3.11.21 搶救下一代 Saving Next Generation

士師記 2:10 那世代的人也都歸到自己的列祖。後來興起的另一世代不認識耶和華，也不知道他為以色列所做的事。

有句中國話說，”富不過三代“，但我們在士師記中讀到，以色列的第二代人就已經失敗了。他們“不認識耶和華，也不知道他為以色列所做的事。” 導致”他們離棄領他們出埃及地的耶和華—他們列祖的　神，去隨從別神，就是四圍列國的神明，向它們叩拜，惹耶和華發怒。”(2:12)離棄耶和華的後果是毀滅性的。

這現象顯然也正發生在我們的時代。在美國基督教離滅絕只有一代人。當一代人不再認識上帝時，他們就會朝拜其他的神 。 COVID-19和2020年的大選暴露了我們下一代的屬靈危機，這一危機無法僅透過教會多年來重複的節目來解決：活潑的兒童敬拜，創意的青少年活動和退修會等，此危機需要整個教會都參與其中。因為我們的敵人魔鬼一直在竭盡全力吞噬我們的下一代，而且他非常的有效。對於教會來說，早就該醒悟且在未太遲前把他們的全心投注在下一代。 3月23日，“搶救下一代”講座（中文為主, ppt 和 Q&A 中英) 將向教會發出有關我們下一代危機的警報，並提出“全教會”能夠並且應該如何搶救下一代的方案。這項工作需要教會中的主任牧師和領袖的全心投入和領頭。

“義人是為下一代而活的人。” 〜潘霍華 Dietrich Bonhoeffer “當上一代沒有屈身去拉拔下一代, 下一代滅亡” ~哈羅德·戴維斯 Harold Davis

上帝可以自己拯救下一代，但祂正在等待祂的教會興起爭戰。戰鬥才剛剛開始！“上帝說：“與你相爭的，我必與他相爭，我也要拯救你的兒女。” (以賽亞書49:25）

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Judges 2:10 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.

There is a Chinese saying that family riches do not last beyond the third generation, yet we read in Judges that Israel’s second generation had already failed. They “did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel.” The Israelites abandoned the Lord and worshiped the gods around them, doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord. And the consequence of ignoring the Lord was devastating.

This is clearly likewise happening in our time. Christianity is only one generation away from being extinguished. When one generation ceases to know God, it turns to worship other gods. COVID-19 and the election of 2020 have exposed the spiritual crisis regarding our next generation, a crisis which cannot be solved by what the churches have been doing for years: having a nice children’s worship, youth group meetings and activities, etc. This crisis requires the WHOLE church to get involved because our enemy, the Devil, has been using all of his strength to devour our next generation, and he has been very effective. It is long overdue for our churches to wake up and to turn their WHOLE attention to the next generation before it is too late. On March 23, the Saving the Next Generation workshop will serve to alert the churches regarding the crisis in our next generation and to propose how the WHOLE church can and should save the next generation. This effort requires the attention of the senior pastors and leaders in our churches. 

“The righteous man is the one who lives for the next generation.” ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer “When the older generation of men does not step down and pull the younger generation up, that [next] generation perishes.” ~ Harold Davis

God can save the next generation by Himself, but He is waiting for His church to rise up to fight. The battle has just started! God says “I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children.” (Isaiah 49:25)