It was at the Vessels of Honor conference in May 1999 at an impromptu Q&A session that I first remember Jabe Nicholson challenging people in their late 20s and early 30s to “grow up.” Reminded of the exploits of young T. E. Wilson, Darby and others, we learned it was time to graduate from youth group. I was 28, and involved with various ministries which I took seriously and enjoyed, but I was convicted of my lack of long-term commitment to any of them. I knew it was a change the Lord needed to make, and I wanted Him to do it.
Five years later, the issue of not-so-young people and our lack of commitment was again driven forcibly to my heart by the June editorial of Uplook. I’ve made little progress in my quest for commitment; if anything, I’m further from it than I was five years ago.
The editorial diagnosed that the thought of committing to a particular work for the rest of our days makes us claustrophobic. I am guilty. However, I do want to be used by the Lord in a significant way so I’m anxious to find the cure for this degenerative psychosis.
Mr. Nicholson offered this solution: “They must get over it…we need to pray this generation into commitment, to preach them the message given to Joshua: ‘Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee’ (Josh. 1:9).” (Is it significant that he omitted “wherever you go”?) I wish I could “get over it.” Should I promise my life-long loyalty to the assembly and ministries I’m involved with today? I feel helpless—like a claustrophobic who has just been told to ride crowded elevators until the fear passes. Perhaps tracing how we arrived in this condition will help us step towards the solution.
The most simple and obvious answer is that we are a worldly and materialistic generation. We’ve been brain-washed since elementary school to have confidence in ourselves, to try anything we want, that life offers us an infinite array of opportunities. We’re taught that we can “have it all,” so we don’t want to make any choices that might limit our options or keep us from having something better.
In addition, technological advances have made our generation the first global community. Typically our parents were raised in the same communities as their parents and grandparents; but many of us have lived in three or four cities by the time we get our first job. Travel is fast and affordable, so instead of going fifty or a hundred miles for vacation or university, we’re just as likely to go a thousand miles. We’ve visited several countries by the time we’re thirty, or at least we’re acquainted with various cultures through the media.
Buying into the “you can have it all’ theory inevitably leads to demanding careers, over-active families, incessant bills—and feeling too overwhelmed and drained of energy to commit to more than the obligatory one or two assembly meetings per week. Our movies and TV shows have convinced us that this is the good life so we keep running, never quite reaching the elusive goal. We feel convicted that we should be giving more of ourselves to the Lord, but with so many balls in the air, we have to keep juggling so they all don’t come crashing to the ground. We have lost our eternal perspective, if we ever had it in the first place.
Some of us, however, have consciously rejected the “have it all” myth, opting for a more balanced, stable approach to life. We want a happy family, a paycheck that will cover the expenses, a home that is comfortable, a healthy lifestyle, and good friends. You can count on us to be at the assembly whenever there is a meeting, and we’re not intending to change any of this in the foreseeable future. We’re careful not to be extremely liberal or extremely conservative so when a preacher starts talking about whole-hearted yieldedness, we start to feel uncomfortable. We’ve seen (or were raised in) spartan legalistic boxes that dictated every detail of what we shall and shall not do. This is the only definition of “super-spiritual” that we’ve experienced, and we know that’s not for us. The duration of the commitment is easy; it’s breaking past the safe picket fence perimeter to offer ourselves unreservedly for whatever the Lord asks of us—that is our challenge.
Others of us have adopted a warped morph of “you can have it all” and True Discipleship. We want to do it all. Excited and challenged by the opportunities in the Lord’s work reported from around the world, we just don’t know where to get started! We’re inspired by Paul’s short-term missionary journeys and the evangelistic fervor of the days when people “pulled up roots to move to other places to break ground for new works.”
Mr. MacDonald challenges us to offer God a blank piece of paper, sign the bottom, and let Him fill in the details of life—and we have misread that carte blanche as representing our way of thinking. Between globetrotting to conferences and short-term mission trips, we’re waiting for the next big, exciting event so we can get in on it. Ironically, wanting to be “used by the Lord in a significant way” is the very thing that is holding us back from being serious and mature workers!
For years I’ve had a phobia about being trapped in a rut, of going through the motions of the Christian life. I feared a spiritually barren rat race life, and frantically fought against being a shadow boxer; I thought that would mean I’d wake up in twenty or thirty years and realize I hadn’t made any worthwhile investment in eternity. Then an older, gentle sister slipped a scrap of paper to me one Sunday. In pencil she had written a quote from Jim Elliot: “Wherever you are, if you believe it to be the will of God, be ALL THERE—and live it to the hilt.” This was my first glimpse at the kind of life I believe God intends for me. He isn’t impressed with my waiting for a more interesting opportunity or my constant attempts to peek around the corner at the road ahead. I’m learning to trust that if the Lord wants me somewhere else, He is able to speak to people who are rooted as clearly as He can speak to drifters. I am asking the Lord to open my eyes to exciting possibilities at home. By the grace of God, I hope to learn that those servants who are faithful year-in and year-out are being used by God in a significant way.
Older, life-long warriors, we need you! Not only can you pray us into commitment, but tell us your stories of exciting things that God has done here at home. We want to know about the tract bands, the street preaching, and the series of gospel meetings when 30 souls were saved. Help us believe it can happen again.
Generally speaking, it was during the first half of the last century (when our grandparents were in their prime) that many of our assemblies and associated ministries in North America were born out of passion and zeal. Having heard the stories first-hand or inspired by memories of their childhood, our parents’ generation did a good job of maintaining these works. Now as we reach out to accept the baton third-hand, we have little enthusiasm for carrying on the responsibilities. The once vibrant activities seem stale and lifeless. We see them as ineffective and don’t get the point of keeping on. Sadly, the lines between doctrine and tradition are blurred. Instead of brainstorming for fresh, effective outreach possibilities, we’re trying to redefine foundational New Testament truths.
Our leaders and visionaries have been accused of having their heads in the clouds, of not setting realistic, attainable goals, of having all the ideas but expecting others to do the work. Well, that’s exactly what we need!
Our generation needs leaders who have their minds in the heavenlies, set on eternity—people who will remind us what’s worth living for; who set an example of laying up treasure in heaven. The world’s propaganda bombards us constantly, so we need constant reprogramming of our minds. We need to regain our eternal perspective.
We need to adopt a bigger, bolder vision of the work of God. A successful general points his soldiers beyond this battle to the final victory when the world will be a better place because of their bravery. A great teacher doesn’t hope her class will merely pass the course; she longs for her students to learn things that will change their lives. The best coach doesn’t look to win the game only; he expects his team to win the season.
That’s who makes a fine leader. We’re looking for spiritual leaders who aim high, elders who expect more of us than we can imagine for ourselves. It’s OK if not every idea comes to fruition, or if we don’t attain every goal—we’ll accomplish more than we would if we were left to our own. We need to dare to think past the way we’ve always done it, to be challenged to step out of our comfort zones in order to see the Lord accomplish great things through us.
We need to settle down, and be there “for better or worse.” There are opportunities for everyone to be involved! Just as generals need soldiers, teachers need students, and coaches need athletes, so our spiritual leaders need committed followers. We won’t spend our lives fluttering about looking for something significant when our home assemblies begin to sizzle with amazing blessings by the Spirit’s work. But there is much work to be done, and we can’t expect the elders to do it all. They’ll provide protection, wisdom and direction—and we’ll provide the enthusiasm, the energy, and of course, the commitment. We’ll be prepared to make a long-term investment.