Next generation leadership has always been the heart of God for His body. Jesus exemplified this best by actively seeking out those that would carry out His commission even after He ascended back to heaven. God calls us to prepare in the same way, and what better place than to start with our children?
Twenty to 30 years from now, it will no longer be us advancing God's kingdom. It will be our children. The reality, however, is that not a lot of ministries put much emphasis on preparing the next generation for this undertaking. As a result, many parents and many ministries lose their children to the materialism of this world.
Psalm 78:4 shows us God's heart for the next generation: "We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done."
Jesus is in the business of restoring and calling the generations to Him. Here are three ways that we can participate in God's work of restoring the next generation for God.
Share God's deeds to the next generation
Unless the next generation sees the glory and power that is behind God's name, they will not see for themselves the goodness of the Lord. As visible as God's goodness is to our families, most people will not quickly associate it with the grace of God thinking it's luck or a result of our hard work. We must be quick to remind the next generation that the wonders we experience come only as an extension of God's deeds and favour.
Be a channel of the Holy Spirit to your children
Acts 2:17 says, "And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams."
God pours down His Holy Spirit to all people and God calls us to be channels. Often this means that we pray for our children to experience the Holy Spirit's power. Sometimes it can be as simple as stepping back and allowing the Holy Spirit to do the work apart from us.
Exemplify God's relevance
As sad as it is, many of today's youth reject the move of God because they fail to see God in their parents. As parents, are we the same people in church and at home or do we split our personalities into two? God is calling this current generation to exemplify godliness and obedience. It starts by allowing Christ to continually transform us. Unless it is the blood of Christ that redeems and changes us, our external change will always be superficial, and the first people who will see that are the people in our home.
