Preparing the Next Generation - Ps Rob Urban

Welcome to Logan City Christian Church podcast where we bring God's Word to you weekly.

We pray what you hear will bring clarity to your situation and open doors in your life.

Enjoy the message.

Last Sunday we did the baby dedication.

You remember that?

Last Sunday.

And as I was praying for one of my grandsons there, Desmond, this is going to be a little

bit hard for me.

And this whole message is based around this.

I had a vision when I was praying for him there.

And that vision continued through the service and it's continued through the week.

And today I'm going to be sharing a bit about it and it's very hard to share everything

but we have a job to do with the young people of this nation.

And the message is preparing the next generation.

What I saw in brief, I'm going to touch on it in different places through the message.

I saw this generation, Desmond's age, which he is what, three months old, not even.

One that we have in this church that would be even in their early teens.

They're about to enter in to an age where persecution is going to be at a level that

you and I have never seen.

And the main thrust of it was deception.

My Lord, we are seeing deception today.

People not knowing what is right and wrong in some cases and calling good evil an evil

good.

There's such a confusion.

There's such an identity confusion.

And so I saw these children as we know that they are the next preachers, they're the next

worship leaders, they're the next members of parliament, they're the next civic leaders,

they're the next everything.

And although the youth do not make up 100% of our current population, they certainly

are 100% of our future.

And the Lord is saying the body of Christ by and large is wasting so much time on unnecessary

things that have no eternal value, where we should be investing our efforts and our time

into this generation.

Because they are going and are experiencing things that you and I have never experienced.

It's a different era, it's a different time, it's a different level of darkness.

And we have only a few years to make an impact in their life.

Because in that vision, I saw, this is very graphic, but I saw the Christian church in

this vision, handing children out into the wild, amongst wild beasts and being devoured,

and not knowing what to do, not having any strength of their own.

And the Lord's countenance was very stern, very displeased.

And He said to me at that time right there, He said, there's a day coming that His, this

is God Himself, that my disfavour is going to be known to my church for the lack of care

and spiritual input into this generation.

They are hard words, I know, but I heard it first, and it was spoken to me first.

It's hard.

And if we don't do it, who is going to do it?

The devil is harvesting children for his kingdom like never before.

And as people of God, there should be, and I know there is, a holy discontent within

each and every one of us.

We don't want to see this happen anymore.

Sometimes it's like, what can we do?

What can we do?

You might be thinking, I'm in my 90s, I'm in my 80s and my 70s, 60s, 50s, what can I

do?

And I'm going to speak about that today.

But there's a crisis, and my eyes were opened up to it last Sunday.

I think we've got it pretty right, we never ever get it all right, about church services,

ministering to the vast majority of congregations around the world.

I'm speaking about the church universal, the church worldwide.

And I think we do, as a church worldwide, a reasonably good job.

We don't always get it right, but we try.

And so we put a lot of effort into meeting the needs of everybody.

But what I saw was all along, there's a generation at our feet that are spiritually and emotionally

unprepared for what is coming.

And I feel that God wants to stir up, as I call it, a holy discontent, that we're no

longer content with this happening anymore, that it will lead us to take action.

Now I'm not speaking to any person, particularly this morning.

This is the body of Christ worldwide.

And I'm not suggesting that we neglect the parents and the grandparents and members of

congregations.

If you could have only seen what I saw, we've got it wrong.

Overall, the church has had it, not all of them.

We've had it wrong.

Our main emphasis should be in the children.

That's where it should be.

The young people, the teenagers, you see, for us that have been Christians a while,

there comes a time that we learn so much, and if we don't give out of what we've got,

we can stagnate spiritually.

I know that God wants to make us uncomfortable, that we don't accept this anymore, that in

that vision, there were children that I knew, I saw their face walking away from the Lord,

and I knew they weren't coming back.

We can say that, oh, they're rebellious and they're stubborn, and that may be with some,

but a lot of times, they're going with what they know and what they've been taught.

In some cases, they haven't been taught enough.

They've been making decisions based upon what they know, their experiences.

There is a generation that is starving for this emotional input and spiritual input,

and it is our job as the older part of a congregation to be making a difference in the lives of

the younger people.

I am fully aware that there are times that you and I, as older Christians, we have our

needs, we always will do, and we meet each other's needs and we connect with God and

we do these things, but there's a time in between our needs when the wind is in our

sails and we are doing okay, I'm speaking about that time.

The church of Jesus Christ needs a shift of thought and direction that we can no longer

neglect this anymore.

Because once the children are taken by deception, it takes an outright miracle of God to get

them back.

So prevention is way better than any cure.

And yes, God is almighty and all-powerful, and yes, we have seen God move and bring back

the prodigals and we've seen Him do that.

And thank God for the praying mums and dads and the praying grandmas and grand dads and

so on.

Great stuff, but you know that is not God's best.

What I see as God's best is that children are taught from a very young age to know God,

to know what it is to walk with God, to have the elders, and when I say elders, the older

Christians that have experienced God to sit with them and impart their life, their journey,

their encounters with God into this generation.

But if they don't know and if they're not taught and if they've never had that experience

when they reach that age, temptation comes, deception comes, and they're left unequipped

in the word, if not it is now.

And then we see them go off and suddenly things become serious.

And we'll pray through the nights for the prodigal and the Lord is saying while He'll

answer those prayers and He'll work with you, it would have been good for those nights that

we spend in prayer going back to invest them into the heart and soul of the children, to

teach them the Word of God, to teach them the ways of God so that they follow you, follow

me, our example.

I remember one time years ago, one of my children, I was in my office praying and the door was

open and I happened to look and saw, I don't know which one it was, was watching me.

And this first thought that I had, I need to close the door so I'm not distracted.

And I did.

And then the Lord spoke to me, why did you do that?

So I opened the door again, by the time I did, they were gone, they were outside.

And it dawned on me, children need to see their parents in prayer.

They need to see their mum and dad in deceit.

They need that example.

So I believe that for many of us that have been saved a long time, we need to shift our

focus.

I believe it's like starting to warm up the baby bottles again, oh how exciting that is.

And to understand that while we have breath, it is our responsibility to keep nurturing

this next generation.

It is so important.

And if we don't, this next generation probably will not make it.

They're not my thoughts, current statistics support what I just said.

And I believe we can change that.

I believe we can change that very thing.

And I've been praying through the week that the Lord may lift the weight of what I saw

and the grief of it, to lift it off me.

But He hasn't done it.

And so I as a pastor, I've been doing a very gracious thing.

I've been praying that it may come on the congregation.

And I think it's a burden we all need to share.

You see we can rightly so protest against world affairs and the unjust things that happen

in this world.

That's what we're called to do.

As men and women of God, we're going to stand for righteousness in this world.

That's a good thing and rally behind the political party that's going to bring the level of justice

that's needed and spend hours and hours of a day praying and believing God for our government

and for all of these wonderful things.

Yet at the same time can spend hours a day watching television or on Facebook or on the

phone or on the internet and just wasting so much time.

Now I'm not saying that is you.

I'm saying this is what statistics say happens in the Christian church today.

The surveys that were released, I think it was 18 months, two years ago, that's what

it was saying.

And so we're nearly two years further down the road and I would hope to think that it

has improved somewhat.

But what about preparing this generation that we have?

You see, we know about succession that in a church that the minister reaches a place

where God will speak to him or her about a successor.

And we rightly so put the right level of time and interest and prayer into that because

it's important.

What about the successes of the church, of leaders?

And I see this is where by and large, not all, but in a lot of cases where the big gap

is.

And so we're hoping that this next generation will just find their way and hopefully do

the right thing.

But it is up to us church to show them the right way, to instruct them the ways of God

and to teach them the ways of God and to sit with them in the presence of God and to pray

with them and to commune with them in the presence of God because children need to experience

the presence of God.

That Christianity for them is no longer just a thing, it's an encounter with a living

God.

And I believe this is one of the areas that we need to truly, truly lead this generation,

that they are spirit people.

You see, a spirit person really is not interested in the ways of the flesh.

A spirit person is discerning.

You see, a spirit person, you see the gifts of the spirit, it's a spiritual gift.

And when a child becomes, and we teach them to become a spirit being, like a spirit person,

knowing the ways of God and how the Holy Spirit operates and a relationship with the Holy

Spirit, that when something comes along that is not right, they know before anyone has

to tell them.

But they just don't learn this automatically.

It is our job, our responsibility to teach them to be young men and young women of God

that know the ways of God and are learning the Word of God.

And there we are equipping them, making sure that at the right age they understand what

it is to be truly born again, understand the importance of being water baptized, being

filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in other tongues, not just a place or something

to achieve, but a lifestyle of praying in tongues.

And I tell you, I believe if we can accomplish this at some level, these children are going

to be so much further advanced in their walk with God to be able to handle what is coming.

I know as you do that God does bestow a greater grace, the darker it gets, the greater the

grace will be.

But that does not excuse this current older generation from our responsibilities to train

and equip the young people.

The things that I saw was the aggression within the opposition against Christianity.

The aggression carried an element of violence.

It was horrible.

But the realization came that majority of us, when this happens, won't be here.

And I probably won't.

So we won't be here when the pedal hits the metal and they're in their darkest hour of

trial and they'll call out for mum and they'll call out for dad or granddad or grandma and

they're not here.

But we're here now.

We are with them today.

We have this opportunity today to impart into our grandchildren, into our children and to

teach them thoroughly and equip them thoroughly the ways of God.

Oh Lord, I'm praying that that same vision comes upon the body of Christ.

It was the most uncomfortable thing I've probably ever experienced.

So who's preparing this generation?

I remember a few years ago, I was talking to a guy about this because we were talking

about youth and children and children's ministry.

He said, well, I'll tell you straight up now, he said, it ain't my job.

And I said to him, if it ain't your job, whose job is it?

It is our job.

It is our responsibility.

All of us, each and every one of us.

I know this may sound uncomfortable and I know it may sound a little bit hard this morning,

but trust me, according to what I've endured this week and what happened last Sunday, I

am trying to be very aware, very mindful how I deliver this this morning.

It's not an easy thing.

You see, the first place of learning is not the education system while it's needed.

That's not the first place.

The first place of learning is not the church, while it is very important.

It's not the first place of learning for a child.

The first place of learning is the home.

It's the family unit.

That's where it begins.

And we are seeing the devil destroying the fabric of society with divorce and sole parents

and children, God bless their hearts, trying to do the best they can, growing up with one

parent or even some with no parents.

Your heart's got to go out to them because they didn't ask for it.

A victim of circumstance.

And so in the home is where I believe that it needs to start.

It needs to be present in the church.

But I believe every believer, those of us that are older, parents and grandparents and

great grandparents, that we can impact those families to be an encouragement to every family,

whether they're Christian or not, to make a positive impact and an influence of God,

to encourage mums and encourage dads, to encourage single parents to do the best they can do

and do whatever you can, and we're going to help you do what you can't do.

And I believe if we could adopt this in society, it will make a huge difference.

I'd like to put something to this congregation this morning.

You guys are amazing.

You've always been so incredibly supportive in every way with missions with Chantel and

I and things that need to be done around here and all that.

It just astounds me how supportive you all are.

It's just amazing.

It really, really is.

And it's a blessing.

I want to put something to us today, this morning, in fact to the entire body of Christ.

Choose a young family in your church, the church you attend, and get to know the family.

And ask permission if you can be an intercessor for that family, because so many families

are not coping.

And they cry out to God.

I can tell you this for sure because I meet these people during the week.

They're saying we're praying and asking God to help us, but it seems like He's not listening.

This week the Lord was saying to me, and yet there are houses of God around the world that

are full of people that could help that need to be mobilized.

Are you with me this morning?

Is this so far making sense?

And do you still love me?

Be an intercessor for that family.

Be a support to that family.

If you support the family, you support the children.

And I believe this is a way how we can make a huge difference.

And to pray for that family with all of your heart every day, every morning, every night,

whenever they come to your mind, and pray that the children will grow to be men and

women of God who will learn the ways of God, bind the work of the devil over their mind,

pray that devil that bring in friends and influences they need to keep away from, show

me your friends, I'll show you your future, pray that God would intervene and separate

all of those wrong influences and in its place bring the right godly influences into their

life.

Oh church, we need to be praying this.

Pray for the marriages, pray for the children that they grow in the knowledge and the strength

of God.

I think it's the least we can do.

You see raising a family, raising a Christian family is a lot harder now for young mums

and dads than it was when we were mums and dads.

We didn't have to contend with internet.

We didn't have to contend with Facebook and all these media platforms.

As parents we didn't have that.

We didn't have that problem.

And we didn't have to contend with this social bullying and false information, misinformation,

disinformation, trying to lead your children astray.

It's everywhere.

We didn't have to contend with that.

But there is a generation today of mums and dads that sometimes don't know which way to

turn.

There was a family that called me one day, it would be about three years ago.

They said we haven't been to a church in a long time, husband and wife, we've got nine

children.

I thought he must be Catholic maybe, I'm not sure.

Nine children and they said that we are so disjointed we don't talk to each other in

the house.

They text each other.

No one eats at the dinner table together anymore.

They text the mother to put in their order for dinner to be delivered to their bedroom.

What do we do?

Firstly, turn the internet off.

Throw it in the bin, get rid of it.

We can't do that.

We might hurt the poor little darlings.

Well then I can't help you.

You see this is what they're dealing with.

It's a different dynamic.

Parents are being prosecuted for, I don't know what the word is, but it's like bullying

because they're taking their phones and privileges off their children.

See parents aren't allowed to be parents in many ways today.

They need your help.

They need your prayer.

They're dealing with things that you and I didn't have to deal with.

The family altar needs to be restored.

Maybe you can be the person to help establish that in a family.

What is a family altar?

A family altar is where God is first in a home.

When we come to the table together, there are no phones and we give thanks together

and talk together.

How's your day been?

What did you do today?

Pray together.

Share the word together.

Oh dear God.

I said deception is one of the things that I saw and through the week the Lord was showing

me if we don't prepare the children now to learn how to discern between what is right

and wrong.

If you see discernment, please listen to what I'm about to say and remember this if you

can.

Because for me sometimes I'll hear something really good.

If I don't write it down, someone will ask me a question and then I'll go, what was it

they said?

Is there anyone else here like that?

If you're writing things down, it'd be good to write this down.

Discernment is not knowing the difference between what's right and wrong.

Discernment is knowing the difference between what is right and what is nearly right.

See, there are a lot of things in society today that are nearly right, but they're not

right.

We've got to teach our children this deception.

You know in Revelation chapter 20 verse 7 to 8, it talks about how the devil himself

Revelation 20:7–8

or Satan will be released from prison and he goes out to deceive the nations.

Can I just say something here about that?

The devil just spent a thousand years in prison.

He gets let out, released, and he's only got one more shot because he knows the lake of

fire awaits him.

And he still thinks that he's going to be able to beat God.

So he's got a thousand years in prison, if you like, walking around, around the prison

cell, a thousand years to hatch a plan.

This plan has to be the master plan.

I'm putting everything I've got on this one plan.

What is the plan that he came out with that the Bible says he went out to deceive the

nations?

Deception is a powerful tool of the devil.

And if we can equip and teach our children how to navigate through this and to discern,

discern with the Holy Ghost what is right and what is wrong.

You see what I saw in that vision, deception, was at an all-time high and I saw through

the week prominent spiritual leaders being deceived and leaving multitudes, multitudes

of people to a very wide gate that leads to destruction.

Darkness is coming to houses of God that were once houses of light.

And I see a massive change in the church universal, the modern church, and this popular style

that's even being developed now resembles exactly of Revelation chapter 3, a church

Revelation 3 · chapter mention

in there called the Laodicean Church.

It's a self-serving church, a self-glorifying church, a church that knows about Jesus but

doesn't want Jesus.

Jesus said, I'd rather you be hot or cold but don't be lukewarm.

Lukewarmness is the place where darkness and light meet.

You don't want to be in a church where that is accommodated and your children certainly

don't need to learn that.

They don't need to be around that.

They need to be in a house of God where Jesus is truly glorified and that His way is the

way, is the only way, and will only ever be the way, the truth and the life.

The Laodicean Church, Jesus said, I'll spew them out of my mouth.

In other words, you know, people believe in eternal security, once saved, always saved,

and let me tell you now, I do not believe that.

There are so many scriptures that point otherwise.

If Jesus was to spew someone out of His mouth, it's a term saying that that substance or

that person was once in His body.

But it was making His body sick and so for the sake of the rest of the body, He ejected

what was making or potentially could make the rest of the body sick.

Jesus said to these same people, He said, I stand at the door and I knock.

He sends an invitation to them to say, let me in and let us dine together.

In other words, it's saying that Jesus was on the outside and there was no more fellowship

and no more relationship taking place.

Yet the Laodicean Church boasted that they had everything.

And then we see in comparison the Church of Philadelphia and I believe these are the two

churches that are going to run parallel right to the end when Jesus comes.

The Church of Philadelphia represents a church of love, of truth, of power and it's all orchestrated

by God because they are totally plugged into God.

If you're a parent that has children, you're watching online and you are not satisfied

with what you're seeing wherever you may be fellowshipping, I normally never say this

at all.

But if you are listening to this and you're hearing, hey, the fellowship that I'm at sounds

a lot like that Laodicean Church, I'm telling you today, get your family out of that place

while you can and find a house of God that loves Jesus, honors Jesus and is willing to

do whatever the Word of God says and let your children grow in that environment, let them

grow in that atmosphere, let them grow under that leadership where Christ is truly glorified

and Christ is truly honored.

A leadership where they pull up things that are not right, address issues, the hard things

that they call it today.

Oh, they talk about the hard things.

Not hard things.

You see, society has become so soft and I think in some cases churches are becoming

too soft.

Oh, but we don't want to lose the love.

Can I share something?

If you see someone going the wrong way and you say, I don't want to offend them, I'll

let them go because I love them and you're quite happy to let them go, that is not love.

God says in Hebrews 12, those whom I love I chastise.

Why?

Because He loves you.

I am so glad there are times that God's given me a kick up the backside.

Anyone had a kick up backside by God?

You know why He did it?

Because the Word says that you're a legitimate child and He loves you.

It's never comfortable.

Thessalonians chapter 2, I'm going to be finishing in a minute if you think, oh, He's going to

get on forever, I can tell.

It talks about a falling away and this is the last part of what I saw in what, 30 seconds?

How does that happen?

Within 30 seconds you see so much.

The Bible says that there's coming a day there'll be a great falling away.

Now there's a doctrine that's trying to counteract this, that's saying the falling away doesn't

mean backsliding, it means the day of the Lord, it means the rapture.

Has anyone heard that?

Well, let me tell you, it's out there right now.

So if that was the case, why don't we put it to its test?

So if the falling away is the rapture, then let's read it.

That day will not come.

What day is that?

The day that Jesus comes.

What day is that?

That's the rapture.

So they say if the falling away is the rapture, then it would read that the coming of Jesus,

the catching away of Jesus will not come until the catching away takes place first.

People just listen to it, they go on their Google and they watch YouTube and they go,

isn't that wonderful, that soothes my soul, makes me feel so good.

I'm glad that that burden has lifted off my soul, oh I feel so much better.

Oh, there's a donate button, thank you very much.

Yet the ministries that are putting their reputations on the line, telling the truth,

don't get a mention.

And it's always been that way.

You see, society today, there's a generation that is being trained that if you don't get

likes, it's not good.

If you post something and people don't like it, they give you a thumbs up, that means,

well the message is no good.

No, the message is probably really good.

And you're probably preaching something that is really needed to be preached.

And so people are living lives and adjusting their lives and their constitutional values

in God, whether they get thumbs up or thumbs down from society.

Can I say this, train your children not to run with the crowd and not to run with what

is popular, what everyone says is good may not be good.

Teach your child to be an individual in Christ and to know the ways of God, to know God.

And so this great catching away, sorry, the great falling away, the falling away is apostasy,

it's apostasy.

It's a great falling away from this great deception that so many people who once walked

with God are going to walk with him no more.

How does that happen?

Deception.

And this deception is coming to our children, to these little children that we see around.

And 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 9 to 12, I'm going to finish.

2 Thessalonians 2:9–12

The coming of lawlessness, sorry, the coming of the lawless one is according to the working

of who?

Satan.

With all power, signs and lying wonders and with all unrighteous deception among those

who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved.

And for this reason, God will send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie,

that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

This here is in direct connection to those who have fallen away.

It's continued through.

The ones that have fallen away have fallen away from truth because there was something

still there that was not addressed and I believe in society today there are many youth.

If they heard the gospel for the first time and if they heard the stories and encounters

from us older people, all the wonderful things God has done for us, I guarantee you they'd

be like a moth to the flame because generally a younger generation today are looking for

answers.

They're tired of walking around aimlessly.

They're looking for somebody to show them the way.

Why not it be you?

Why not?

Why wouldn't it be me?

They're looking for answers and we have this opportunity to take them there.

I'm just going to read a few quick scriptures and I'm going to do something very different

this morning.

Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 6 to 7, and these words which I command you today shall be in

Deuteronomy 6:6–7

your heart, you shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when

you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up.

Psalm 34 11, come you children, listen to me.

I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Oh how important that is today.

Psalm 78 verse 5, for he established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel which

Psalms 78:5

he commanded our fathers that they should make them known to their children.

Verse 22 6, train up a child in the way he should go when he is old he will not depart

from it.

See this is what I see.

It is not happening like it should.

And I put my hand up too.

Proverbs 29 15, the rod and rebuke give wisdom.

I mean that needs to hit the table, the floor at parliament.

But a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.

Ephesians 6 4, and you fathers do not provoke your children to wrath but bring them up in

the training and admonition of the Lord.

Gus, could I ask, he's gone, to let Chantelle know she's got a message, a cue.

Someone's raising your children, someone's raising your grandchildren, do you know who

they are?

Is it you?

Is it someone else?

Is it social media?

Because someone's going to be doing it.

Social media, I believe, is one of the worst things that's ever hit planet earth.

It's no surprise to anyone that this world is getting darker.

The contest is getting hotter.

Holds on the increase, and I don't say this to be negative, I'm just saying a matter of

fact.

And those who desire to live a godly life are going to be persecuted.

That's it.

That's how it is.

What about the next generation?

What about them?

Are we preparing them for what's coming?

See, a person will yield to the stronger influence.

Let family be that stronger influence.

Prevention is better than cure.

I don't know about you, but for me and anyone that's in ministry, you know this.

You get tired of administering the cure.

Sometimes we ask, Lord, there must be a better way, and there is.

Teach prevention.

Teach them the ways of God.

I've asked for the children to come up today.

Would you guys come and stand here, please?

Granddad's been having a real good sook today.

Come on, kids.

Adjie's come.

Got a bit of a light on day in Sunday school, Shantel would be happy with that.

Come up a bit closer.

Come right up to the front.

Come on.

Here we go.

Here we go.

Let's make them, let everybody see.

Come on.

What do you see?

What do you see here right now?

Naturally, we would say we see the future of the church, right?

We see the future of society.

But you know what I see?

I see a people that the devil is hot after, and we've got to do something about it.

We're not going to be able to stop what he does, but we can equip them to know what to

do when he does.

I'm asking today if you guys could take even one child, get their name, and pray for them

every day.

Pray for them two, three times a day or more, and see them growing to be men and women of

God that are going to do great exploits for God, that won't lose their way.

Come on, let's pray.

Father in the name of Jesus, let me hear you praying.

You pray what you want to pray.

I'm going to pray what I'm going to pray.

We pray for these young people that in the name of Jesus, Father, we surround them.

Father God, with your presence, there'd be a hedge of protection around about them.

Lord, that you be the glory and the lifter of their heads.

Father, we thank you, that Almighty God, that as we pray that hedge of protection, that

Father within the boundaries of that hedge, Lord, that we would teach and train these

children to be mighty warriors in God, to know you and to experience you in the name

of Jesus.

Thank you for joining us.

We pray God's richest blessing on your life.

If you haven't already, make sure to join us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

You can also find us at LoganCityChristianChurch.com.

See you next week.