What if David had chosen to be or had been swayed to be someone else?
What if Paul had decided to be or had been swayed to be someone else?
What if Mary had decided to be or had been swayed to be someone else?
What if somewhere along the way King David decided that instead of following after God and chasing to see where the adventure lead him, he would do the normal, influenced by those around him to be a copy.
There is a very big difference between the value of an original and a copy.
No artist sets out to create a copy, every artists sets out to create a masterpiece, an original.
I both love and hate the out of high school and not into careers or families just yet season of life.
I love it because there is a hardwired curiosity in every human in this season of life to ask question and explore who they are and what they believe.
I hate this season because culture and humanity go to war against that curiosity and adventure.
I recently moved to a college town where this last fall 33,111 students enrolled in classes at one of the three colleges in town. It is a happening place.
This morning I ventured out to have breakfast at a Mexican restaurant and I was a little overwhelmed to say the least. I am normally all about crowds and people and energy, but this morning it was not happening.
I found a little table pushed way back in the corner and I sat down and just began to watch people interact and listen to the hundreds of conversations taking place around me.
What I heard and saw in the middle of that crowded place scared me.
I saw on a grand scale something I studied a long time ago in my college psychology classes. I saw the Law of Effect in action:
“The law of effect basically states that “responses that produce a satisfying effect in a particular situation become more likely to occur again in that situation, and responses that produce a discomforting effect become less likely to occur again in that situation.”
What I saw was people interacting with their friends, peers, parents, and families and in a moment I watched as those people would change or adjust what they said or how they interacted based on the response they got form their table mates. If their group didn't approve of their thoughts or actions they changed.
You may be saying "Ya JD thats not some big revelation, its group dynamics, it happens all the time..."
The thing that scared me was Acts 13:36 running through my mind...
“36 “For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed.”
“David, of course, having completed the work God set out for him, has been in the grave, dust and ashes, a long time now.”
When David had served God's Purpose in HIS OWN GENERATION...
After David completed the work God set out for HIM...
The purpose and plan God has for you to accomplish in our generation is different than what he has for me!
My fear is that we are encouraging young people to become copies instead of originals.
Our expectation is that they do things the way that generations before them did things.
Our expectation is that they follow Jesus the way that generations before them did.
Our expectation is that they worship, dress, think, care, act like generations before them.
"JD, that isn't our expectation. We don't say those things."
You and I may not say those things to young people, but the law of effect is creating a generation that is leery to seek the face of God to find His purpose for THEM in THEIR generation. Instead they are basing their decisions on what we are encouraging or discouraging, approving or disapproving. We do this by...
The way we expect them to dress when they come to our church...
The way we disapprove of the questions they are asking about God and The Bible...
The way we attack their views of the creative arts...
The way we make faces when they share their opinions in a crowded room...
The way we respond to their desire to be a part and lead...
I believe that David as a young man was encouraged to have a relationship with God for himself, to ask questions, to build that relationship. This encouragement and freedom led to a worshipper being formed on the backside of the mountain, who would revolutionize a kingdom.
I believe with all of my heart that as the Global Church we are on the eve of massive revival sweeping the nations. I believe that the way we do church is changing, and is going to continue to change. I believe the way that we interact with the world around us is changing and has to change.
Part of all of this is birthed in allowing each Generation in our Tribes to do what God has asked them to do in their Generation. To be themselves, to be originals.
Having a multigenerational Church is not about having every age group doing they same things we have always done. Multigenerational Church means we have a seat at the table for every generation to be represented, we embrace the mess, we embrace the change, we appreciate the difference instead of hating it or encouraging it to change and conform more to how we like things.
Please hear that I am not advocating for young people to be the most important demographic. I am advocating that we assess the way we interact with people, and that we as people who love Jesus would be lead by the Holy Spirit in our interactions and conversations to spur one another on towards pursuing our individual God designed purposes for our generations. And that we would hold each other in account for our abilities and our purposes, celebrating the masterpieces being created.