"...and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel." -Judges 2:10
It isn't a stretch to say we are living in a godless culture. There is no fear of God in the eyes of most of our younger generation. In fact, not only are they fearless toward God, they're getting bolder about denying Him:
The verse I quote from Judges is speaking about the generation following Joshua's generation. The sons and daughters of the generation that conquered the promised land did not know God. The kids of the Jordan river crossing and the Jericho miracle did not know the works that God did for Israel. I'm not talking about Joshua's grandchildren or great-grandchildren. The Bible says Joshua's CHILDREN did not know the Lord nor the works He had done for Israel. How on earth is that possible?
Our godless culture has infiltrated and influenced the children in our churches. I speak not only as a pastor but as a former youth pastor. For years it was my responsibility to minister to, teach and lead the children of our church leaders and members. Needless to say, I and every other youth pastor on the planet can tell you of the generational divide present in our churches. It seems that the more active the adults are in church the less time they have for their kids.
This is true for pastors as well. Generally speaking, we are the worst at including our children in our ministry efforts. Sadly, the most troubled teenagers I had to minister to were the children of our ministers and leaders.
That isn't to say that all Preacher's Kids (PKs) are destined to be hellions. Many have made it through their teenage years fairly drama-free. However, the general reputation of PKs over the generations didn't just come from movies like "Footloose".
The attitude of the average church attendee is to let the church pastors/ministers instruct the children in the ways they should go. While church should be an important part of the process, if mom and dad aren't teaching and (more importantly) displaying the truths of God's word at home...
Children know horse-manure when they hear it. If God's Word isn't real enough to mom and dad why should little Billy and Susie believe it? If church-going dad comes home from a rough day at the office and curses out mom for not having dinner on the table, the only message that sends to the kids is "church and God are only for Sunday". Sadly, there are many "Sunday-only" Christians out there raising a generation of children who do not know God. A 30 minute Bible lesson once a week cannot compete with the cultural barrage our children face 7 days a week.
My question is, is the Body of Christ supposed to be involved with positively affecting and changing our culture or are we to simply watch and pray till the Lord comes? Jesus instructed the church through a parable to "Occupy till I come" (Luke 19:13). Does the word "occupy" mean "to conquer and take dominion" (Genesis 1:26-28) or does it mean "to take up space"? I'm afraid for a majority of God's people, the latter is the preferred definition.
So, while the church slumbers, our culture moves deeper into apostasy. As God's people struggle with everyday life issues, our children grow without a knowledge of God. With more and more people leaving the church in search of greener pastures, our children turn to American culture for guidance. The result is a fulfillment of Judges 2:10 in modern American society. There are whole generations of young people who do not know God nor the works He has done for America. I speak this to our shame.
It is past time to do something about it. How? Stay tuned true believers...
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