(from Gospel Advocate, December 2004)
In many ways, I'm still just a "kid." I am a member of what many are calling the "Millennial Generation," which is often nick-named the "Millennial Kids." I have grown up as a "preacher's kid," and I have benefited from the Christian examples set by both my parents, as well as my grandparents. I am a minister, yet as I learn more about the men and women who have given their entire lives to spreading God's word, I feel like a kid. Trust me, this article is not designed to share any previously unknown ministry insights I have discovered (if that were the case, it would be a short article!). I'll leave that to those much more experienced and capable individuals who have worked in God's Kingdom for years. There is only one thing I wish to share with you in this article; it is one trait that "kids" almost always possess, and I'm convinced we desperately need it: optimism.
As I read our periodicals and listen to our sermons, I hear a clear message: the church is in crisis. We are facing questions about church life similar to the ones our grandparents faced. We are watching a nation's morality disintegrate into a pluralistic culture similar to the one Paul viewed as he stood on Mars Hill in Acts 17. We are witnessing our own brothers and sisters struggle with arguments and divisions that threaten to permanently damage the church. If we aren't careful, we can become so discouraged by these challenges that we resign ourselves to a decline in our numbers, as well as our effectiveness. However, as I look around to our current atmosphere in America, I see something positive � potential. I hear something exciting � a flood of religious questions asked by honest, searching hearts, and I hope for something special � God working through His children to spread His Gospel.
There's one thing in particular that kids often do � they ask questions. One road trip with a five-year-old can have you fielding questions that range from "Are we there yet?" to "Why are those little yellow lines in the road?" Today, our society is asking serious questions. I was recently given the opportunity to spend time in a public High School's World History Class. They were studying World Religions, and I was assigned the topic of explaining the core beliefs and values of the church of Christ. After a brief lecture, we entered an impromptu question and answer session. They asked about worship, women's role in church life, and even church discipline. (Talk about some tough questions!) One question that lingered in my mind was this one � "Why would you be a member of the church of Christ instead of another church?" What an incredible opportunity to talk to teenagers, not about why we are smarter than everyone else or why all of us in the church are perfect (neither is true), but about why we desire to follow God's Word and be New Testament Christians. Our teenagers, like many others, are searching; they are asking questions, and they will reject pat answers and trite responses. They want to see real, genuine people in a true relationship with God, and we can show them that. In fact, our culture is beginning to resemble the atmosphere in which the Lord's church was established.
Christianity has always been able to handle hard questions. The apostle Peter fielded some difficult ones. In Acts 2, Peter answered one tough question � "What shall we do?", and his answer showed 3,000 people the way to salvation. In the next chapter, Peter and John were asked for money, yet Peter's response caused a lame beggar to praise God so energetically that all those around him were amazed. In Acts 4, after Peter and John had been led before the Sanhedrin, they were asked to identify the source of their power. Peter responded with a statement of the Gospel that astonished the council. By the way, between Acts 2 and 4, the church grew from 3,000 (2:41) to 5,000 (4:4). People were asking questions, and God was working through His apostles to grow His church. Did you notice that in both Acts 2 and 4, Peter was inspired by the Holy Spirit? If the Holy Spirit could handle those questions, don't you think the inspired word He left for us can handle any questions society might throw at us? If the Lord's church could thrive in the midst of all these inquiries, can the same thing happen today?
We must consider several questions. What if our future in the church of Christ is a bright one? What if we persevere through our own inward, personal challenges to establish an outward, evangelistic focus? What if we develop an "Acts" attitude in responding to the world's questions? What if we do more than survive; what if we flourish? What if we do the only thing that has ever worked to spread the Gospel: teach God's word while displaying His love? Maybe, just maybe, we could show the upcoming generation exactly what they are searching for � a loving Creator who longs to have a genuine, pure relationship with them.
In many ways, I'm still just a "kid." As I think of the possibility of having kids of my own in the future, I wonder what the church in which they are reared will look like. As I watch God use the questions our culture is asking to bring people to Him and use His church to meet the needs of others, I am filled with one feeling � optimism. People are asking questions, and we don't know all the answers ourselves. Aren't you glad we serve the One who does?