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The Next Generation

"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?"

• Luke 15:4 (NIV)

God’s Word makes it crystal clear: faith isn’t meant to end with us. It’s a legacy we are called to pass on to the next generation. The Bible repeatedly reminds us of this responsibility:

• Proverbs 22:6
• Psalm 78:4
• Deuteronomy 6:7

Take time to look up these verses for yourself – you’ll see the heart of God for children and the call to teach them His ways.

Jesus never treated children as an afterthought. He gave them His time, His blessing, and even used them as an example for what true greatness in the Kingdom looks like:

"He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: 'Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’"

• Matthew 18:2-4 (NIV)

There is something remarkable about a child’s trust. Their innocence and openness often fade as we grow older and become skeptical. But Jesus challenges us to return to that childlike posture of humility, dependence, and faith.

Throughout Scripture, whenever God moved powerfully, His people were instructed to tell the story - to pass it on to their children and their children’s children. Why? Because stories of God’s faithfulness fuel the faith of future generations. If we stop telling the stories, we risk raising a generation that forgets what God has done.

Children are not just “the church of tomorrow.” If they are alive today, they are the church today! They belong in prayer, in worship, in teaching, and in fellowship. Yes, our methods may need adjusting for different ages, but our mission is the same: to disciple them.

When we raise children on the Word of God, we equip them to stand strong in a world full of distractions and deception. We empower them to make choices that honour Christ and to carry the gospel further than we ever could.

So today, let’s commit ourselves to this vital calling:

• Pray for the young people in your church, your community, and across the nation - that they would be deeply discipled in Jesus.
• Share your story. Be intentional in how you live before them, knowing they are watching how you walk with God.
• Give - whether your time, your resources, or your encouragement – into ministries and movements that are reaching the next generation.

When we invest in children and youth, we’re not just shaping their future – we’re strengthening the church today and building a legacy that will outlast us.

PRAY

Father God,

Thank you for the lives of the younger generation in our Churches. They bring so much vibrancy and energy to our lives and to our Church life. Father, please help me to know how I can personally take ownership for the younger generation in my Church and my life.

Remind me daily that they are the Church of today and that it is my responsibility to train them up in the ways that they should go so that when they are older, they will not depart from it.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.