Food for Thought

YOUNG AND OLDER CHRISTIANS WORKING TOGETHER = SUCCESS
I once heard a preacher say how wonderful it is when younger and older generations in church work together. And they are so right.

Church should not be a place where the older generation is pitted against the younger generation, or vice versa. Instead, it should be a community where Christians of all generations work together to learn from each other, build God’s Kingdom, see the lost saved, and help people fulfil God’s purpose for their lives.

Young Christians can derive much from the wisdom and experience of the older believer, along with mentoring and guidance, and the older believer can learn new things from their younger counterparts, be inspired by their energy, and discover fresh ways to do church and reach a new generation. 

Scripture is littered with examples of younger and older generations working together.
Think of Jesus and His disciples, Moses and Joshua, Naomi and Ruth, Paul and Timothy,
and Elijah and Elisha. If you do a deep dive into Scripture, it’s evident how they benefitted from the personal mentoring and guidance they received.

The disciples established the Church after being empowered and strengthened by Christ’s example, teaching and gift of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Joshua led the people of Israel into the land of Canaan; Ruth got married and gave birth to a descendent of Christ after following Naomi’s advice; Timothy was encouraged to stand courageously as a young leader, whilst Elisha went on to do greater works and miracles than his role model, Elijah.

Such examples exist in modern-day times too. I have had the pleasure of interviewing numerous ministers and para-church leaders, who have shared how they were mentored and encouraged and/or inspired by older Christians, and how the experience positively shaped their leadership development.

Church should not be a them-and-us scenario, with the young against the old and vice versa – though it can sometimes feel like it.

Despite our differences in age, race, sex, class, education level… – I could go on and on – we have to learn to get along.

The spreading of God’s glorious Gospel depends on it.

SPREADING GOSPEL VALUES VIA SOCIAL MEDIA
In our social media age, it must always be recognised that social media is a tool believers can use to share the Gospel. I’m amazed at the amount of believers who never share anything about their faith in Christ on their social media – even if it’s to put up a scriptural quote.

I think it’s beholden upon Christians who are on social media to use it to talk about aspects of their faith. If social media is the new online public square, Christians must be on it – especially if they want to reach Gen Z and Generation Alpha.

A young woman told me that platforms like Instagram and TikTok are a major way young people find churches to attend and preachers to follow. If they enjoy the short-form content on these platforms, then they’ll search out their long-form content on YouTube. If they like what they hear, they may just visit your church.

A church leader also shared that when he started posting spiritual reflections on social media, he received numerous messages, queries, and people sharing their personal problems in the hope of receiving a solution from him.

Believers should not shy away from social media. Utilised in the right way, it’s a tool to touch the lives of those who need a word from the Lord.

WHAT I WISH I KNEW
Whenever I see articles with headline like ‘What I wish I knew when I was 21’, I always read them. It’s fascinating to learn about the information people wish they had acquired earlier in their life’s journey.

At 21, I felt I knew it all – as many young people do. However, looking back, there are things I wish I had known at that age. Having a deeper understanding of the following them would have made me a better Christian and person, I believe.

I wish my faith and trust in God’s Word had been deeper. I wish I’d understood the importance of ‘soft power’, i.e., being friendlier, more sociable, and more focused on listening than talking when communicating with someone.

I also wish I had been taught to dream bigger and to pray bigger prayers. However, no experience is wasted, and I have learnt God makes everything beautiful – this includes filling in the knowledge gaps – in His own time.