Go for Multigenerational Gold
As a 39-year-old husband and father, a pastor for the last 15 years, I have heard many different responses after promoting the necessity and privilege of being a part of a multigenerational church; a message ringing awfully loud within the framework of a church culture where communications pastors are assigned the task of flooding Instagram with pictures of their worship services, aimed at appealing to specifically “younger generations.” The reels of “Kaboom Church’s” dynamic welcome team rarely contain seasoned saints intermingling with the less seasoned, but rather focus more on young adult “friend groups” dawning Urban Outfitters as if the Kendrick Brothers christened Degrassi for TBN. If any given family, new in town or away from home, checks the socials looking for a likeminded, local church to attend, they will most likely find posts exemplifying the cool kids table in a local high school cafeteria rather than imagery of unified, faithful generations mentoring one another and developing strong relationships built on lessons of endurance and perseverance for what inevitably lies ahead.
Some of the more scoffing responses to this promotion include: it’s not relevant anymore or this isn’t your grandparents’ church. I am here to ask: what is wrong with younger families finding a faithful, biblical church FLOODED with faithful grandparents? Why aren’t we seeing more cultural tides shift AWAY FROM finding and sustaining a congregation of clones from the same peer groups who like the same music and live in the same seasons of life? Why are we no longer viewing multigenerational church as not only a necessity but a gift for godly discipleship and spiritual growth? The answer is two-fold and aimed in two directions:
1) Older generations must desire younger generations in their churches more than they desire to keep every preference in their church from changing.
2) Younger generations, pragmatically inspired to be a part of a trend over a church family, a brand name-based movement over generational discipleship and mission, must change their way of thinking and see those farther along in their faith as blessings rather than burdens.
Here are just a few important reasons why both older and younger generations should find one another in local churches and work to avoid worshipping in isolated peer groups:
The Bible Tells Us So: Assuming your church is under the authority of Scripture with Christ as its headship, the Word of God clearly proclaims ALL GENERATIONS worshipping together. A perfect passage for this is Psalm 145:4-7: “One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They tell of the power of your awesome works—and I will proclaim your great deeds, they celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.” We often look at “our testimony” as something only reserved for evangelism or a helpful illustration helping an unbeliever witness the effects of the Gospel. In multigenerational churches, you are living out your testimony intergenerationally in the way you worship, the hymns you sing, how you study, personally sharing in multigenerational Sunday school classes/small groups, and outside the walls of the church as fellowshipping friends and family.
Eternity Practice: In Heaven, the true authority on how we should conduct our worship services, the generations will be worshipping side by side with one another. By committing to a multigenerational church, we are getting glimpses into the worship we will experience for all eternity. There is nowhere in the Bible where a church is built nor held to a single peer group for any long period of time or under some manmade construct in order to more quickly “grow” the body. Many churches have become so focused on personal preferences as an attractional feature, individuals have programmatically become segregated through types of worship or classes, creating multiple churches within one building. When seasoned saints welcome the energy and ideas new blood can bring to format and ministerial execution, I have seen time and time again, younger generations REJUVENATE and BREATHE new life into church bodies without compromising theologically or shifting every preference or design modernistically. It is a beautiful, possible thing.
Personal Story: Several years back, I invited two friends in their late 30s, who were looking for a church, to our multigenerational church of a couple hundred people (at the time). At lunch, my friend asked “I could tell your church was an older church based on the flower dedications ya’ll put in your bulletins every week.” 1) Yes, we still print a bulletin. 2) We are getting QR codes on the back of chairs. While he made the joke, I asked him “Did you happen to read what the flower dedications were honoring?” He shook his head no. “Today’s flowers in the sanctuary were from a husband celebrating he and his wife’s 60th anniversary.” If I’m a married twenty or thirty something with or without kids, why would I want to be in a church where everyone is my age, looks like me, and not one Christian has been married longer than I have been married! The smoke machine is optional, give me a church filled to the brim with 60+ year marriages!
Warning: Pastors and church leaders, reconsider marketing your churches towards a specific generation and aim all resources at faithfully incorporating followers of Christ from all walks of life. Many in the younger generations have been inculcated into narcissism with the endless discussions of “looks like me” or “looks like something I would like.” Thinking that way also happens to be the basis of all race obsession and “representation’ arguments. Those who focus on “looks like me, acts like me, walks like me, talks like me” may have placed their identity in their flesh rather than in their Christ; missing out on several real opportunities for healthy, challenging, godly relationships.
In Summation: To all the Oldies but Goodies, there is a possibility your church is dying because you have chosen extrabiblical traditions and commands over a generation onto whom you could pass on your godly wisdom and assist sacrificially in growing the future church.
To all the Young Bucks, your singleness or the families you carry in tow are not burdens to the older generations in your local church, THEY are blessings. Trust the Spirit to let them see that truth. One of the greatest things I have ever witnessed in my time behind the pulpit, is how the Spirit goes before us and after us uniting adoptive grandparents with adoptive grandkids, looking out and witnessing all three generations, bonded not by blood but by Spirit, grow together in such a way only the God could get the glory. We as the church must incorporate both practices, speaking to both sides, and see the value of Multigenerational worship shaping the eternal perspective for generations to come.
– Pr Adam Page
Immigrant, Tourist, or Exile? You can only be one.
1 Peter 1:1-3 says: “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…”
What does this mean? Here on this fallen rock, we have “identity options.” You can be an immigrant. An immigrant is someone who seeks to make this new country their permanent home. They are not from there, they want this new country to be their new home. And that is what a lot of Christians do with this world. They might know up here that they are citizens of heaven, but they treat this world as if this is where they really want to live. So they leverage most of their resources to make a comfortable life here; they obsess about their reputation here; they stress about what they do and don’t have here (Am I ever going to get married; is my ship ever going to come in; why is life here so hard; there’s so much to life I may never experience!).
Option 2 is a tourist : A tourist is the opposite of an immigrant. They don’t want to live in this new country, they’re just visiting.
They don’t form any real connections to the place, but they stay huddled in their groups; If there’s political or social problems going on in that society it doesn’t concern you–you have no connection to that place. This is the attitude some Christians have toward our world. They stay separated; never get involved; feel no connection to the community around them or its problems.
The third option is what Peter talks about here: Exile. An exile is someone whose home is somewhere else, but for an undefined amount of time they have to make their home in a new place. So they invest in this new community, form relationships, learn the culture, but they don’t want to get too attached and all the while they are looking for the day when they can go back home. Christians who live as exiles are not focused on owning a lot, because their real home is elsewhere. They are satisfied with just enough to get by, because their real treasure is somewhere else. It’s like when you are in an airport, you usually have little shops that will sell you necessities at ridiculously high prices. That’s so when you have a layover you can be comfortable. But you know what you never see in these shops? Shopping carts. Because nobody goes there to load up. You buy enough just to get by. It’s a temporary stop en route to your real home.
As ambassadors of Christ, we are exiles ON A MISSION, representing the Kingdom to which we truly belong!
– Pr Adam Page
Kindness: Do I have to?
Are Christians called to be KIND?
I feel like people who have made habit out of quick, witty retorts (during middle school it was more of a defense mechanism), should get a spiritual hall pass on kindness. But alas, the Bible says otherwise. Why is it so hard to be kind? Why are people so fed up with people and is that cultural sentiment opposing the Great Commission? Perhaps kindness isn’t a struggle for many of us but over the years it has gotten less sincere. What do we do with that and how does God get the glory?
We find the list for the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, specifically 5:22-23, The list, cultivated by Paul being moved by the Holy Spirit, speaks to the resulting character of someone (who by way of the Holy Spirit) is developing maturity in his or her life. The fifth characteristic of the nine mentioned is KINDNESS. It is a bedfellow to love and takes plenty of self-control. The Greek word for “kindness” is chrēstotēs. Roughly translated means “benignity, tender concern, uprightness.” It is kindness of heart and kindness of act. What do we know off the bat?
Kindness is the characteristic that led God to provide salvation for us (Titus 3:4-5). Kindness leads God to give us green pastures, quiet waters, and the restoration of our souls when we’re weary (Psalm 23:2-3). It is God’s tender care that makes Him want to gather us under His wings, to protect us and keep us close to Him (Matthew 23:37). God expressed kindness when He provided for Elijah and the widow of Zarephath during a drought—and He showed more kindness later when He raised the widow’s only son from the dead (1 Kings 17:8-24). When Sarah exiled Hagar and Ishmael, God gave the outcasts kindness in the form of water and hope (Genesis 21:9-21). On multiple occasions, kindness induced Jesus to stop what He was doing and help others in need (Mark 10:46-52). And kindness leads the Good Shepherd to rescue us when we stray (Luke 15:3-7). In kindness He “gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young” (Isaiah 40:11).
Church, when we exhibit the kindness of God, we are tender, benevolent, and useful to others. Every action, every word will have the flavor of grace in it. To maintain this attitude toward those we love is hard enough. To express kindness toward those who are against us requires the work of God (2 Corinthians 6:4-6).
What is Cultural Kindness and why do we need to know?
Cultural kindness is more about tolerance (what some have referred to as the gospel of being nice) and the decision to accept differences without complaining than it is about actual, truth in love. What’s the problem? It asks us only to be pleasant to those who are different from us before it becomes controversial, but it doesn’t call us to love them. Big problem here. When kindness exists without love, it quickly becomes insincere, something we do because it’s a forced obligation from a place of tribal acting and virtue signaling. But kindness without love isn’t kindness at all. It’s merely an imitation. And people see through imitations.
This is the main problem with cultural kindness as opposed to genuine biblical kindness. It offers niceness and acceptance of others while putting on the mask of love. But tolerance can mask a hatred. A smile can have contempt behind the teeth. Cultural kindness is built from a base of insincerity, and often points to a “Music Man-esque” phoniness that can fool the town for awhile, but always ends up backfiring.
Acts of cultural kindness have become compulsions to avoid insulting someone, and even when paved with good intentions can still seem contrived and even patronizing, and if done enough will lead to subliminal behavior of the same ilk. I’ll give you an example: why do we text the way we do? Why does a grown man have to end his questions or blatant statements in a peacekeeping “Ha” or a “smiley face” or a “laughing until I cry face” just to make sure the person on the other end knows “It’s all good.” It’s a lie, by the way. I am not doing any of those things on the other end of the phone, I just deep down don’t want you to be offended by what I have said. Let’s be honest. Why this neutering of speech? Why this odd signaled softness? Why abuse our emojis because people have stopped letting their “yes be yes and their no be no?!” Yes our culture is far too quick to be offended. Yes, text lacks tone or context and is now our main way of communicating. But it is the COMPULSION to be insincere or even lie that lead to dangerous changes in the way we interact with others. Which, full circle, is how people will KNOW whom we serve. See Galatians once more, Padawan. Digressing…
The apostle Paul told the Ephesians to put away six sinful attitudes and behaviors: bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice. Bitterness is an inward frame of mind that refuses to forgive. Wrath and anger are combined here to refer to violent outbreaks of uncontrolled human rage. Clamor speaks of shouting and loud quarreling. Slander means evil speaking, and the Greek word translated “malice” implies wickedness, which is at the root of all the other sins listed here. To accept Christ is to reject these practices.
In place of these things, through the Word, prayer, fellowship and accountability, true believers are to put on kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness. These three virtues also deal with interpersonal relationships. In the original Greek, the phrase rendered “be kind to one another” literally means “keep on becoming kind toward one another.” The graciousness of God, which is also found in Jesus Christ, shows us what it means to be kind to one another. Because God acts kindly toward us, we are to behave the same way toward others. Because Christ offered grace as the basis for our forgiveness, so too should we.
Being kind to one another is not optional for the people of God. Walking in love means following the example of Jesus Christ. And if we have been saved, transformed and changed by the blood of Christ Jesus, Christlikeness is on our MINDS.
“I am not a kind person. That is just how I have always been.”
This never works as justification for a Christ-follower because the whole premise of Christianity is God changing who we are! The biggest barrier to kindness and often the reason for our endless excuses? The second-greatest commandment.
Being kind to one another involves caring for others, bearing their burdens, and valuing them above ourselves (Philippians 2:3). Kindness motivates us to speak life and encouragement to others instead of death and discouragement (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Expressing support and affirmation instead of condemnation is a characteristic of kindness (Proverbs 15:4).
Being kind to one another means finding a way to forgive rather than blame. Perhaps the most stunning example of this is found in God’s supreme act of kindness that provided for our forgiveness and salvation when He sent His Son to die for us on a cross. Like Paul said to the Romans, “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?”
So what is our lesson? We can’t fake sincerity and the fruit of the Spirit of God won’t be counterfeited. We have to cultivate our conscience, choose to walk in those spiritual disciplines prescribed to us as the Church and seek to put our love for God over comfort and convenience. May our prayer always be: Lord, give me all the mercy you were going to give me today. I am going to need it! Be Kind, Rewind, and then be kind again!
– Pr. Adam Page
Rest > Control.
In an article titled “Anxious for Nothing – Addressing the Worry I can’t Explain”, Jared Wilson expresses several things we can do with our “anxious nothings!” Anxious nothings: those things we worry about constantly but can’t control. This category ranges from the panicked parents with multiple children who want their house looking like the front cover of Magnolia magazine at all times, (often forgetting the nature of their sticky little blessings) to others sincerely battling a constant state of anxiety twith such intensity they’ve even attempted to make peace with their lack of peace! In the article, Wilson offers some helpful solutions. 1) We can adopt healthier habits through a life of spiritual disciplines and sacrifice. 2) We can stop saying yes to everything anyone asks of us out of a fear of being unliked; connected to our self-worth no doubt. But the real kicker is at the end of his piece when he brings it all back to Jesus Christ’s main remedy for a life of anxiety and fear: the solid rock practice of casting all our burdens swiftly onto the back of the One who has asked for them AND the Only One who has the ability to carry them.
Aren’t you glad we don’t have to understand everything about our cares before casting them? You just need to know He cares for you. He doesn’t love some idealized version of you. He really loves the broken, weird, messed-up you. So much so that while you were a sinner hating Him, He saves you in that sin. And the more we know the nature of God (Biblical Discipleship) and the more we see the nature of man (literally everywhere), the more we can remind ourselves of the One working it all towards our undeserved good and His deserved glory. In other words, He’s there for us in our time of need, absolutely, but do we recognize our need for Him is an every hour kind of need? God is not the ejector seat, He’s the heartbeat. For example, the author of Hebrews seeks to make our nature and the nature of the Lord so clear we can’t help but leave encouraged and blessed at what our Savior has done while being reminded of how important it is to actively draw near to the Lord!
Hebrews 4:14-16: “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
I love what Roman Catholic reject Martin Luther says about this passage. “First, the apostle terrifies us and then he comforts us.” Like when a caring relative “googles” your symptoms and after you’re good and terrified at the list of possibilities based on “a cough” she then reminds you God is the Great Physician and prays “God we just want your will to be done” over you. Thanks Auntie!
The unknown author of 14-16 is addressing the warning in Hebrews 4:1-13 reminding them how terrifying it is to think that we could honestly fail to believe and fail to enter into the rest that the Lord has so graciously provided YET live our entire lives thinking we know the Lord intimately and genuinely trust Him. But after he warns us, after he terrifies us, he COMFORTS us. And boy does he comfort us in these verses! The summation and something we all need to hear RIGHT NOW??
Let Us Hold Fast To Our Confession OF FAITH while the majestic LORD GOD Holds Onto Us!!!
This year it’s the RONA, this Fall it’ll be Hurricanes and with the upcoming election prepare for mass media outlets to offer you a buffet of doom and gloom. REGARDLESS, our trust is now and forever in the sovereign God. Rest. In. Him. Cast your cares to heaven where they belong and get to work on the mission. Your neighbor will not believe your Savior is sovereign if messengers of the Gospel live like He isn’t even in control of the beaches opening. God bless, Beloved. My heart longs for congregational worship very soon!
– Pr. Adam Page
