“Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.” Joshua 1:7
“Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them.” Ecclesiastes 12:1
We just returned from putting 2000+ miles on the minivan for spring break travels with our three teenage daughters, and I have the story of Brother Andrew on my mind. We listened to a few chapters on audible each travel day, inspired by this man of courage who would put several Bibles out in the open so that if he made it through tough border crossings, he would be able to say that it was God alone that helped him smuggle Bibles through the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. How do we teach to our children the kind of courage Brother Andrew lived out – a life fully dependent on God to provide everything he (and eventually a wife and children) needed to live a simple yet powerful life of faith? Is courageous living even possible in 2024? I would put forth that it’s not only possible, it’s what Gen Z (born 1995-2010) and Gen Alpha (born 2010-2025) are actively showing us through a spiritual awakening in our world today.
Even though we are blessed (and half the time don’t know what we’re doing!) with four Gen. Z’ers, one Alpha, and the chance to serve as middle school youth group leaders at our church, it can still feel hard to understand them. Yet I believe God will use these generations to change the world.
In Mel Walker’s article, “5 Reasons Why Generation Alpha Will Change the Future of Youth Ministry,” he shares some helpful information:
- “Generation Alpha is growing up in a culture where the church is much less of a priority than it was for previous generations.”
- “In generational sequence, the Millennials were followed by Generation Z – which includes today’s teenagers and college age students. Gen. Z’ers have become the most diverse, progressive, and financially-minded generation in recent US history.”
- “Alphas also have the potential to change everything we know to be true about youth ministry – which means that it is essential for today’s youth workers and other church leaders to do all that we can right now to learn about this new generation and to anticipate the likelihood of sweeping changes we will need to make in our church youth ministries to reach this new generation.”
- “The recent coronavirus situation will predictably be the defining moment for the members of Generation Alpha. Each recent generation in US history has been characterized by one seminal event or set of circumstances: for the “Greatest Generation”, it was the bombing of Pearl Harbor; for Baby Boomers, it was the assassination of President Kennedy, for Millennials is was the attacks of 9/11; and for Alphas it will no doubt be the global COVID-19 crisis.”
- “Alphas are a generation that will need to learn how to cope with emotional responses such as fear, anxiety, and uncertainty. They have been told to be “socially distant” from their peers and from other adults. They have also seen their parents and grandparents react to significant financial struggles.”
- “The COVID crisis, and this new generation’s reaction to the experiences surrounding it, will be one reason why church and ministry leaders will need to change their methodologies to reach and impact this new generation.”
Generation to generation God is faithful (Deuteronomy 7:9) but He is also glorified through the uniqueness of each generation as Christine Caine illustrates, “Our God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We need the wisdom of the older generation, the resources of the middle generation, and the zeal of the younger generation, all working together.”
Brother Andrew started out as a ‘Jacob’- becoming a Christian at the age of 22 he had energy, courage and zeal but lacked resources and time-earned wisdom. God provided abundantly through ‘Isaacs and Abrahams’ in his life until one day, he was passing on wisdom to the younger generation. Brother Andrew passed away in 2022 and left a legacy of faith for generations to come. He learned to spend the first part of each morning with the Lord. He was also a man of prayer, which fueled his courage many times in the face of danger. In a September 22, 2022 Christianity Today article by Daniel Silliman Brother Andrew is quoted, “Lord, in my luggage I have Scripture that I want to take to your children across this border. When you were on Earth, you made blind eyes see. Now, I pray, make seeing eyes blind. Do not let the guards see those things you do not want them to see.”
Like Brother Andrew, we can pray our way through all things impossible and scary! Or as Moms in Prayer President Sally Burke says, “Courage is fear soaked in prayer.” The book of Joshua bookends courage, speaking about it throughout twenty-four chapters. God knew Joshua would need courage to not only follow in Moses’s footsteps but also because many battles were coming. It sounds like an oxymoron, but fearing God (Joshua 24:14) actually leads us to have more courage.
None of us knows the battles to come, but we do know that courage will be needed. May we have the courage of Joshua and the prayer life of Brother Andrew as we pour into the next generation for Christ!
Questions:
What is your greatest fear? How do you the face battles before you?
When was the last time you soaked your fears in prayer? How did God answer?
What’s one courageous act God might be asking you to do?