How far are we from seeing a generation in America that doesn’t know God nor the things He has done?

I am currently teaching through the book of Judges on Wednesday evenings at the church I pastor.  At the beginning of this fascinating book there is the report of the Israelites taking possession of their inheritance in the Promised Land, also known as Canaan.  They were instructed by God to completely cast out the nations that lived in Canaan and to take their land.  Instead the children of Israel disobeyed God’s command and moved in with the people of the land.  They began to marry them, live like them, and even began to worship their gods.  Soon after we read the words of Judges 2.10 “..another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work He had done for Israel.”  Just a few generations away from God’s miraculous deliverance of His people from Egypt and His protection and provision in the wilderness and there were those who didn’t know God?  God had given them the tabernacle and many festivals and pictures of His presence and activity among them.  The priests were working and sacrifices were being made, but it seems that none of them were taking seriously their responsibility to teach their children about the One who had saved them and given them a homeland of their own.

How can that be?  Somewhere along the way the message of God’s grace and love for His people was lost.  There was activity, but no purpose.  There was teaching, but no substance.  There arose a generation that didn’t know God nor the things He had done.

All of this causes me to wonder and ask, How far are we in America from seeing a generation that doesn’t know God nor the things He has done?  I’ve asked several people that question and their reply was a resounding “soon”.  In the Bible Belt there are churches on every corner, but yet so few seem to be actively seeking to reach teens and young adults.  They may see the need, but don’t want to spend the money or time that it will take to do so.  In fact most local churches are small and have a congregation that is aging and perhaps unable to do much, or offer much, that would draw a younger generation.  There are some exeptions of course, as there are churches that are reaching young adults and teens, but they seem to be few and far between.

What can we do today to avoid this spiritual catastrophe?  I believe we must recapture the sense of purpose God intends us to have as individual Christians and as the church;  the purpose of reaching people.  I heard someone say once, “The local church exists for the people that aren’t here yet.”  I don’t know who said that, but it is true.  We, as the local church, exists to reach those who aren’t in our congregations.  Therefore we must diligently seek to reach the people in our communities.  As overwhelming as that may seem to some, it is not too big for God if we will simply allow Him to empower us to do so. 

Many would say that the purpose of the church is to bring glory and honor to God.  I would say to them that nothing we can do will  bring more glory and honor to God than to reach men and women and boys and girls for the Kingdom.

I don’t know about you, but in a way I see the church today behaving much like the religious leadership in the days of the Judges.  The priests were about their duties, but they weren’t making a difference in the lives of the people.  Today it seems that so many churches are going through the motions of religious activity while not impacting the lives of those who attend, much less the lives of those who don’t.  I am tired of business as usual.  I believe God is as well.  What we need, and what He wants to do is to display His power and to live through us to reach the millions that don’t know Him.  He wants to save people.  He wants to send a great revival.  He doesn’t want to see another generation arise that doesn’t know Him nor the things He has done.

It is my prayer that we will soon see a Great Awakening in America and not a generation that doesn’t know God.

God Bless