Building Up the Next Generation

Church, I'm going to invite you at this time.

I know we've been standing and worshiping, making a lot of commotion here today, but

amen, it's all been in the right spirit, but we're going to now enter into the Word of God.

I'm going to be reading out of the book of Acts chapter 16 verse 1 through 3.

Acts 16:1–3

And as you're preparing to go there, I want to preface this message today by telling you that

what I have come to deliver this afternoon is more than a sermon.

It's more than a sermon. Why do I say that? Because I really came today with a burden for our families.

I came with a burden for the next generation. I came today hopefully not just to inform you of something,

but to impart into your life today a word from God that will challenge and propel you forward

into raising the family and the being who God has called you to be.

So we're going to have today a bit of a heart to heart. My heart is heavy and I need to get some things off of it today.

So Acts chapter 16 verse 1, then he came to Derby and Lystra and behold a certain disciple was there named Timothy,

Acts 16:1

the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek.

He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium.

Paul wanted to have him go with him and he took him, circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region

for they all knew that his father was Greek. My thought today that God has laid on my heart is building up the next generation.

Building up the next generation can someone say amen today? You may be seated in the presence of God.

In today's world building up young, devoted and courageous Christians amid an increasingly secular and anti-Christian society is no easy task.

It's not for the faint of heart. It's not easy. The challenges faced by the younger generation seem daunting when you consider how the world

and the enemy is doing everything they can to contradict to, if I can say it this way, brainwash our children and our young people.

How the school system and the co-conspirator of the culture are pushing their humanistic immoral values.

Or when you consider how they are exposed to thousands of advertisements every day.

And I'm not talking about billboards on the highways, I'm talking about these.

Phones and tablets on social media aimed at feeding them seductive lies in the most seductive and subtle ways you can imagine.

About everything from human biology, believe it or not we live in a world where it seems that we have to redefine what a man and a woman is.

I think it's defined already, can I hear an amen? It's controversial to even say that.

Seductive lies about human sexuality and even the very existence of God.

And I could go on and on church today about the ills of our sense world and we could be here all day exposing one lie and one problem after another.

But the reality that we all must confront is how Satan and the world wants to destroy the next generation.

And ultimately cut them off. Our children, our young people, our young adults from the spiritual inheritance that belongs to them as the people of God.

But this is where we as a church collectively and as heads of households, as fathers and mothers, and all interested parties today, which I hope is everyone, must be willing to stand up in this hour and to take charge and to do everything within our power.

And most of all with the power that we have in God to assure that the next generation is built up strong in the things of God.

And built up strong to withstand the fiery darts of the enemy and to charge ahead into this world being the salt and the light.

And to be the generation that God has called and desktem to be. If you are with me in this, then I want you to give God a thunderous round of applause right now.

As one church and one body, if you're with me on this, somebody say amen.

We've got to be united in this front church. We've got to be united. When I think about building something, I think about a house.

A house has three main components. I know there's a lot of components to a house and I wouldn't dare say I am an expert in construction, but common knowledge would say there's at least three components.

A foundation, walls and a roof. Amen. Simple enough. Foundation, walls and a roof.

And I believe that building up the next generation requires the same components as a house.

They need a foundation, they need walls and a roof. And our pastor today gives us a picture of who in fact is responsible for these components and how they work together in concert, in unity to accomplish this goal.

So before I delve into that, let me give you some context today. We've been going through the book of Acts and to help us see where exactly these events take place at the beginning of Acts chapter 16, we find the Apostle Paul embarking on his second missionary journey to revisit the churches that he had established in his first journey.

Acts 16 · chapter mention

He's going back now to pay them a visit. And along the way they came to the town of Lystra where they met this young man. The Bible says he was a disciple named Timothy.

And they were so impressed by this young man. When Paul and Barnabas met him there was something about this young man, Timothy, that truly stood out to them. He was remarkable. He was different maybe from his peers.

He was different in his stature, in his conduct, in his mindset. His spirit, there was something about this young man, Timothy, that stood out to Paul, made an impression on him.

So much so that when they were ready to leave the small town as they were packing their bags and getting ready to depart, Paul looked at this man and young man, Timothy, probably a teenager.

I've got to take him with me. I've got to bring this young man with me. And so he singles him out and he issues that call. Very much like other times in Scripture, for instance, when Elijah called Elisha and threw his mantle on him as he was there driving twelve yoke of oxen in the field

in a very similar fashion, Paul calls him and says, why don't you come with us, Timothy? And from that day forward he took him under his wing and began training him, mentoring him in ways that his parents possibly could not.

And this is where the three components of a house come back into focus. For Timothy to realize his God-given potential, he needed foundation, walls, and a roof.

And it's the same for every one of us. But with an emphasis today on the next generation, they need those same components to reach their God-given potential. Amen, somebody.

They need those things. So first of all, number one, we need to lay a foundation. Someone say foundation. Let's say that again, foundation. A house's foundation is its bedrock, providing stability and support for everything and all that will be built on top of it.

When Paul met Timothy, it's important for you, church friend, to understand that Timothy was already firmly established. He was already founded and grounded.

He already had a solid foundation of truth that was laid by his mother, Eunice, and to a lesser degree, his grandmother, Lois.

And these spiritual matriarchs instill a love for God in him. They instill the word of God in his life, in his heart, and they trained him up like Proverbs 22, 6 says,

train up a child in the way he should go. Amen. And when he is old or when he has grown, he will not depart from it. How many of you believe this to be true today?

I said, how many of you believe this to be true today? Train up a child, rear them up, train them, mentor them, develop them, construct them.

Later on in their relationship, when Paul writes to Timothy, who at this point in their relationship is already posturing, so this is skipping ahead a few years, but he finds himself writing to Timothy a letter of encouragement.

And in that letter, he reminds Timothy of the foundation that had been laid and poured in his life. And he writes these words to 2 Timothy 1,5.

When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which first dwelt in your grandmother, Lois, and your mother, Eunice, I am persuaded is in you also.

Paul, in encouraging Timothy, tells Timothy possibly Timothy was going through a rough time in his ministry and in his life. I'm sure there were questions that were bothering him.

I'm sure there were trials and tribulations that Timothy was facing. And so Paul, in his letter of encouragement, reminds Timothy, Timothy, let me just remind you of who you are.

Hmm, my God, can I preach like I want to today? Let me just remind you of where you come from. Let me remind you Timothy, let me take you all the way back to your foundation and tell you that you don't just come from anything, Timothy.

You're not just anybody, Timothy. You're not just like everybody else in this world who's trying to make something out of themselves. No, Timothy, you come from a solid apostolic foundation that's was given to you by your mother and by your grandmother.

Timothy, you've got a steady foundation.

And it's in the hard times of life, whether they come in the schools, in the campus, whether they come in the form of physical setbacks, and ailments or financial setbacks and relational hurt, all the different phases and seasons of life that our children, the next generation,

they have got to have a sure foundation to know who they are and better yet, who's they are. They are children of all mighty God. Clap your hands and give the Lord some praise today. Somebody say hallelujah.

Let me say that it was not Paul's responsibility. Neither is it the pastor's or the church's responsibility, but the parent's responsibility. And for you parents that are here today, our future parents, amen, it's your responsibility to lay the foundation.

I said it's your responsibility to lay the foundation. When Paul showed up, Timothy was already founded. The Bible says he was a disciple. So it's the parents, the fathers, the mothers. It is your responsibility to make a disciple out of your children.

Oh, praise God. I said praise God. It's your responsibility. Every parent must be your child foundation layer. That sounds great pastor. How do I do that? You start off by teaching them.

Teaching begins at home. Amen, somebody. I said teaching begins at home. If the only time the next generation gets exposed to truth and has taught the word of God is here at church, we're in trouble.

Because for 30 minutes, once a week is not enough. Amen. You've got to teach them. And the problem that I'm finding is the reason why some are not being taught is because the teachers don't even know for themselves.

Paul said in another point, by now you ought to be teachers, but I'm still having to give you the milk. Hallelujah. When you ought to be consuming meat and the reason why many are growing up spiritually anemic today is because they're not being taught at home.

So you do it by teaching someone say teach them. You do it by prayer, praying for them. That's right. Pray, pray for your children. Pray for the next generation. You do it by demonstrating a genuine love for God through your words and through your actions.

You do it by living out your faith consistently. Consistently. I cannot stress to you how important it is for us to be consistent. Consistent.

Consistency at the end of the day is what's going to drive home every principle and every value that we hope to instill in the next generation. Consistency. I'm going to say consistency.

Not just seasons of it, but a lifetime of it. Consistency. Consistent church attendance. Consistent modeling of what a godly life is. Consistence in our behavior. Consistence.

This is what's going to ensure that the foundation that we lay is solid. My God. Children and families are being corrupted and destroyed nowadays. Not because the world is evil.

Not because the devil is bad. Devil's been bad for a long time. But because foundations are in ruin. The words of David ring true.

Psalm 113, if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? It doesn't matter if junior has the potential to be an astronaut. It doesn't matter if she's got the potential to do this and to go there.

All of these things could be great. But if there's no foundation or if those foundations have been destroyed, what can the righteous do?

What profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?

Some would say foundations. We live in a world that is trying to do everything it can. Hear me out today. Everybody needs to hear what I'm saying today.

That is trying to diminish the roles. Hear me. A father's and mother's from shaping the foundation of their children.

They don't want you to tell your children who they are.

And there are many efforts being made now, more than ever, to silence, to diminish the role of a parent, of an authority from telling a child who they are.

No. We live in a world now where the school system wants to tell them who they are. Where the culture wants to tell them who they are.

And worse off than that, the roles that reverse where instead of parents telling their children who they are, children are telling their parents. This is who I want to be.

So if one day Sam comes home and says I want to be Samantha, one day someone comes home and says I don't want to be a boy, I want to be a girl.

We live in a world now where they want to tell the parent, no, you just let them be who they want to be.

If that little boy wants to dress like a girl, let them dress. Just let their spirit be free. Just let them be who they want to be.

The devil is a liar. I said the devil is a liar. The devil is a liar.

It is our responsibility. I don't care what the world says. I don't care what the enemy says. I don't care what society or what secularism says. I don't care how many degrees are on their wall and how many books they write and what they say that we ought to do.

I'm going to tell my child who they are and I'm going to stand by you. Is there anybody else in this house today that is willing to do the same for your children?

Come on and give God some praise here this afternoon. Come on and give God some praise here today.

Don't be afraid to tell these young people who they are. You are a child of God. You have been made in the image and in the likeness of God, fearfully and wonderfully made.

You are a royal priesthood. You are a chosen generation. You are who God says you are. You got to tell your son, you're a boy. You got to tell your daughters, you're a girl.

And that's what you're going to stay because that's how God made you.

Somebody say amen. Tell them God's design for the family. That it's God's original design for a family to have one father and one mother.

Oh God, hallelujah. I've been under spiritual attack church. The enemy doesn't want these kinds of messages going forth. I can tell you there was a heaviness in my heart.

I feel the Holy Ghost. There's been a heaviness in my heart and I have concern and I have a burden for this church and for our young people and for our juniors and for our kids and I want to see them become whom God, but we have got to give them a foundation.

An apostolic foundation.

Don't depend solely on the church, the pastor, the teachers to pour that foundation.

And don't do what some people do 20 years of not pouring any foundation. Then they bring their messed up 18 year old tears and say, you know, fix them.

Oh wow. What am I supposed to do?

No, we've got to do our jobs. Amen. You know what we're here to do? We're here to encourage you. You know what my job as a pastor, let me tell you what my job is.

I know my job description pretty well. My job is to give you the dry mix and the water. Your job is to mix it up and then pour that foundation when you get home.

I've got the dry mix. I've got the water here today. I've got the raw material say, this is what you need. Now go home and put it into practice and pour that foundation.

Amen.

Hey man, somebody say amen. I don't live with you. I don't want to live with you. Trust me, you don't want me to live with you.

Don't laugh too much. Oh, hallelujah.

Number two, we've got to build walls. Someone say walls.

Eunice, not only... Can I take a little extra time today? Is that alright?

Okay. Eunice not only laid us all the foundation for her son, Timothy, but she built sturdy walls around his life.

And this is evidenced by his testimony, the way that he conducted himself and how he interacted within his environment.

And you'll read in verse two, supports this idea. It says that Timothy was well spoken of by the brethren.

So it wasn't like she just built him up in isolation somewhere and then nobody knew that this young man was founded and was walking the right way.

He established for himself a reputation. He was respectful. He was upright and mature for his age.

And I believe this has everything to do with walls. Someone say walls.

See, let me tell you the difference between foundations and walls.

Foundations are about beliefs. Okay?

Foundations are about beliefs. That's the doctrine. That's the faith that we're built upon.

The teachings of the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. Amen.

But boundaries, walls are about boundaries. They are about rules and order and structure.

They're different, but they work together. And it's important for you to understand that the foundations are not built on the walls.

You can't give your kids rules and order without telling them why you're giving them.

My God. Okay. Foundations first. And then on top of the foundation, you start to build up boundaries for your family.

Boundaries for your marriage. Boundaries for your children. And this are the rules, the order and the structure.

Foundations are based on principles. Walls are based on practices. Write that down if you can.

Foundations are based on principles. Walls are based on practices.

Amen. Just as walls are an extension of the foundation, so too are boundaries, extensions of our beliefs.

So every boundary and every wall that we erect in our homes and in our lives is rooted or founded upon a belief system.

Now, I'm going to say this again. I don't care what society or what the secular professionals will tell you.

Children, adolescents, young people, they need walls.

They need them. Walls exist to protect what's inside from outside invasion.

Proverbs 25, 28, whoever has no rule over his spirit, no rule, no governance over his spirit is like a city broken down without walls.

When there are no walls, there is no protective environment in place to shield, to protect that which is inside from that on the outside.

When there are no structures, when there is no rules, when there are no boundaries, it is free reign for the devil to walk straight into your family's life and do whatever he wants.

Oh my God, I feel the anointing today. I know we're not swinging from these chandeliers right now.

I know we're not running any aisles today, but hear me what I'm saying by the word of the Lord.

Don't be afraid to give your children structure they need it.

Amen, somebody. Give them rules. Give them boundaries.

So why is it so important? You know, why can't we just have no rules and, you know, rules are necessary.

If you give your child beliefs without boundaries, eventually they won't have beliefs anymore either.

That's how the foundations are destroyed. But boundaries gives your family direction.

And if they don't have direction, if they don't have boundaries, what's going to happen? Let me tell you, I'll be just a little bit longer here today, but let me tell you what's going to happen.

Contrary to popular belief, contrary to whatever society and the experts say, they will grow up without boundaries, they will grow up more insecure.

Less secure. Less free. See, the world tells you don't give them boundaries, so they'll be like a free spirit.

They'll be more creative. They'll be, you know, they'll get to experiment with different things in the world.

And I'm telling you, it's the exact opposite. With no boundaries, they grow up less secure in who they are.

They make up their own rules as they go. They wander aimlessly through life, spiritually and emotionally unstable.

A few years ago, a team of architects conducted a simple study to observe any physical and psychological influences of having a fence around a playground.

And how it would impact preschool children. By observing teachers and their students in two different playground settings, one with a fence and one without a fence, the researchers found a striking difference in the child's behavior within each space.

On the playground without a fence, they observed that the children tended to huddle around their teacher and hesitated to venture out.

Conversely, in the fenced-in playground, the children roamed around with freedom and curiosity.

And the researchers concluded that the presence of a boundary fostered a greater sense of confidence and security and actually encouraged the children to explore.

Contrary to what we think, having a boundary in place, rules in place, structure and order in our lives and in our families actually liberates our children and the next generation to explore, to learn, which we want them to do.

To discover the beauty of what God has available for them and be confident. How many of you parents want to raise confident children?

Amen. Confident. Secure. Do you know how you do that? Boundaries.

Hear me? Boundaries. Rules. That's right. Giving your family boundaries is not going to limit their potential. It will unleash their potential.

Because in many ways, it's those rules. And I'm speaking today as a living witness. It's the rules that my father put in place over me.

You know, growing up, I'm just about done. I thought my dad was a little too hard on me sometimes. A little too old school.

He had rules in place. And I thought he was a bit of a disciplinarian. Now, he wasn't overboard about it.

As I got a little older, as I proved myself out and I earned his trust, responsibility, of course, you know what happened?

The fence got expanded. But you know, Brother David, till the day I got married, there was always a fence.

I was like my 20s and I still had a fence. You know, I still had to tell them where I was. Tell them where I'm going.

Tell them what time am I coming back. There's still a fence. And until you can pay for your own fence.

All y'all don't want to hear what I've got to say. There's going to be a fence in this house and you're going to live by them. Why? Because I love you.

Because I want to release you one day to be the very best that God has for your life.

Hey man, somebody. I mean, I got to wrap this thing up. But before I do, and I'll try to wrap this up quickly now.

I know I keep saying it, but hear me. There's also a roof. Someone say the roof. Someone say raise the roof.

You lay the foundation. You build the walls. And then you raise the roof. Wow. How do I raise the roof? This is where Paul comes in.

When Paul steps into the scene of Timothy's life, a young man, Paul didn't have anything to do with his foundation.

The boy was already a disciple, a believer in Jesus, baptized in Jesus' name, filled with the Holy Ghost.

Paul didn't even have much to do with his boundaries because he was already a respectable, respectful young man.

He was submitted to his mother's authority and his father's, even though he was not a believer. He was submitted to that.

But Paul comes in at just the right moment. And if we do this according to this biblical pattern, at the right moment, at the right season, and at the right time,

God will send into your child and your family's life a Paul. It could be a pastor. It could be this pastor. It could be a mentor.

It could be a spiritual leader in the church. But this is what they do.

They take young Timothy under their wing. Oh, hallelujah. They say, you've got a foundation. You've got walls.

Now, let me help you reach your potential.

This is when Eunice, you know what Eunice had to do here? I wonder if Eunice cried when Paul said, you know, I was thinking about taking your son.

What?

I think it was, it had to be hard.

I think it was probably hard when Hannah had to bring Samuel to the temple and give him to Eli. Right?

But there comes a point, this is for everybody, parents, listen up, especially, there comes a point where we have to recognize,

without being their parent, I'm always going to be here to be that foundation, walls if necessary.

But there comes a point in which we have to recognize our limitations and say, for him or her to reach their maximum potential,

I got to allow, I got to surrender and let someone else be a voice in their life.

Oh, Jesus, I got to be willing to let others, let other teachers, men and women of God, to help them, form them.

You see, Eunice did an amazing job with her son. We're not criticizing her, but she had some limitations.

Timothy was destined to be a pastor. She couldn't tell him anything about being a pastor. She had not been a pastor.

Timothy was destined to be a preacher. She couldn't mentor him to be a preacher.

And so there came a point in where she had to say, okay, Paul, I'm willing to release him into your care,

so that you can take him to places that I can't take. I can't go all these places. I can't give him all of these experiences.

I got to stay home. I got my mother Lois here. My life is here.

So in order for his roof to be raised, can you stand with me today? I invite everyone to stand. God bless you.

I might have to come back to this message another time, because I got a lot. But Paul steps in.

This is why you have to bring your children to church. Oh, God.

This is why we have to bring the young people to church.

Because while you're laying the foundation all week long, while you're establishing the boundaries throughout their daily lives,

which I hope you do more than ever, you bring them here on Sundays.

You let them get involved in the church. You let them go to junior camps, youth camps.

I don't care what. As long as it's an apostolic camp, you let them get involved. You let them explore.

You let them get under the right kind of ministry. Why?

So that we can help raise the roof for them.

So that we can take them and not change what you taught them.

Not change the foundation. No, we're here to reaffirm the foundation.

We're here to, my God, hallelujah. We're here to confirm the foundation, somebody.

But also to raise the roof. You know why? Because right here in this church, in City Light Church,

our future preachers, ministers, ministers' wives, missionaries, missionaries' wives.

I wish I had a witness right now. I said I wish I had a witness right now.

Pastors and evangelists. Oh, business owners and you name it.

Great and mighty people. God's going to raise up.

And there are mentors here. There are mentors in the body that if we would just got here.

I pray that you hear my heart today, church.

We need to build up the next generation.