John the Baptist Generation

John the Baptist's story is very well known. He is viewed as the man who prepared the way for Jesus' ministry. In modern terms it was John The Baptist's job to do advance public relations for Jesus. He got the word out and told his disciples of the man who was to come. It is now 2000 years later and I believe very strongly that God needs to prepare another John the Baptist. He needs a group of people who will prepare the way for Jesus' second coming just as John did the first time.

My generation is that group.

It is very clear that teens and 20 somethings are the most publicized group in the United States and the world. Most media is geared toward us, politics are finally recognizing us, the work force will soon be run by many of us and most importantly... the church has begun to move with us.

Over the past few years the church has not only recognized youth culture, but they have begun to embrace it and in some ways allowed it to affect and change their church's vision. Many modern churches are now offering contemporary services to attract young adults as well as multiple small groups and youth/college age services. The media content in church has become much more trendy graphically, the music is a few decibels louder, the dress code is more "hip" and the messages are less focused on the working class adults and are being tailored to cater more to the church as a whole... which is starting to gain more and more young people.

We understand that the world and the church have put the spotlight on us, but now we need to embrace that. Our age group is being looked at to see what the future holds for the world. As Christians we need to provide the world with a hope of a bright future. With economic downfalls, more wars, less national focus on morals and radical religions getting more radical it is obvious that our time left on Earth is real short. It is our job to show the world the truth at a time when the truth is so hard to find. Jesus' return is imminent and Christian young people need to prepare the world for it. We need to be the John The Baptist and prepare the way for Christ. I would wager to say that our generation will be the last one to have this opportunity. We should consider ourselves blessed if we get to have families and grow up, but we certainly aren't missing out on anything if Jesus gets here before that. For the saved... the future is much better than anything this temporary place has to offer. We now need to live our lives completely abandoned and make every day count. We don't have enough days left to waste a single one...

Check out my previous blog on the end-times mission without fear if you havent read that one yet...

Expecting His presents *old*

Today is November 11th and its about 2:00.... if you’re a Christmas freak like me you know that in 43 days & 10 hours it will be midnight on christmas eve and Santa will be flyin high.... Okay so maybe that was a bit much, but still it shows you something about my personality. I love Christmas time. I was always a spoiled lil kid at xmas time, but Im not even like this because of the presents...I just love everything about it. It isn’t even thanksgiving yet and Im already freaking out about it. There’s not even much happening yet...the stores are selling decorations, the commercials have been leaking into my favorite sitcoms, and it is Christmas at Starbucks already (yay gingerbread lattes!) , but other than that the “most wonderful time” hasn’t even started. So if I’m not excited about toys...I dont see Christmas everywhere ..and snow has barely started falling, why am I still so excited?

I think that my excitement comes from simple expectancy. I am merely expecting the holiday season to come and be wonderful, I just have faith that it will come like it always does. I dont yet have prove, but I have expectancy anyway because of my faith in Christmastime. That same thing happened to me in my walk with God today.

I woke up early this morning and got ready to go to church knowing that I needed time to get to church on my own and allow time for a stop at the ‘bucks for a muffin and my first gingerbread latte of the year! In the midst of my drinking & driving I started listening to some worship music and I got myself expecting great things for today’s service. By the time I got to the church I was bursting inside and ready for God to do something. God has yet to let me (or anyone else) down so of course he showed up this morning and touched me. It was wonderful, I haven’t been impacted that much in a service in a while and that got me thinking...

An anointed man was at our church, but that isn’t solely where my blessing came from. A lot of it came from my own expectancy. I sought God out and I knew he would show up ..so he did. That faith is what drives Christianity to begin with. We believed and were saved..we believed and were filled... we believe and we will have a long healthy life....so why not believe and receive? So often we go to church expecting it to be long and boring, or thinking that there’s nothing there for me or thinking that there’s no reason to go when itl just make you feel guilty. When we go to church with these negative, God-hindering thoughts we come home as empty as we were before we got out of bed. God can move despite you, but the best way to get God is to expect him to do something.

I have been to many conferences in the last 6 years, and every time I go I get home wondering that if it’s the same God...why doesn’t he move in that same powerful way when I get home? I know that it has something to do with my expectancy. I’ve been at conferences with over 2,000 students crying out to God... of course the spirit will be more powerful there because for weeks before everyone was in prayer expecting great things for the conference. I would love to see what our churches and youth groups would be like if everyone could apply that mentality to every single service. I am as at much at fault as the next guy, but God is challenging me to expect more from him at every church service that I go to. Even if the worship team is off-key, the pastor stutters through his lengthy boring message, and you’re surrounded by distractions, God will still do something in you if you expect him to. I challenge you to take the next service you are going to and pray about it..get excited for it and wait for God to show up. What do you have to lose?(..other than your usual sunday morning pew nap of course)