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All In: For The Future

Proverbs 27:23 “Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; 24 for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.

1 Samuel 3:1-10 “The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. 2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. 6 Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Why does Next Gen Ministry matter?

1. God speaks TO young people

Isaiah 55:11 ESV “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

Psalm 8:2 BSB
“From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise on account of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and avenger.

1 Samuel 3:1 “In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.”

a. Family matters

b. Frequency matters

c. Environment matters

d. Teachers matter

2. God works THROUGH young people

1 Samuel 3:11-18 “And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. 12 At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. 13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God,[a] and he failed to restrain them. 14 Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’” 15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, 16 but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.” Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 17 “What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”

I Timothy 4:12 “ Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

3. The church is called TO young people
1 Samuel 3:19-21 TLB “As Samuel grew, the Lord was with him and people listened carefully to his advice. 20 And all Israel from one end of the land to the other knew that Samuel was going to be a prophet of the Lord. 21 Then the Lord began to give messages to him there at the Tabernacle in Shiloh”

All In: Future Generations

65 people completed Lifetrack and became Members of Lifegate
74 people Baptized
16
children Dedicated    
28 people went on a Mission Trip in 2021
278 people gave to the Mission of Lifegate Church
58
people Committed their Life to Jesus

WE WANT OUR DREAMS TO BE BIGGER THAN OUR MEMORIES.

Judges 2:8-11 “Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 9 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance…in the hill country of Ephraim…
After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors,
another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals.”

Ronald Reagan “Freedom is never more than just one generation away from extinction”


Three major shifts in our culture…


1. Screen discipleship

2. Family breakdown

3. Decline in church attendance


What does it take to raise up future generations?


1. An example that is AUTHENTIC

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
“Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commands that I give you today are to be upon your heart, impress them on your children, talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates”

2. A church that is STRATEGIC

3. An experience that is DYNAMIC

Matthew 19:14 “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

LG and Friends: Josh Brown

Wonder-filled
“It’s one thing to be lost Wondering about God another to be lost in the Wonder of God.”

I. Jesus was filled with Wonder….
1. Wonder-filled Words

Matthew 7:28 (NLT) The crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority.

2. Wonder-filled Works
Luke 5:26 (NIV) Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, "We have seen remarkable things today."

Mark 9:15 (NIV) As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.


Luke 19:1-10 (NIV)
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.'" 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." 9 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

A. Zacchaeus had issues…
1. A chief tax collector.
2. He was rich.
3 He was small.

The wonder of Zacchaeus

Luke 18:15-17 (NLT) 15 One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But when the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents for bothering him. 16 Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 17 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.

A. Curiosity.

Proverbs 25:2-3 (NIV) It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.


Things that squelch curiosity….

  • Making excuses
  • Being unteachable.
  • Looking elsewhere.


B. Joy and gladness!
Luke 12:32 (NLT)
It gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.
Holiness that isn't happy isn't holiness.”

III. Cultivating Wonder
A. Go out on a limb
B. Posture Yourself
C. Respond to the invitation

Luke 19:10 (NIV)
The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
“Zacchaeus went from being lost in sin to being lost in wonder!”

LG and Friends: The Benson Ladies

Pastor Amber Benson

ACTS 4:13
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been WITH Jesus.

Acts 4:8-12
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 If we today are being examined concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, how this man has been healed,10 be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands before you whole. 
11 He is‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 There is no salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”


  1. Peter & John were bold.

Acts 3:16
16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.

2. Peter and John were unschooled

Matthew 10:16 - 20
16 “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves. 17 But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues. 18 You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me.[
e] 19 When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. 20 For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5
When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters,[
a] I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan.[b] 2 For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. 4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.



2 Peter 3:18
18 Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.

3. Peter & John’s actions/leadership led others to glorify God.

Acts 4:21-24
21 The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God 22 for this miraculous sign—the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years.
The Believers Pray for Courage
23 As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. 24 When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—


How can we be WITH Jesus?

  1. Lay down

Psalm 23:2
"He MAKES me lie down in green pastures. / He leads me beside the still waters."

  1. Look at Him

John 1:36-37 ESV
“and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.”


John 1:32-34 ESV
“And John BORE WITNESS: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have SEEN and have BORNE WITNESS that this is the Son of God.””

3. Listen Up

1 John 2:6 ESV
Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked


Romans 10:27 ESV
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

John 10:27
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.