Preparing the Next Generation (Part 1)

In his insightful and thought-provoking book with the crosses of God. Michael Yousif exposes the agenda of a growing number of anti-Christian groups and offers a solution for restoring sanity to a world gone mad as many Bible believing Christians are booked into removing the cross from the public.

It is time for believers to stand up to these attacks defend the cross is a symbol of God's grace and love be one of the first 1500 to make a donation of any amount to the work of leading the way and we will send you a copy of when the crosses are gone. Today, while supplies last call right or visit us online@allatw.org LTW got over Dr. Michael unisex current special offer. When the crosses are gone, while supplies last. Did those you get a gift to leading the way in us a call 866-626-4356 866-626-4356 or visit LTW.org, parents, young and old, often primarily focus on the basics with kids you know, be polite to grandma, do good in school get involved in an activity or sport or hobby that develops character casual here today. Parents also need to be raising your kids to be warriors for Jesus. This leading the way is the first installment in Dr. Michael you set series called preparing the next generation wise words for parents and grandparents, and anyone who has an influence on young people in our culture today. Looking into the wise words of Psalm 127, here's Dr. Michael you set what is really burdening my heart and occupying a great deal of my thinking and planning. Above all, pricing is the next generation of drug is not a surprise to those of you who are close to million know my heart, and we been talking about this and pray about this, but what really challenge me in a way that really shook me by the root was an article in the Atlantic monthly magazine that is not a Christian magazine so the bottom line of this article is as follows that a handful of lobbyists from the gay, lesbian and transgender group have been working behind the scene for a long time underground to change the biblical foundation of over 72 evangelical colleges in America, and succeeding. These colleges were founded and funded by those who took the authority of the Scripture seriously generations pass to build is now in danger of collapsing before our own eyes. This is in no way, not appreciating the marvelous work of campus ministries all around the country all around the nation, but the jolt to me personally is being used by the Holy Spirit to challenge my thoughts strategy. Above all, my prayer life for the next generation in the past.

Our Christian forebears have accomplished great and mighty things for God.

How by trusting God believing God to empower them to do great things for God throughout biblical history. We see God throughout history. Use the committed minorities, not the big and vast numbers.

But the town is small minority.

The Moses, Joshua, David, yes, the handful of Galilean fisherman and it was said of them that they have turned the world upside down and the world was nothing but a brutal dictatorship of the Roman emperors who have brutalized many a Christian. I please. I truly believe with all my heart that this can be said of this in the future generation. It can be said that they have turned the world upside down. They did not come to sit in the pews and said bless me and then they walked out on blessed no that they can turn the world upside down as I wanted to turn with me please to someone 27 particular verses three and four. Here's a literal translation verse three behold, children. I heard this from the Lord, the fruit of the womb and everyone like arrows in the hand of a warrior. Our children of one's youth. I need to tell you one thing. At the outset here. There is a specific application to these verses and then there is a wider application, there is a narrow application which is to the family to each Christian family to view their children as warriors for Christ as arrows for Christ as a gift from God.

But then there is a wider application of these verses and that is to see the children of the next generation of this church in the Christian community in the kingdom of God as warriors for Christ, and that is why, in fact, this Psalm begins with the city and then to go to the family. Psalm 128 does the opposite.

It begins with the family and they go into the city. The psalmist began verse one by reminding us of the sovereignty of God the sovereignty of God is foundational is the capstone the sovereignty of God is the beginning and the end the offer and the Omega that God is the one who gives us the next generation as a gift that God is the one who upholds the next generation but God is the one who can equip us to do anything at all for the next generation. Then the psalmist Tyson to tell us how we should view our responsibility to the next generation.

But even our responsibility cannot be accomplished without the power of God and the grace of God and that is why he concept without and unless unless unless there is only one way to view the next generation. Listen to me. Please.

That is, that they are truly a gift from God that there are God's gift to families that they are God's gift to churches that they are God's gift of the kingdom of God. They are God's gift of the society and there are many parents and you know what and I know it who want to give their children everything and provide them with everything and they leave out the most important thing and that is their responsibility toward your children of training them to be mighty warriors for God over reminding them of the power of God that is working in them and that is to instruct them that God longs for them to do mighty things for him and that is to pray that they not only succeed in life. But they succeed for Christ and whatever profession they may choose another parents who want to give their children the grandchildren everything they never had and they leave out the most important possession of all there are churches or provide all sorts of entertainment and good times for the next generation but they sin against the next generation by not instructing them that they can be giants for Christ and the generation that they can accomplish great things for God in the generation that they can change the world for Jesus Christ. So if I can paraphrase the first two verses of Psalm 127 will be like this, you can frantically work hard to give the next generation. Everything but if you leave out the most important thing the next generation is going to collapse before our own eyes.

I know this is a rough use of translation, but you really get the meaning will fall apart.

This is happening to the next generation of so many called evangelicals which would be enough to bring you to tears. So many churches and for many years. They provide the young people with the pizza night and a movie night and this night and that night and then neglected to give them the most important thing that I can be great leaders of the next generation that they could be expected to be used by God. Listen, I've often said to Mike is growing up positing up somebody's going to leave. Marcus will be you and that's what we need to tell our next generation that they seek God's power.

They will seek God's strength to accomplish great things for God that they can with God's power turn the world upside down.

You believe this is why the psalmist is saying that the heritage from below hurt was. That would mean the heritage.

What is a heritage. It's a gift is a precious gift. It's a valuable gift. It's a stewardship to be treasured.

We did not own it would not work hard for it. We did not produce it now. God gave us the next generation as a precious gift. I wanted him here I please because that gift of the next generation is far more valuable than all of the gold on the silver of the world. They are far more important than all of the real estate sit on the stocks and the bonds therefore are of greater value than all of the material possessions that we can give. So the question is this how do we treat such a gift had retreated with deep, deep sense of stewardship, a deep sense of responsibility, a great deal of care to protect and multiply, and develop them. You see, without the reliance on God and a sense of responsibility toward God. We can build up the next generation we can encourage the next generation, we can instill in them a sense of responsibility for the future we can train them to know God and to know that God can do great and mighty things in them and through them where constitute a reminder that there are a gift of God to serve the purpose of God in their generation. Listen, if like so many in our society just to the next generation is people who would entertain pamper provide for sick self fulfillment.

Your mother need greatest these things might be. There will never become errors in the hand of the warrior, the greatest warrior of all. The Lord himself had to be hours unless the next verses, verse four. I am absolutely convinced that if we are not going to be arrows. We gotta become a dartboard dartboard verse four as arrows in the hand of Almighty man as a literal translation is in the ancient world. Arrows were used in warfare and they actually were feared than the sword. Did you know that and that's why the Bible describes Satan attacks us with arrows score fiery darts the sewing errors all the time right on this one and the spiritual warfare you can either be an arrow or a dartboard what you want to be a man receiving Satan's arrow will keep your in a defensive posture and that's all right. We need to learn to be in a defensive posture. But we must learn to be on the offensive, we must invade his territory. We must go after those who enslaved to sin and set them free.

Because God called us to set the captive free being defensive is good, but being on the offensive is better. I believe God wants us not just to know how to be defensive, but also offensive into satanic territory his stronghold to rescue the perishing God wants us to train the next generation to believe that they can be not only on the defense but also on the offense.

That's what I'm arrows psalmist didn't say there will be a strong, polished dartboard. He said arrows did you get to be an arrow. We need to plan and think and organize, and above all style nominees praying day in and day out, so that God would use the next generation powerfully because when they are in the hand of the greatest bowl holder in the world. The Holy Spirit of God will accomplish things for God. Another quality of an arrow is that it's quick.

It moves with lightning speed. That's why say the spirit almost more than the sword is often unseen and moves fast as some of the greatest ministries are not visible. Not the famous ones. In fact, in ancient times because arrow has a long-range capability is fear the most. One of the greatest training for the next generation is to know that they can accomplish great things for God on their campuses and workplace.

Whatever God might call them because I can tell you on the authority of God's word and of experience and knowledge those ministries that are taking place that are invisible have greater impact than those of us are standing behind this book. That is why the Bible constantly talks about us being ours look at Isaiah chapter 49 verse two God speak of his word use like an arrow. Listen to the word of God.

He made my mouth like a shopping sword in the shadow of his hand.

He hardly he made me into a polished arrow he made mental polished what and conceal me in his quiver.

Jeremiah 5111 shopping arrows take up the shield for what purpose for serving God's purpose. Arrows also used to send messages they used to put a message in the tip of the arrow in the bowl holder would shoot it and then the message will get to the other side. In fact, in first Samuel chapter 20 verse 21. You see, Jonathan, the son of soul. Use the arrow to send David some messages instead of the arrow goes this way means that if it does that what it means. The other thing to be sure arrow can be used for good or evil. Satan use arrows but we have to use ours to depends on who is the bowl holder of the bowl holder is the Holy Spirit of God that arrows can accomplish great things for God wonderful things for God. Things were healing while Satan uses them for killing things for peace what he use them for hate things for love what he use them for enmity because when we pray and train the next generation they become errors in the greatest hand of all the Lord's hand visited me the anti-biblical forces and you have to be living under a rock not to see this did anti-biblical forces are planning and scheming and organizing their arrows be used for evil, and that is why we have no option but to train the next generation to be arrows. How first that they should not be deceived by false notions, a lot of false notions going on around us in society. False notions they should not fall for erroneous biblical teaching that supposed to be relevant in reality is feeling man, not God, that they should be equipped to be used as sharp arrows in the hand of the Holy Spirit without fear of intimidation above all, as we train, we pray for the next generation. But not only pray, train, and pray this something else I want to talk to my generation about okay because we can do all the praying we can do all of the training. But if we not modeling for them is not worth half a hallelujah.

Make no mistake about it, the next generation is watching what we do far more than what we say.

Several years ago I was meeting with a young man who grew up in a Christian home, and I must admit is one of those kind of meetings that sticks with you and and stays with you and Neil never forget it. To the day you die because he said to me that the reason I have forsaken the faces because my parents project one image in public and they live a different way at home. I'm telling you this chocolate to the core as a bad who make mistakes. Another granddad that is why the psalmist says unless God is the center of your home is God is the center of your business, unless God is the center of your heart in this God is the center of your pocketbook in this God is the center of your social life in this God is the center of your calendar unless God is the center of your thoughts unless God is the center of the church unless God is the center of the community unless God is the center all of the trillions of dollars you can throw at it and go to work with Trident. We tried it trillions of dollars in seeing society falling God for our own eyes was Albert Schweitzer who once said, example is not the main thing and influence. It is the only thing I might be an exaggeration, but it makes the point and mixer point is no use just telling training and pray with the model I'm going to tell you the story and I'll conclude this is the real story to illustrate what I'm trying to tell you about modeling. There was a man by the name of Henry M. Stanley back in the middle of 1800s it was a reporter for the New York Herald. He was given an assignment, go to Africa find Dr. David Livingstone, David Livingstone went on for five years. Nobody heard from him and he thought he was dead. So that was his assignment, and David Livingstone with the last scene was 1865. David Livingstone was the first missionary to going to the interior of Africa with the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was the first white man to ever see Victoria Falls and after his wife's death Livingstone threw himself completely into his work of reaching the lost in central Africa for Christ that he was not hurdle for five years so in 1871 Henry Stanley finally caught up with Dr. Livingston at the lake of Tanganyika which is now Tanzania for over a year.

Stanley followed and lived with Dr. David Livingstone, who was 58 at the time when he was trying to do initially is to persuade Dr. Livingston to return back to England, but after spending this considerable time living with him walking with him eating with him ministering with watching this great man of God, he could write the following.

He said had my soul been a brass in my heart. 15. The powers of my head, surely compelled me to recognize with you honor the spirit of goodness which manifested itself in him that there been anything. All of the Pharisee or the hypocrite in him or had I traced the grain of meanness or guile in him I would have turned away a skeptic but my everyday study of him during health or sickness deepened my reverence and increased my steam. He was in short, consistently noble, upright, pious, and all the days of my companionship with him. Beloved. That's our responsibility.

That's the responsibility of my generation is to model for the next generation because I can tell you all the preaching and all of the teaching and all of the training will not result anywhere near as modeling if we are to pray and God the next generation to do great exploits for God.

We better get off our blessed assurance and do great things for God, we had better sit our lives as role models so that they can see, not just here how to do great things and great exploits for God, Dr. Michael, you sat passionately proclaiming uncompromising truth on leading the way, if you like to get in touch with leading the way.

Give us a call 866-626-4356 or go online and LTW.org and back, you can begin a conversation about Jesus by clicking specifically to LTW.org/GSS into reaching the next generation as part of the DNA here leading the way and that's why it's one of the primary pillars of vision 2025 vision to see more than 1 million people all around the world come to know the truth of Jesus in the next few years, and to walk deeper with him as part of vision 2025.

A podcast was developed to reach young people with the gospel and specifically to provide a place for answers to the more complicated questions of life can be addressed and answered in a biblical manner. That podcast is called candid conversations with Jonathan you sent each week. Jonathan you set the youngest son of Dr. Michael Yousef, who serves as director and intergenerational ministries in his local church tackles topics critical to young people engaging their lives in the changing culture of today and engaging others with the truth of the gospel. Learn more and LTW.org/candid or search and subscribe to your favorite podcast platform again. It's called candid conversations with Jonathan you Seth, and of course in ministry representative can also give you direction. Give us a call 866-626-4356 866-626-4356 this program and find meaning and reign with Dr. Michael