A Note from Michael Gossett
Hope for the Next Generation
If you recall the message from this past Sunday, you will remember that every generation is distinct, yet they all face similar challenges. Every generation faces its own challenges, but few moments in recent history feel as spiritually fragile as the one we are living in today. We are witnessing generations rise that are more connected digitally, but lacking physical (real) connection and even spiritual connection, compared to previous generations.
To be fair, we are seeing pockets of the next generation rise up and follow Jesus. College campuses are seeing students gather for worship, getting baptized, and even living out their faith. Some claim that it could even be a spark of revival. However, there are still recent studies that paint different pictures for the next generation. A 2023 Barna study revealed that only 4 percent of Gen Z in the United States holds a biblical worldview. Another survey by Lifeway Research found that nearly 70 percent of young adults who attended church regularly during high school stop attending for at least a year after graduation. At the same time, mental health struggles among young people have reached historic highs. The CDC reports that one in three teenage girls has seriously considered suicide. Anxiety and depression have become defining traits of youth culture.
Behind the statistics are faces of sons and daughters, grandchildren, and friends. These faces walk the halls of schools and churches right next to us every week. They are being shaped by a world that tells them truth is relative, morality is fluid, and identity is self-constructed. They are being catechized daily by social media, pop culture, and the secular philosophies that dominate their peers in the classrooms.
And yet, in the midst of all of this, there is still reason for hope. God is not wringing His hands in heaven. He is not surprised by the cultural shifts of the 21st century. He has always preserved a faithful remnant, and He has given His church a clear calling to pass on the faith to the next generation.
The Biblical Mandate
Psalm 78 is one of the clearest calls in Scripture for generational faithfulness. The psalmist writes, “We will not hide them from their children, but will tell a future generation the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, His might, and the wondrous works He has performed… so that a future generation—children yet to be born—might know. They were to rise and tell their children so that they might put their confidence in God and not forget God’s works but keep His commands” (Psalm 78:4-7).
Notice the flow of this passage. Faithfulness is not meant to end with one generation. It is meant to multiply. The people of God have always been called to tell their children the stories of God’s faithfulness, to hand down the truth of who He is and what He has done.
In Israel’s history, when one generation failed to do this, disaster followed. Judges 2:10 gives a haunting summary: “That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works He had done for Israel.” Neglecting to teach the next generation is not a small failure. It is a direct threat to the health of the covenant community.
The same is true today. If we do not intentionally disciple our children, the world will. Neutral ground does not exist. Every child and student in our care is being shaped either by the Word of God or by the world’s counter-gospel.
The Theological Vision
God’s covenant faithfulness spans generations. His promises do not stop with individuals, but flow through families and communities. Throughout Scripture, God reveals Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The true God who delights to bless not just one person but an entire lineage of faith.
This is not salvation by heredity but salvation by grace working through the ordinary means of faithfulness. Parents and churches are instruments in God’s redemptive plan, called to teach, model, and live the gospel before those who come after them.
The hope of the next generation is not found in new programs or innovative strategies. It is found in the same gospel that has always transformed hearts, which is the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we teach our children that truth, when we live it consistently, and when we pray for the Spirit to awaken their hearts, we are participating in the same mission that began in the upper room and continues to this day.
The Puritans often spoke of “transferring the covenant.” They saw parenting and discipleship not only as nurturing but also as stewardship. They believed that to raise children in the Lord was to take up the sacred task preparing the next link in the chain of God’s faithfulness.
The Cultural Crisis
We cannot speak of hope without being honest about the obstacles. The culture shaping today’s youth is not neutral. It is intentionally forming them in ways that are opposed to the truth of Scripture.
Social media disciples their emotions. Influencers shape their ethics. Hollywood mocks biblical morality while celebrating rebellion as authenticity. Many schools present secularism not as one worldview among many, but as the assumed foundation of reality. To question it is to be labeled ignorant or intolerant.
This means that for the church, discipleship must be both formative and corrective. We are not only teaching truth, we are also “unteaching” lies they are constantly fed. We are helping students reimagine life under the lordship of Christ. But here is the hope: the gospel is powerful enough to reach every generation. The same Spirit who opened Lydia’s heart in Acts 16 can open the hearts of our sons and daughters. The same grace that turned Saul the persecutor into Paul the preacher can rescue the hardest hearts today. We should not be pessimists. We should be prayerful realists who see the depth of the challenge but trust the power of Christ even more.
The Role of the Church Family
Passing on the faith is not a solo project. It requires the partnership of the church and the family. Parents are the primary disciple-makers of their children. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 commands, “These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Discipleship happens not only in formal settings but through the rhythms of everyday life. Every meal, every car ride, every bedtime conversation is an opportunity to point children to the goodness of God.
At the same time, the local church is the spiritual family that reinforces that foundation. Students need godly mentors. Children need faithful teachers. College students need spiritual mothers and fathers who model what it means to follow Christ for a lifetime. The church must be a place where the next generation is seen, loved, and given a vision for a bigger story, which is God’s redemptive story.
The Call to Faithful Legacy
Psalm 145:4 says, “One generation will declare your works to the next and will proclaim your mighty acts.” That is the heartbeat of Christian legacy. Our task is not simply to raise well-behaved children or well-adjusted students. It is to raise worshipers of God who will declare His glory long after we are gone.
Faithful legacy does not happen by accident. It happens through prayer, consistency, and perseverance. It requires churches that teach the Word with conviction, parents who live the faith with authenticity, and believers who invest in the next generation with intentionality.
It we want to see a generation rise that loves the Word, we must be a people who continue to love the Word. If we want our children to treasure Christ, we must treasure Him before their eyes. If we want them to value the church, we must show them that the church is worth out time, our energy, our lives, and it is a place where they too belong today.
Practical Steps for Today
- Pray daily for the next generation. Ask God to raise up students who will love Christ more deeply than the generation before them.
- Be present in the life of the church. Serve in kids ministry, student ministry, or as a mentor to young adults. Presence is what really gives opportunity to shape lives.
- Parents, lead your home in worship privately and corporately. Read Scripture together. Pray together. Let your children see what real faith looks like.
- Encourage students to root their identity in Christ.
- Support Christian teachers, school leaders, and missionaries who are on the front lines of shaping young lives with the truth.
This Sunday at Green Acres
This Sunday at Green Acres, I would like to personally invite you to join us for worship as we open God’s Word together in Luke 7:36-50 at either 9:30 am or 11:00 am. This is one of the most moving scenes in all of Scripture. A woman known for her sin meets a Savior known for His mercy. She comes weeping, worshipping, and transformed by grace.
In a world that is desperate for identity and healing, this story reminds us that Jesus is still welcoming sinners and changing hearts. Invite someone who needs that hope. Bring someone with you. I want to challenge you in this way: TEXT / CALL 5 people to meet you and come sit with you. Offer a ride, offer a seat, and potentially you could be offering them a new life in Christ!
You are loved and prayed for!
Michael Gossett