to them. If you micromanage them, treat them like a child or refuse to believe they are capable of being leaders because of their age and lack of experience or wisdom, they will be at your church for a short season. Millennials will not allow age to keep them from leading, and leading well. If you refuse to release them to lead, the next generation will quickly find another church or context where they can use their talents and gifts to their full capacity. 5. There is a pervasive insider-focused mentality. Traditional or contemporary worship? High church or low church? A plurality of elders, board of directors or staff-led church? While past generations invested a lot of time in these discussions, most millennials see these conversations as sideways energy. There might be a time and place for talking about high church versus low church, but the time is very rarely and the place is not from a pulpit or in a small group. What is important to millennials? How a church responds to the lost people in the world, both locally and globally. How a church responds to the poor, homeless, needy and widowed. If you want to ensure your church has very few millennials, answer the questions nobody is asking, spend most of your resources on your building and have programs that do little to reach anybody outside the church walls. The next generation is pessimistic toward institutions—the church included. Millennials are not going to give their time and resources to a church that spends massive amounts of money on inefficient and ineffective programs. by Megan Basham, edited by Bobby Price
A well-known denominational pastor, John MacArthur, calls on preachers in Canada to preach the truth despite the Canadian government restricting teachings that are counter to homosexuality and all LGBTQ beliefs. Though MacArthur is doctrinally incorrect on many things, his influence is large and it is a good thing he is using his influence to encourage preaching of the truth. This is reminiscent of Peter's answer to the Jewish leaders--an answer we must give to our leaders today, "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). -Bobby Original article with edition by Bobby, John MacArthur Calls On Pastors To Preach Biblical Sexuality In Defiance Of New Canadian Law That Would ‘Criminalize Evangelism’ Canadian pastors are warning that a new “conversion therapy” bill, just passed by parliament, will likely ban them from teaching that homosexuality and transgenderism are sins according to the Bible. The bill in question, known as C-4, unanimously passed both the House of Commons and the Senate before receiving Royal Assent on December 8, meaning it will officially become Canadian law on Jan 8. On the surface, it’s meant to outlaw “conversion therapies”— that is, psychological treatments intended to re-train same-sex attracted people to prefer the opposite sex and individuals who believe they’re transgender to embrace their biological sex. When approached in a coercive or abusive manner, nearly all mainstream Christian denominations also condemn such therapy. But critics say C-4’s language is so broad it also effectively bans preaching and teaching based on biblical sexual ethics. For instance, it could prevent counseling that references the many Old and New Testament passages that demonstrate God reserves sex for one man and one woman within the bond of marriage. It could also criminalize any instruction that confirms human beings are created as indelibly male or female from birth (the Bible has no category for transgender other than to condemn men dressing like women and vice versa in verses like Deuteronomy 22:5). Even further, the bill makes it a crime for parents to provide Christian therapy to their children suffering from gender dysphoria and prevents pastors and other religious leaders from offering biblical counseling or advice to same-sex attracted individuals who desire to obey God’s commands to repent from the sin of homosexual practices. Violations carry a penalty of up to five years in prison. In response, John MacArthur, longtime senior pastor of Grace Community Church in Los Angeles, is asking for ministers across the U.S. to join him in preaching about God’s standard for sexuality on Jan. 16. MacArthur’s statement, issued Dec. 28, calls for a show of solidarity that will “put the Canadian and the U.S. governments on notice that they have attacked the Word of God.” In his appeal, MacArthur quoted Canadian minister James Coates (who was jailed earlier this year for keeping his church open in violation of government Covid restrictions), saying the bill could be used to “criminalize evangelism.” “I am eager to support our Canadian brothers and to preach on biblical sexual morality on January 16, and I invite you as a faithful pastor to do the same,” MacArthur wrote, later adding, “We are all well-aware of the evil power and destructive influence of the homosexual and transgender ideology. Our government is bent on not only normalizing this perversion, but also legalizing it, and furthermore criminalizing opposition to it." He then went on to point out that similar laws have made their way through state legislatures in the U.S. In 2012, California enacted a law that prohibited conversion therapy, though it’s purview is much more limited than C-4’s. New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Massachusetts, Nevada, and a number of other states passed similar bills soon after. On a national level, the Democratic Party included banning “harmful conversion therapy practices” in its platform at its convention this past August. At the same time, as The Daily Wire has previously reported in numerous stories, school districts across the U.S. have grown much more aggressive in teaching students that they may be gay or transgender and that identifying as such is good for children’s mental health. Countless videos posted on social media accounts like Libs of TikTok have gone viral in recent months for showing LGBT educators and their “allies” insisting they have a right to indoctrinate children with the idea that characterizing homosexuality or transgenderism as sin is hateful. To date, there are no laws that prohibit teachers, counselors, or clergy from proselytizing for homosexuality and transgenderism. C-4 is no different. As Anna Nienhuis of Canada’s Association for Reformed Political Action has pointed out, while the bill bans any attempts to help someone turn away from unwanted homosexuality or transgenderism, it imposes no limits on attempts to “counsel a cisgender or heterosexual individual to become transgender or homosexual.” In his open letter, MacArthur, whose daily Bible teaching program, “Grace to You,” is one of the most popular radio ministries in the world, quoted Andrew DeBartolo, teaching elder at Encounter Church in Ontario. DeBartolo stressed the importance of pushing back against government authoritarianism on this issue and thanked his American brothers for their willingness to stand alongside him: "In the Preamble of the Bill, it says that the belief that “heterosexuality, cisgender gender identity and gender expression that conforms to the sex assigned to a person at birth are to be preferred over other sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions” is a “myth.” According to Canadian law, as of January 8, 2022, the belief in God’s design for marriage and sexuality will now be seen as a myth… "On January 16, 2022, faithful men across this country (and many in the United States as well) will be preaching on God’s design for marriage and a biblical ethic of sexuality. We will be doing so illegally, declaring to the State that there is one God and one Lord over His church, and that Christ alone gets to both define marriage and dictate what is required in the pulpit. We are honored that our American brothers will be joining us in this.” Hours after MacArthur posted the letter to social media, hundreds of pastors affirmed that they had signed it and will be joining him in preaching about biblical sexuality in defiance of C-4 and similar U.S. laws on Jan. 16. Matthew's Great Commission, 28:16-20
[Mat 28:16-20 ESV] 16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Authority: our commission comes from the highest authority so it carries the highest importance. This mission is in the name [read: authority] of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Discipleship: our commission continues post-conversion. Our mission is not to baptize, but to make disciples who, after being baptized, obey the Lord's commands. To the end of the age: Jesus' presence is promised to the end of the age, which is how long this mission will last. Each generation of disciples obeys this command to raise a new one. Mark's Great Commission, 16:14-18 [Mar 16:14-18 ESV] 14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." Faith: our mission is to generate faith in the resurrection of Christ. Two options are given: 1) belief and baptism or 2) unbelief. Those who believe will be baptized. Salvation: our mission has very clear consequences and very high stakes. There is an urgency to our mission, to give people an opportunity to be saved. The path to be saved is clear. Power: Jesus includes the miraculous signs at the hands of the disciples that verify the message of the gospel. These miracles give us confidence that the gospel is true. Luke's Great Commission, 24:44-49 [Luk 24:44-49 ESV] 44 Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." Prophecy: Jesus' death and resurrection were predicted by Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. This is God's will and plan to save the world that was planned from the beginning. Christ's suffering: The Gospel is Christ's suffering and resurrection. There is no Gospel apart from this message. Our mission is to teach this event to the world. Geographical origin: Our mission is rooted in historical events and can be traced back to Jerusalem 30 AD. The Bible records the beginning of our mission that is now passed to us. Defining our mission from the Great Commission, ● our mission is all-inclusive, to all nations and all the world ● our mission is to proclaim or teach, to verbalize the gospel In Matthew's GC, Jesus emphasizes: ● our mission is by God's authority, why we obey and what we call other to submit to ● our mission is to create disciples, those committed to learning and practicing ● our mission includes baptizing by the name of the triune God ● our mission includes teaching people to obey Jesus' commands ● our mission lasts to the end of the age In Mark's GC, Jesus emphasizes: ● our mission is to generate faith in the resurrection of Christ ● our mission is to offer salvation to escape condemnation ● our mission is enforced by the past miracles that prove the gospel In Luke's GC, Jesus emphasizes: ● our mission is to preach a message predicted and prophesied by God ● our mission is to preach the gospel which is Jesus suffering and being resurrected ● our mission is to call people to repent to be forgiven of sin ● our mission started in Jerusalem where Jesus gave the GC and offered his HS ● our mission began with the Apostles and it continues to today with us 2 Peter 1:21 tells us that the Spirit "moved" the prophets to produce Scripture and the Holy Spirit uses that very Scriptures to "lead" us non-prophet Christians. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God as his instrument (Eph 6:17) which generates within us faith (Rom. 10:17).
Romans 8 is key to understanding how to walk in the Spirit and you will see that to walk in the Spirit requires and centers around God's word. [Rom 8:1-4 ESV] 1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus [KJV, who walk not according to the flesh (but according to the Spirit)]. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. This passage concerns the lifestyle of a person who has been saved, someone who is already in Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ's sacrifice gave that which is required for each of us by God. Those who have received the sacrifice and passed on that requirement are described as those "who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." Verse 5 begins to explain what it means to walk according to the Spirit, [Rom 8:5 ESV] 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. Walking by the Spirit requires us to set our mind on the things of the Spirit. Where do you find the things of the Spirit? In God's Word. To think on the contents of scripture is to think of the things of the Spirit, which is part of walking by the Spirit. You'll notice in this chapter we are to fight against our flesh, that is both our material selves and our sinful desires. The flesh is everything about you that is not like God, from the fact that you are flesh and bones to your desires to sin. [Rom 8:7-8 ESV] 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. By implication, the mind set on the Spirit submits to God's law. How can you submit to God's law if you do not know it? To set the mind on the things of the Spirit is not just thinking about God's law, but also submitting to it. Setting your mind on the things of the Spirit includes submission to God's law. Walking by the Spirit includes submission to God's law. [Rom 8:13 ESV] 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. The deeds of the body are sin that it desires. Our weak human nature and our sinful desires must be counteracted. We must cease those acts of weakness and sin. The cessation of the deeds of the flesh are done by the Holy Spirit. This is repentance. A mind set on the things of the Spirit will repent and stop sinning. Walking by the Spirit includes repentance. [Rom 8:15 ESV] 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" In verse 15, we see the Spirit works in our communication to God, which is in our worship, our praise, and our prayers. A mind set on the things of the Spirit will cry out to God--will worship God. Walking by the Spirit includes crying out to God in worship, praise, and prayer. And of course, God's word reveals to us who the God is that deserves worship and how to worship God. If a concise definition were given of walking in the Spirit, I would say it is like pictured in Romans 8:16, our spirit cooperating with the Holy Spirit's guidance. And the Spirit's guidance is done through the word of God. Collecting all the information from this chapter you can see how walking by the Spirit Romans 8 defines walking by the Spirit. You cannot walk by the Spirit without study of God's word. ○ To walk by the Spirit is to set your mind on the things of the Spirit, which are found in God's word ○ To walk by the Spirit is to submit to God's law, which is found in God's word ○ To walk by the Spirit is to repent of sin, and God's word reveals what sin is ○ To walk by the Spirit is to worship God, and God's word reveals who he is and how to worship him. As God's word says, [Rom 8:14 ESV] 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Are we being led by the Spirit of God? by Bobby Price
Jesus told the disciples, "12 I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you." [Jhn. 16:12-14 ESV] The Spirit guided them into all truth. Many of these truths were not already in their minds. Jesus said he had more things to teach them but couldn't (v12). There were lessons that the Apostles needed to learn but wouldn't learn from Jesus. These lessons would be taught to the Apostles by the Spirit in place of Jesus. This is what it means when Peter said they were "carried along" by the Holy Spirit, [2Pe 1:21 ESV] For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit "carrying" them along means that the Spirit would take these ideas and place them into the Apostles' minds. In this way, the Spirit would take their minds and carry them to where they needed to go. These verses describe the process of inspiration very well, [1Co 2:11-12 ESV] 11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. Notice what Paul says there, the Spirit knows the thoughts of God and the Spirit gives the thoughts of God to Paul the Apostle. Paul did not have to arrive at a conclusion, the Spirit gave it to him. The Apostles did not make up these doctrines; they were given to them by the Spirit. The thoughts and the truths were placed into their minds so they could speak them or write them down. 2 Peter 1:21 is in the context of prophecy which can be trusted and is written by eyewitnesses of Jesus' majesty. That prophecy is produced apart from mankind's design, not by "the will of man." It was produced through men but by the work of the Holy Spirit. Again, the word for "carried/moved" implies the Holy Spirit was the actor, and the prophets were the passive object. Whereas Romans 8:14 describes the Spirit's work in all Christians ' lives as being "led" by the Spirit. There is a big difference in these terms; notice the difference between the Spirit picking someone up and taking them, and the Spirit leading and guiding someone. The first is more forceful while the second is more cooperative. The Holy Spirit took the Apostles' minds where they needed to go for revelation; the Holy Spirit guides our minds to where they need to go for living by faith. See the difference between the Apostles' and us. The Holy Spirit injected into the Apostles' minds the truths they needed to know. With us, we learn the truths in our own minds by learning God's word and the Holy Spirit works with the truths in our minds. |
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June 2022
Bobby PriceBobby Price was born and raised by Christian parents in Perrin, Texas. Bobby decided early in life to become a preacher of God's word. He attended the Sunset International Bible Institute in Lubbock, Texas where he graduated in 2015 with his Bachelors of Biblical Studies with a focus in Congregational Ministry. Afterwards, he interned for a year at the valley view Church of Christ in Jonesboro, AR. He is currently working on his Masters of Biblical Studies, through the Sunset International Bible Institute Graduate School. |