We've just finished our most recent series in Church called "Blessed." It inspired some thoughts in me, having to do with
being Blessed in ministry. So, I thought I would continue my thoughts
on "The Mystery" and talk about Generational Blessing.
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Acts 13:36 NIV says "...David served God's purpose in his own generation..."
Each generation is the recipient of their preceding generation's
legacy. We inherit the blessing of a generation that went before us.
Their sacrifice, commitment and passion sets the stage for a new
generation to come and go beyond them. In our Church, we have been
preceded by great men of faith. The facilities we have...the wisdom
that we learn...the culture of leadership & life...are all things
we benefit from.
In Matthew 25, the master who is handing out the talents is called
someone who "reaps where he has not sown." Sometimes I feel so
overwhelmed by the opportunity I have. I feel like someone who has
"reaped where I have not sown." I get the opportunity, every week, to
lead and minister from a platform that I did not build. It was built by
people who went before me, and prepared the way for this day to come.
In all reality, I am a third generation leader in our Church. I am
preceded by two generations of leaders...great men of God who have gone
before me and taken ground for the Kingdom of God. I come to Church
every week in two awesome buildings. I learn wisdom that comes from
years of ministry experience and success. These men were spiritual
fathers (and grandfathers) to me. They served the purpose of God in
their generation, and built something significant that is now their
legacy and my inheritance.
However, I sense that every generation can, if they are not careful,
fall into traps that can lead to squandering generational blessing,
rather than stewarding it. I could write about these traps in length
(and maybe I will some day). But the point here is that we must be
aware and recognize what God has given to us.
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Generational blessing comes as God's provision. It is the plan of God
that the generations of the Church would be marked by increasing
strength and influence. Generational blessing comes for fruitfulness,
fertility and advancement. Stewarding the blessing of God is at it's
max when we successfully hand it off to the next generation. But that
generation must in a place to receive it!
I believe people squander generational blessing, first and foremost,
because they don't recognize what they have been given. The culprit
could be familiarity. It could be laziness. It could be
short-sightedness. They just simply don't have "eyes to see." Whatever
the case may be, the plan of God can temporarily come to a halt when
people fail to recognize the opportunity for generational stewardship
they have been given.
One of the most tragic passages of scripture occurs in Judges 2. Verse
10: "After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers,
another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had
done for Israel."
The Joshua generation was quite possibly one of the most significant
generations in Israel's history. This great generation was the first
the possess the Promised Land God had sworn to the nation years before.
It was a generation of victory, marked by complete trust in God.
However, something happened in the hand-off. Something didn't transfer
on to the next generation.
I believe it is highly likely that the generation that came after
Joshua didn't fully recognize the generational blessing that was being
handed to them. They didn't see it...they didn't own it. The transfer
was incomplete, and the plan of God temporarily is put on hold. The
last thing I want to see is for our generation to mirror Judges chapter
two. We are inheriting such a significant day for the Church. The
Church is more alive and well than ever. We are seeing things happen
across the earth that have never been possible before. We have a
significant opportunity ahead of us, but what we do with that
opportunity is up to us.
I call on my generation in Church to rise up and steward the
generational blessing that we are being handed from the people who have
gone before us. We are a generation that is reaping where we haven't
sown. We are the recipients of something significant. But now it is up
to us to steward over this great opportunity, and fulfill God's purpose
for OUR generation. Excuses will not be heard in eternity. God will not
judge us on our good intentions. We must steward the Mystery of Christ
in our generation...and take the Church into a new day of significance
and stature.
Our day of opportunity isn't coming in the future...it is here now. We
aren't the Church of tomorrow...we are the Church of today. So, let's
live in this way. On purpose...with integrity...recognizing and owning
the season ahead of us. It's a great day for the Church, and a great
day to be alive in The Mystery of Christ!