David served his generation by the will of God.
The only generation you can serve directly is this generation.
Each generation needs to hear the Gospel like the Gospel is being preached for the first time - because this generation is the only generation this generation has in which to hear the Gospel. This generation has never heard the Gospel prior to this generation!
Therefore this generation needs apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers - similarly to how the first generation of the Church needed them (obviously no new doctrinal foundations can be laid, but we need to present the Apostles' doctrine to this generation).
Ministry to youth and young adults and children is crucial, because senior citizens were once the youth and young adults and children over which the previous generation of the Church had responsibility - but today's youth and young adults and children are no other generation's responsibility but ours.
Of course we can also seek to reach senior citizens who weren't won by the generation of the Church before us, when they were younger. So reach youth, reach out to young adults, target children - and don't neglect the elderly.
This generation needs to hear from modern-day 'apostles' who have encountered the Lord. Needs to hear testimonies of how we found the Lord. We need to be witnesses of what we have seen, heard and experienced. We need to go.
Jesus died. He was buried. On the third day He rose again.
The good news of the hope of resurrection and eternal life.
Light.
Reveal the Father through Jesus.
Heal the sick. Cast out demons.
The pronouncement of forgiveness and reconciliation with God. Justification by faith. Assurance of salvation. Made sons of God. Born again.
Receiving the Spirit. Tasting the power of the world to come. The seal of the Spirit. We have the firstfruits of the Spirit.
Partner with Jesus in building His Church - and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
This generation needs a brand new thing. It's the old thing. But for this generation, it's brand new, because this generation has never existed before.
So even though we are building on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, our work is brand new.
We are pioneers of the Gospel - in our generation.
Of course others have sown, and we are reaping. We are also sowing, and others will reap. Both rejoice together.
But our part is important. Without us, the forefathers won't experience the fulness of what they were promised.
And then, our work today, carried out faithfully, will also have an indirect effect on future generations, just as the previous generation and generations before that are having on ours.
So do the work of the Lord. Always abounding in the work of the Lord. Labour more abundantly than them all - yet not us, but the grace of God in us.
This generation isn't saved just because the previous generation was - each generation needs to get saved for themselves - and they can't get saved unless they hear the message.
So you're a pioneer of the Gospel in this generation! In all places wherever you go. Every believer in every generation is.
Build the work of God in this generation just as faithfully and solidly as the early Apostles did in theirs!
Build on the foundation that's already been laid - but build!
There are places that have never heard the Gospel yet, ever. But there are also places where the previous generation heard the Gospel, but the current generation still needs to hear it in that place. You can't be the first to preach the Gospel in that place, like a previous generation was the first to preach the Gospel in that place. They preached with the backdrop of paganism. You preach with the backdrop that a previous generation had already preached the Gospel in that place. But the people in that place now still need to hear the Gospel, regardless of what backdrop it is against. So although the backdrop or context might differ somewhat - and get to know the contextualisation if necessary - but really, just preach the same Gospel regardless of the backdrop. The main points of the backdrop are the same: sin and death; the historicity of the cross; the certainty of His promise and coming. Preach it.
The power of testimony.
The only generation you can serve directly is this generation.
Each generation needs to hear the Gospel like the Gospel is being preached for the first time - because this generation is the only generation this generation has in which to hear the Gospel. This generation has never heard the Gospel prior to this generation!
Therefore this generation needs apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers - similarly to how the first generation of the Church needed them (obviously no new doctrinal foundations can be laid, but we need to present the Apostles' doctrine to this generation).
Ministry to youth and young adults and children is crucial, because senior citizens were once the youth and young adults and children over which the previous generation of the Church had responsibility - but today's youth and young adults and children are no other generation's responsibility but ours.
Of course we can also seek to reach senior citizens who weren't won by the generation of the Church before us, when they were younger. So reach youth, reach out to young adults, target children - and don't neglect the elderly.
This generation needs to hear from modern-day 'apostles' who have encountered the Lord. Needs to hear testimonies of how we found the Lord. We need to be witnesses of what we have seen, heard and experienced. We need to go.
Jesus died. He was buried. On the third day He rose again.
The good news of the hope of resurrection and eternal life.
Light.
Reveal the Father through Jesus.
Heal the sick. Cast out demons.
The pronouncement of forgiveness and reconciliation with God. Justification by faith. Assurance of salvation. Made sons of God. Born again.
Receiving the Spirit. Tasting the power of the world to come. The seal of the Spirit. We have the firstfruits of the Spirit.
Partner with Jesus in building His Church - and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
This generation needs a brand new thing. It's the old thing. But for this generation, it's brand new, because this generation has never existed before.
So even though we are building on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, our work is brand new.
We are pioneers of the Gospel - in our generation.
Of course others have sown, and we are reaping. We are also sowing, and others will reap. Both rejoice together.
But our part is important. Without us, the forefathers won't experience the fulness of what they were promised.
And then, our work today, carried out faithfully, will also have an indirect effect on future generations, just as the previous generation and generations before that are having on ours.
So do the work of the Lord. Always abounding in the work of the Lord. Labour more abundantly than them all - yet not us, but the grace of God in us.
This generation isn't saved just because the previous generation was - each generation needs to get saved for themselves - and they can't get saved unless they hear the message.
So you're a pioneer of the Gospel in this generation! In all places wherever you go. Every believer in every generation is.
Build the work of God in this generation just as faithfully and solidly as the early Apostles did in theirs!
Build on the foundation that's already been laid - but build!
There are places that have never heard the Gospel yet, ever. But there are also places where the previous generation heard the Gospel, but the current generation still needs to hear it in that place. You can't be the first to preach the Gospel in that place, like a previous generation was the first to preach the Gospel in that place. They preached with the backdrop of paganism. You preach with the backdrop that a previous generation had already preached the Gospel in that place. But the people in that place now still need to hear the Gospel, regardless of what backdrop it is against. So although the backdrop or context might differ somewhat - and get to know the contextualisation if necessary - but really, just preach the same Gospel regardless of the backdrop. The main points of the backdrop are the same: sin and death; the historicity of the cross; the certainty of His promise and coming. Preach it.
The power of testimony.
No comments:
Post a Comment