“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”
— Paul [1 Timothy 4:12]
"Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.”
— Dietrich Bonhoeffer
A HUNGER I DIDN'T EXPECT
Two weekends ago I had the opportunity to speak at a college retreat that I’ve mentioned a few times now.
Over the span of 24 hours, I gave three sermons and spent time in a Q&A with the students. It was exhausting in the best way. The kind of tired that comes from pouring yourself out into something meaningful.
I walked away having experienced something for myself that I had only heard about before my time there.
The next generation is hungry.
I had heard it before from friends who work closely with Gen Z. I had believed them when they told me about their hunger. But this was the first time I had experienced it up close.
They weren’t passive. They weren’t disinterested. They weren’t distracted in the way culture often labels them. They leaned in.
They asked real questions, they searched for real truth, and they hungered for something more. As I traveled back to Idaho from Wyoming, I found that it left me with a deep sense of hope…and what came along with that hope was a deep sense of responsibility.
BRIDGING THE GAP
In a previous newsletter titled, No More Broken Chains, I referenced a framework from my friend Grant Skeldon that has stayed with me.
The relationship between generations is built on two core principles: belief and honor.
The older generation must instill belief in the younger. The younger generation must bestow honor on those who came before them. If that bridge isn’t built then discipleship breaks down. And right now, in many ways, that bridge is fractured.
The older generation often feels:
- Irrelevant
- Disqualified by past mistakes
- Unsure if they have anything to offer
The younger generation often feels:
- Intimidated
- Like a burden
- Afraid of rejection
So both sides hesitate. And in that hesitation, discipleship stalls and the church stalls with it.
A GLIMPSE OF WHAT'S POSSIBLE
One of the most powerful moments for me from the weekend came in a simple conversation.
A young woman came up to me and shared with me some of her story. As we talked, she mentioned something that I truly wasn’t expecting.
She said my wife was her spiritual grandmother. My wife is only 30, so at first I was confused. Then she said it again and I began to understand.
She obviously wasn’t speaking biologically. As she said, she was speaking spiritually.
My wife had discipled a young woman years ago. That woman had gone on to disciple her. And now here she stood, two generations deep in a lineage of faithfulness.
You don’t get to see that very often. You don’t often get to witness the downstream impact of quiet, faithful investment. But in that moment, it was undeniable.
This is how the kingdom moves forward.
Not through platforms or church programs. But through people who choose to invest in other people.
I personally think we’ve overcomplicated discipleship.
We’ve turned it into a curriculum. We’ve distilled it down to church programs or scheduled coffee meetings with bullet points and takeaways.
But at its core, discipleship is much simpler, yet also more costly.
It’s proximity.
It’s letting someone see your life up close. Not just what you say… but how you live. Not just a curated hour of information transfer. But how you handle stress. How you love your spouse. How you repent when necessary. How you follow Jesus when no one is watching.
Discipleship is not just teaching someone what you know.
It’s showing them who you are becoming.
It’s inviting them into your calendar and giving them a front row seat in your life. It’s allowing them the opportunity to imitate you as you imitate Christ.
A CALL TO BOTH SIDES
Currently I find myself somewhere in the middle between the older and younger generations. In that, I feel I can speak with some clarity to both sides.
If you are in the older generation here is my plea. You don’t need to be relevant. You don’t need to be impressive. You certainly don’t need to have it all figured out.
You need to be available.
Your story matters. Your scars can prevent theirs. Your faithfulness is a testimony that the younger generation needs to hear.
There are young people who are starving for someone to believe in them.
Please, lean in, initiate, open your life, your calendar, and your home.
If you are in the younger generation, you don’t need to have all the answers and you certainly shouldn’t act like you do. You don’t need to prove yourself. You need to be humble.
Look for fruit.
Find someone who has walked with God longer than you. And go to them. Ask questions. Honor their life. Take notes. Pursue wisdom.
Don’t wait to be invited…initiate.
We often measure success by what we build. But in the kingdom, success is often measured by who carries it forward.
If true leadership success is determined by the success of your successor…Then passing the baton becomes everything. You can run your race flawlessly and build something truly impressive.
But if no one is there to carry it forward then it stops with you.
A FINAL CHARGE
Have hope in the next generation. They are not too far gone. They are not too distracted. They are not too disinterested.
They are hungry.
But hunger requires someone to feed it.
So invest accordingly. Pour into someone. Invite someone in. Pass the baton.
Because at the end of the day, the race was never meant to be run alone. And if the baton isn’t passed, no matter how well you ran, the race falls short.
–––––––––––––––––––––––
Join Us
Thanks for reading! You can get more biblical wisdom and encouragement sent directly to your inbox every Monday morning with the email signup, or read our entire catalog of past issues.