The Differences Between First and Second Generation Christians

Good afternoon to everyone. Hello to Jill and whoever else that we're missing that's virtually dialed in. I didn't know the cool back way that Will came in, so I'll come up here old school. It's always a pleasure to be here, and it's even more humbling and flattering when a message is recommended that I'd given in the past. And so I hope you enjoy this message. It's one that when I was a teen in Pasadena growing up, a minister gave a concept around this. There was one of those, you know, every now and then there's defining messages that you just gravitate to and you always remember.

This was one that really struck me, and I've never forgotten it. So every five or ten years I'll brush it out and bring it up. And I hope you find it very interesting as well. I should test something here that's always a-ha-ha to our sound people. It's always a little bit of a gamble. You never quite know. What would you say if I told you that there are two factions which exist in our church, which exist in this room? What if I told you that if these two factions don't learn how each other thinks and to accept how each other thinks, we will probably never grow as a church?

What if I was to tell you that whether you like it or not, you are in one of those two groups? Well, there are definitely two different groups that make up our church. We have the same objectives, but we see life very differently.

And the two groups I will be describing are the differences between first and second generation Christians. We're going to spend the rest of the sermon talking about these, so let me first define the groups. First generation Christians are those who were called into the church as an adult, without any other primary relatives supporting them along the way, without any other relatives who were in the church. By adults, I mean anyone old enough to decide their spiritual path by themselves as the first person called within a family.

So you could have been a teen when you were called within the church and fit a first generation Christian. The other group, second generation Christians, are those who came in contact with the truth as children while they are with their believing parents, grandparents, relatives. Fill in the blank.

Now, for simplicity, let me clarify that I am including second and third and fourth and fifth generation Christians under the title second generation Christians, because the points will carry through. I welcome you afterwards. Come up, you who are third and fourth generation Christians, and tell me your contrast, because maybe I'll refine this one day to build that part in. But I don't want to overcomplicate the topic. So with that as background, how many of you in here would qualify as first generation Christians?

How many of you in here would qualify as second generation Christians? So we're roughly 50-50, and if we had the teens here, it would probably be more representative to what I think I see in most church areas at 60-40 now that are second generation Christians. And I saw some young kids who didn't raise your hands. I would argue that this topic will relate more to you, and it's going to be targeted more to how you think than many others that you hear.

It's important for us to realize I'm 50. There's a lot of people who aren't our youth when we talk about second generation Christians. They're the 40-50-60-plus year olds now that are within the church. As you probably know, I'm a second generation Christian. My dad started the French-speaking work around the world. He was an evangelist, a very close friend of Mr. Armstrong. He was in the ministry before I was born. Today, what I'm going to review is the very different way that me as a second generation Christian sees God's calling, knowing God's truth, being baptized, even being a first fruit than my parents did.

Something we don't talk about much. If you'll please turn to 1 Corinthians 1 in verse 10. I've seen many people turned off from God as a result of being expected to experience the Christian journey in the same way as their parents. It doesn't work that way. It will not happen. And so I'd like to start by looking at a verse showing what we should aspire to be. 1 Corinthians 1 in verse 10.

My goal today is to help bridge some of these gaps between the first and the second generation Christian. It's to help us better understand and to support each other. Because the goal is so we live in unity, and the only way is by understanding this. In today's message, I'm going to try and relate to the perspectives and how they differ between a first generation Christian and a second. And I find so many messages that are given as a first generation Christian from that perspective. I'm going to focus more on the second generation Christian perspective today. We both see the same thing, but we feel and we react very differently as a result. I had so many things I could have done here. These are just fun things. But let me demonstrate with a couple pictures. You've probably seen these before. How many of you see the old lady? Right? She has a big fur coat. She's looking... It's going to be hard because I'm on such a weird angle. Let me look that way. It would be easier. She's looking sideways. She has a white scarf on her head. How many of you see a young lady? How many of you do not see a young lady? There's a couple. The young lady, that's her eyes here. She's facing off that way. That's her hair. That's her chin. And that's a necklace. Does that help? How many of you see the young lady here? How many of you see the old lady? On this situation, you have to flip her upside down. There's all sorts of things in this world that are visual illusions. And if we had an hour, I ought to broaden a bunch more ahead because they're just fun. But with first and second generation Christians, the differences happen and they're enhanced because we rarely talk about it. How often have you heard messages on the differences in how we think? Or even admit they exist? When I was growing up, I never realized that my friends felt the same way I did. I just felt I was unusual. I felt that there was something wrong with how God was working with me because it was different than how God worked with my parents. How God worked with my friends who were older or the ministry or how I heard people talk. Friends, if you take nothing else from the message today, realize that God works with each generation in a dramatically different way. And when the differences between us are not understood, when they're not respected, they breed misunderstanding. They breed discouragement and judging, like we heard in the sermonette and criticism, and ultimately a parting of a way, which is usually with the children leaving their parents' church. So with that as an introduction, let's get started. We'll first look at our calling. There are two parts to our calling that are very different. The when and the how. So we'll start by looking at the aspect of timing, and then we'll look at the method of our calling. If you'll turn to Acts 9, verses 1-6. Now for each of these subjects we're going to review, I'm going to present a contrast on the slides that show the difference between how a first-generation Christian Christian is a Christian. It comes to the specific stage that we're going to be discussing, and then how the second-generation Christian does. If anybody wants this PowerPoint, just give me your email and I'll email it to you afterwards. So let's first look at the timing when a first-generation Christian is called. First-generation Christians were called in your adulthood. It was in your maturity, and your calling was unexpected. It was dramatic. Another characteristic about your calling is it was very direct. Now this is a major key to the confusion with second-generation Christians. The story we're about to read in Acts relates to Paul. Now, maybe some of you are going to say, oh, this is a little over the top. But it's a classic first-generation calling. So let's go ahead and read Acts 9, starting in verse 1.

Now, you may say, okay, my calling wasn't anywhere near that dramatic. I'll give you a little bit more modern of an example. A friend of ours, a minister at this time, was once an executive in Texas Instruments. And every Saturday, the executives and their families would go out and they'd water-ski and have picnics together and had a wonderful time. Then he heard a radio broadcast, The World Tomorrow, and it made sense to him. So he began to study and to learn more. Gradually, he realized he should not be, every Saturday, going out and doing all these picnics and parties with the other executives.

In time, he lost his job, came to Pasadena and worked for the church. But he never regrets giving up his life and that opportunity that he had in the business world because he realizes that God's way is more satisfying. Again, first-generation Christians all have a story that they can tell about their calling. And maybe they're not even that dramatic. But to a person with no story, any story sounds dramatic.

Compared to most second-generation callings, all of your callings sound like Paul. You all were called to God in a way that was unexpected, that was dramatic, and that was direct. If you'll turn now to 1 Corinthians 7, and let's read verse 14. And let's contrast with the second-generation Christian and how they came. The timing of the calling for a second-generation Christian is in our youth. 1 Corinthians 7 and verse 14. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband.

Otherwise, your children would be unclean. But as it is, all of you second-generation Christians are holy. We both... I'm sorry, I should say, we were born to a birthright, when we were born to parents in the church. We were born with access to God's mind, and it's a beautiful thing. It's a wonderful blessing. And it's a special calling, but it's very different. And this is a truth that we often make light of, or we don't recognize, or in messages, comments are made like, well, you remember when you were called, and when you came out of darkness?

No. 60% have no clue what you just said. For second-generation Christians, our calling was expected. We all love a good surprise, but this isn't one. We have done God's way all of our lives. Now, it'll take soul-searching for us to realize how much we don't know, and I'll get to that part, but there's a difference.

It's also indirect. Our calling came through our parents. So because my calling was indirect and expected, without bugs and whistles and a sudden change, it was harder to commit to. I often wondered when I was a teenager if it was valid. I didn't hear this booming voice saying, why have you persecuted me, Daniel? So what can we learn from this? Second-generation Christians, are any of you waiting for something dynamic and something unexpected to happen? It's not going to happen. God has opened the door for us to choose from birth. The problem is, we sometimes want God to close that door in front of us and then open it again, so we say, oh!

But that's not the way He designed it. Okay, let's go on next to the different methods of our calling. How do you see your part in your local congregation? First-generation Christians, would it surprise you if I told you that a lot of the youth don't feel like a member of the Church? Attending Church doesn't mean belonging. Very different words. Attending doesn't mean belonging. And a key reason we feel differently is because God calls us in different ways.

So let's do the comparison again. First-generation Christians came into the Church from the world, which you now describe as an evil world. For some reason, you began studying a teaching that you heard or you read, which challenged your lifestyle. It was different, right? You then studied, which led you to find a Church, right? That taught the same thing, that met the test. And then you clung to it. You realized the Church you found provided a more important goal than the life you'd been living. Okay, so now let's transition to a second-generation Christians. Second-generation Christians, we were nowhere looking for any kind of biblical doctrine.

Remember, we were born into the Church. And in large part, we were sheltered from what was outside of it. Our earliest memories of coming to Church were because we had to, right? We would sleep on a blanket, we would draw, we would play with toys and be told to be quiet, right? And it felt like the longest two hours in the world. And if you had Mr. Waterhouse visit, it was the longest five hours in the world. Alright. As we grew older, we often saw the world as a happy place, full of untapped adventures. Now, we realized there were problems in the world, but frankly, we saw the same problems in the Church.

Right? Ministry or not? Everywhere. We saw it. As we grew older, we were trained to live God's truth and obey. And we did it from a child long before we ever validated that this was the right thing to do and did it as a conviction. Different. Different paths.

And here's where the challenge comes in, because it's important for both generations to realize that there are two different ways of entering God's Church. To entering into the family of God. One is not more official, but they're different. So what lessons do we take from these different ways of being called? First generation Christians, do you realize that when you're telling stories of how you were called, it can make others feel left out? Now, please, I am not saying that you shouldn't tell those stories, because it reflects a wonderful zeal, and it reflects how God works with and calls people.

But the key is that you should be mindful not to cast the impression that this is the norm. For more than half the people in this audience, today, it isn't the norm. Other thought for first generation Christians, do you know how to talk to second generation Christians about God? Realize they're forming a relationship with God every day, but they can take it for granted. Because it's coming through these little, tiny, incremental changes. You had a 180 degree shift.

So, when you talk to them, ask them questions to help them recognize the journey they're going through of very small movements, and to see the contrast that happened over years or compared to their youth. If you'll turn next to Luke 15, verses 29-31. Second generation Christians, do you or have you subconsciously waited for some similar revelation or experience as your parents? Appreciate and respect what others in the church went through, but realize that's not going to happen to you.

And so, look for those tiny areas of growth that you have, that you experience in your own life. Because that is the way your journey will be seen. Now, as a comparison, I'd like you, as you turn to Luke 15, verse 29, look at a parable in a story that you've read many, many times.

But I'd like you to think of the contrast between a first-generation Christian and a second-generation Christian. Because the wording here is very much from the mindset of a second-generation Christian. And so, we're stepping into this parable of the prodigal son.

Look at the disillusionment that's mentioned. Lo, these many years I have been serving you. I never transgressed your commandments at any time, and yet you never gave me a young goat that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as the son of yours came who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him. And the father said to him, Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. Many second-generation Christians have similar feelings of resentment because there wasn't something dramatic that happened.

They didn't have a fatted calf killed for us when we entered the church. Again, it all goes back to that understanding that God is calling all of us, but we have different ways that it's happening. Okay, let's move on to the next topic. So you accept there's different ways we enter the church, and you say, so what?

Well, actually, it's at the heart of all of the other areas that are different. Let's compare our view toward the truth. Now, you recall that I mentioned that when first-generation Christians came into the church, and you found it, you clung to it with zeal and conviction. And what did you do? You went out, you had this first love, you wanted to tell everybody, right? You went out, and you wanted to tell everybody you could find about what you were learning.

So I ask you, do you see second-generation Christians doing this? Probably not. Why? It's probably more common that you see them trying to make light of the differences between them and the world. Again, it's important that you understand the differences. First-generation Christians came in contact with the truth, and to you the doctrine was surprising. It was shocking. It was disturbing. It threatened your previous convictions. You first academically scoured it, you then emotionally committed to it, and finally you vehemently practiced it. And that's an important progression to think your way through. You first academically scoured it, you then emotionally committed to it, and then you practiced it.

Second-generation Christians, it's different. Now, a lot of times I will hear first-generation Christians mention that the youth are spoiled and unappreciative of our chance to be born into the church. And you want it's true. I won't disagree with that. But do you know why it takes longer for us to feel that excitement? Because that's a critical piece of understanding. And I best explain that to you by saying, how many of you woke up at 5 o'clock this morning and do every day of your life to get excited and jump up and down because the sun came up?

Do you still get excited every day to see the sun come up? Do you jump up and down every day you get to go to work? Woo! You get to go to work again. It becomes habit, doesn't it? And that's what happened to second-generation Christians. So, to us, the church chakras can easily be taken for granted. It's not going to be a huge academic shock because we've known it since birth. The shock comes when we're challenged in our beliefs, and I'll get there.

Because we applied it first, and we're praised for doing so, we often skip that most critical steps of proving why we do what we do. First-generation Christians proved it and then applied it. That's a very key difference. For most of my youth, I felt embarrassed. I felt defensive when asked about the church or to explain why I did what I did. I had a knot in my stomach, and I tried to dodge the topic. I was as a teen, and I know that was not unique to me.

It was very common for most kids who were grown in the church. So then I ask you why? Why the knot in the stomach? I will say it's primarily because of two things.

First of all, it's because it reinforces yet again that we're very different from our friends. Don't ever make light of that first-generation Christians. My son drew from the day he went to kindergarten was immediately labeled as different because he needed to take time off for the feast.

He ate different food. He avoided Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day. As he gets older, he can't do sporting events or other activities on Friday nights or Saturdays, and I could keep going. Now, you parents may say, toughen it up. And there have been a whole lot of parents who have applied that approach with a whole lot of kids who no longer attend. So think about that. Second-generation kids do not need to be coddled or shielded, but you absolutely should be respectful and appreciative of what they're sacrificing. Have caring discussions and let them describe why doing God's way is more important.

But understand that there's a difference. Now, the second reason I challenge is the even more important reason why second-generation Christians get a knot in their stomach. And let me describe that by using an analogy. When you were in school and a teacher gave you a reading assignment, which you didn't do, and then in class, pointedly asked you very detailed questions about that book that you did not read. How did you feel? Did you get a similar knot within your stomach? I would argue that the reason is the same. Second-generation Christians recognize God's truth, but they haven't proven it all the time. And that is a very critical point. Second-generation Christians can easily recognize things. As a teen, many ministers' messages sounded like, wah-wah, wah-wah, wah-wah. I'd heard it so many times. I could fill in sentences before the minister did, and then we just kind of roll our eyes at each other. If you gave me a multiple-choice test, I could probably get 70%. As long as you spotted me the four answers, I'd pick the right one.

Our problem was not in recognizing, but realizing and knowing. Think on that, because the words are different. Our problem was not in recognizing, but realizing and knowing. And that's why we can be uncomfortable when asked pointed questions to defend our spiritual belief. And it's at those times when a simple buzzword won't do. Right? It's at those times when our friends are digging into, why are you different? What's inside you at a core in your spiritual intentions that makes you not do what all of us do? That requires proving it. Learning to prove what we believe is one of the biggest challenges facing second-generation Christians. I want you to think on this one. Until second-generation Christians come to know why they do what they have done all their lives, and make that emotional connection to believing and want to do it, they will never be totally comfortable in God's church.

It was a fight for our parents to enter the church. For second and third-generation Christians, we didn't have to fight to get into the church. We were born into it. But our fight is to stay in it.

And without proving what we believe, we're going to lose that fight, and we will lose it to complacency. So what lessons do we take from this? First-generation friends, it's not unusual. It's not wrong that at this time, some second-generation Christians' life, they don't feel that same figure, that same zest, that same zeal that you do. We don't see you getting excited when the sun comes up every day, or getting super excited every day you get to go to work early. Keep in mind that second-generation Christians need to discover the whys for actions, and not be told the same things in the same way over and over. Look for new ways of sharing things. If you approach second-generation Christians in a repetitive way, expect their eyes to gloss over, because they've heard it for 20 years. If you assume they've proven all their beliefs or the reasons for their actions in obeying God, then you're making a very dangerous assumption, even if they can spout back a couple pat words. And if you act in an impatient or a condescending way when they want to reason things through, or they challenge why what you say is black and white really isn't as black and white as you think it is, then realize you've probably separated them from ever doing that discussion with you again, and you potentially put a wall between them and God. They need to think that through, because that's part of them proving it. If you'll turn next to Romans 12 and verse 2. Romans 12 and verse 2. I've often been asked by first-generation Christians whether their kids, with their nonchalant attitudes and seeming lack of interest who've left the church, recognize still what's right and wrong. Dana Partian speaking. But I believe that most second-generation Christians know in the back of their mind that what they've heard as a child is the truth. It's what I call the screaming conscience. It's the voice in the back of the head. But realize that is not like your convictions. It's like knowing you should eat vegetables, and they're good for you. That doesn't mean you do it all the time. It's like knowing that exercise is good for you. But I see some people who are a little overweight. We all are. It's one of these things where we may know something and not do it. Second-generation Christians, to you, my peers, you've got to prove your beliefs. Can you explain why we don't teach that you go to heaven? Do you understand? And can you explain the resurrections? Can you explain why grace or mercy isn't enough? And why works are required? Because you will be asked it. Why do we do immersion baptism? We can keep going through all these things that are core parts of our beliefs. You have to prove your beliefs to become part of the Church. Because the Church isn't a building. The Church is a group of people who accept, who believe, who internalize the doctrines outlined by the apostles. Romans 12 and verse 2. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

The path for the first-generation Christian was cognitive, then emotional, then application. Remember Jill? I'm going to click my button to do this one. But let me read that because it will be a little bit different since I'm putting more words on the slide. For the first generation, you first academically scoured it, then emotionally committed to it, and finally, you vehemently practiced it. For the second generation Christian, it's application, and if you let yourself get there, cognitive and then emotional. It's first practicing it, then if you do the work proving it, and it's only then that you'll be able to emotionally commit to it. Second generation Christians, if you don't prove your beliefs, you will never develop that emotional connection and passion of a first generation Christian. You're ultimately going to quit the church because it's going to be too hard. And you're probably going to be like a whole lot of our peers that go out to Christian churches, and one of the first things they say is, I feel so much more emotional connection to God now than I ever did in the past. Because there is more emotionalism in common Christianity. But it's that connection of proving that allows us to get to the similar area. If we're living our lives for what's fun, if we're living our lives for what's unique, that we can experience in this lifetime, the world is going to win out every time. Now, don't get me wrong. God's way is full of fun things, and there are a lot of options. But ultimately, Satan's way has more choices in this lifetime. But if we look at eternity compared to 70 or 80 years on earth, and what we'll be able to do as spirit beings, Satan's way doesn't even come close. That's why God says, seek the kingdom first. It's a perspective thing. If you'll turn next to Ecclesiastes 11 and verse 9, take a drink of water.

Ecclesiastes 11 and verse 9. The verse we're about to read has been one of the most powerful verses to me when I was a child growing up. Because this is a beautiful verse, and what it captures is, it's okay to have fun. It's okay to strive to be successful in life, but realize you're always going to remain accountable. Ecclesiastes 11 and 9.

If living God's way hasn't been internalized as a top priority, then what's going to happen is the lures of the flesh are going to win out. And I guarantee you that those who have left the church have some element of a screaming conscience still in them. But the key difference is they never tied their actions in the church to why they were doing what they did. And that's a critical, critical step. So with that in mind, I encourage first-generation Christians to understand why the truth isn't a great shock or a thrill to your kids. We both have to prove the truth. You have to prove not to go back to what you've experienced and left. Second-generation Christians have to prove that we shouldn't go try what we've never been allowed to experience, but you're as bad. For the second-generation Christian, don't feel guilty because you're different. There's no way as a baby that we could prove it before we applied. It's like a plane saying, why couldn't the plane have started in the air? Well, it could have to start on the ground, gravity. But do prove your beliefs. Make them yours. Remember that your convictions aren't complete until you know why you do what you do, and then individually choose to do it. Doing God's way doesn't bring success until we combine that with conviction. So that leads to the next area. It's a very dangerous game that I see second-generation Christians play, and it's what I call the decision between being firstfruits and experiencing firsthand experiences. Being firstfruits and experiencing firsthand experiences. Some second-generation Christians feel they know the signs of the end. We've heard all these different stories and sermons about the end time, about the beast power, about the ten toes, the Holy Roman Empire. And so the scheme is that you can experience the world with one eye, looking at the church and world events. That, my friends, is a very dangerous game. But I've seen it played many times. A good friend of ours, a well-known minister, I mentioned his name, is one of his sons, no longer attends. 9-11, buildings hit the trade center. Ring, ring! The phone called. What's the church now saying? I've heard similar stories with what's happening with ISIS. And phone calls happening from kids who no longer attend. What's the church saying about this? First of all, there is no saying that Satan won't be able to cloud the minds of those people playing this game. While they're living, what the world has to offer. The parable of the seeds describes God's Holy Spirit dying when it hits rocky ground. That wasn't given by accident. That was given for situations like that. The Bible is also very clear that no one knows when God will return.

And so that's something we have to keep in mind. For you second-generation Christians who aren't wantonly choosing the world, but are only dabbling with the concept of accepting God's offer and being baptized, I encourage you to prove what you believe and commit to it. Because you can only walk along the top of a fence for so long before you're going to fall. And what happens a lot of times is second-generation Christians are leaning away from the church, which they haven't proved, and so they're afraid to commit to, so they follow the direction of the world.

It's happened far too often. If you will turn to Revelation 20, verses 4-6. Revelation 20, verses 4-6. Each year we go to the feast, and we picture the resurrection when the first fruits will rise. This means so much more than just being one of many invited to a party. Christ's wedding supper. It means much more. There will only be one set of first fruits. This phrase represents those who overcome Satan and are first to become part of God's family and have a treasured relationship that way. Revelation 20, verses 4.

Blessed and holy is he who has part of this first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years. The first fruits are going to have a special intimacy with God that's unique. We'll be involved in planning, in training, and prepare everything that's going to follow for the rest of humanity. Second generation Christians can fall prey to seeing no difference between being called in the great white throne and being called as first fruits. That's a dangerous area that has to get better thought through and understand, because the resurrection is called the better resurrection. Now, both first and second generation Christians are called to this same opportunity to be first fruits, just because God called our parents first. The second, the third, the tenth generation Christian resurrected, at Christ's return, will equally be a first fruit. Not a second fruit, or a second-rate first fruit. We're all going to be first fruits. We all must overcome Satan and make that same commitment. And if we do, we all have that special relationship that's being held for us. Second generation Christians, realize you are not excess baggage that came along with your parents. God has picked up the phone. He has called you. It's up to you, whether you pick up the phone and whether you respond. It's up to you if you say, I'm not buying what you're selling, God, but God is calling us. And that's a beautiful thing. So, we've talked about how Christians view their calling. We've talked about how they view the truth. At the end of the day, why do some people leave the church and others stay? If you'll turn to Mark 10, verses 17 through 22. Now, for this topic, the issue is the same for first and second generation Christians. Both of us stop attending church because of not committing to a relationship with God. Not fully committing. We all have to come to an understanding of the Gospel and what's described as what's involved in being a disciple. Because there's some very distinct verses on that. And until you and I face our complete helplessness, without God, we're never going to stay in this church. Something will trip us up. It just means that we're playing church. And that's a very scary thing. Mark 10, verse 17. Now, as he was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before him, and asked him, Good teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? Notice he ran up to him. So Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? No one is good, but one. That is God. You know the commandments. Do not commit adultery. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Do not defraud. Honor your father and your mother. And he answered and said to him, Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth. Then Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said to him, One thing you lack, go your way, sell whatever you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven. And come, take up the cross, and follow me. But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. This young man had probably never broken the Sabbath. He had kept the holy days. He had never worshipped an idol. He had never committed adultery or stolen.

He would be what we would say, what an impressive young man. Jesus saw that, and he loved him. But he realized that he hadn't dealt with something that was deep inside of him. And something that we all have deep inside of us that we are constantly having to address. One of the key things that we all have to realize is that deep inside every single one of us at the core is a hunger and a thirst that we all have. We all have an emptiness that needs to be filled. Now, some of us face it at different times. Some of us face it when we realize the temporiness of life. I faced it when my brother died years ago when I was in late high school. Others face it at different times. You are facing a challenge of your own right now with the loss of two wonderful ministers, your own pastor and one just up the road with Mr. Owensby. But either way, we all face it at different times in our life where we are faced with a realization. And we have to address what is most important in our life and what is our relationship that we have to cling to that only comes from God. In this scripture, the young man's wealth is what he was stuffing the empty hole with. And if you look around in life, you are going to see a lot of people who stuff their lives with the wonderful things, sometimes bad things. Some stuff their lives with drugs, with sex, with television, with movies. Some get into relationships wanting a partner to fulfill that emptiness that only God can do.

Some go to positive things. Maybe they accomplish amazing things in life. Maybe they spend all of their lives doing good deeds, but never face that inside every human is a big hole. It's a hunger, and we all face it. Because within each of us is badness. Second generation Christians, you may say, wait, wait a second. I grew up in the church. I'm not a pimp. I didn't go outside stealing things. I don't take drugs. Let me use an analogy. It's like baking two cakes. In one of these cakes, I'm going to put ten drops of cyanide. In one, I'm going to put one drop of cyanide in the batter and then cook it up. Which one do you want to eat? You're going to die either way. It's all about perspective. So what am I getting at? I'm trying to pull all the pieces together and speak to everyone in the room, because this is equal for first and second generation Christians, young or old, baptized or not. We all have to repent and to constantly let God fill that hole inside of us. That's our life journey. First generation Christians, when God called you and you realized you had been going in the wrong direction, you thought, whoa, I have lived my life wrong. That's more of a challenge for second generation Christians, because you feel, I have lived my life right. Turn to Psalms 51 verses 1 through 3. The struggle for second generation Christians is you've kept so many of the laws in the letter that you don't understand the depth of your corrupt nature, the depth of my corrupt nature.

You've already done many of the physical rituals, but now have to deal with the core of your internal nature, right? And then what we struggle with is like, oof! Psalms 51, David, man after God's own heart, man selected directly to be king. Look at what he wrote as he realized he messed up royally. Psalms 51 in verse 1, Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your lovingkindness, according to the multitudes of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions, wash me thoroughly from my iniquities, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgression, and my sin is always before me. David spent his whole life obeying God until he fell flat on his face. Suddenly he committed a whole bunch of awful sins. And he said, whoa!

I had no idea how deep that core of corruption inside me really was. And you feel it in Psalms 51. It's a powerful, powerful chapter. David had grown up obeying God, and he knew things intellectually, but now he was faced with something that he had never totally faced before. And that's that hole inside of all of us that has to only be fixed by God's Spirit being in us and changing our internal nature.

And I can freely tell you, I felt I'd heard all the church had to teach when I was a teen. Teens know it all, right? I now know I don't know much. I recognize some things, but by learning the why, by proving what I did, it revealed so much that I didn't know. And then I do things like David, and I'm like, oh, I so need God to help me through this journey. And that's what all of us are working through. Jesus came to develop disciples, and you know the verses on them.

Disciples are those who love less their father and mother. They put God first. We'll stay in the church because we become a disciple of Jesus Christ, or we won't stay. Why? Because it will become too hard. The purpose of worship is to honor God. And if religion isn't dealing with our hearts, then our religion is fake. Superficial religion, that's what Karl Marx called the opiate of the people. And so many people are involving religion in that way. So that walks us into the next major development in Christian life, and that's baptism. That has to be the same, right?

No. That's actually different, too. We all have to make the same commitment to God, but there's different paths in how we get there. So let's do a comparison. First generation Christians, you had to seriously count the costs. You were giving up things you'd enjoyed. Ham or shrimp or Christmas, sporting events on the Sabbath, live in large. I don't know. You fill in the blanks. You then chose to accept the responsibility. Now, interestingly, one of the things that sidetracked some first generation Christians, either from being baptized, or frankly, what I've seen more is causing them ultimately to leave the church, is being offended or let down by other believers.

You were overwhelmed to understand God and how perfect His plan was. And it's easy to project that perfection of God's plan onto those who try to worship in the same way. The truth of how imperfect other believers are caused some people to stumble over and over. I've seen that happen. So I contrast it this way. First generation Christians choose to commit to God even though they enter thinking that everyone is going to be perfect. They come in with rose-colored glasses.

Second generation Christians commit to God even despite knowing everybody is extremely imperfect. We grew up with a magnifying glass. We saw hypocrisy everywhere. Different ways of the journey. But it's challenges we each have to work our way through. God is taking us someplace we cannot get on our own. We may try working it through. We may push as hard as we can. Some of you have great discipline. But at the end of the day, you're going to fall like David did. And the reality is that every member in the church is on that same journey. And if we're looking for a perfect church, do you know where you're going to end up?

Staying at home by yourself. And I'm sure you know people who do that. I think God intentionally built that awareness into the Ten Commandments. I don't know if you ever thought about this. We all know that the first three commandments deal with loving God. We know that the last six commandments deal with loving neighbor. That takes us to the Sabbath. The Sabbath is this interesting Meshing commandment. Because it's where we have to prove we can love God while we love other Christians. And that's where a lot of people struggle. If you don't get that one right, you haven't gotten the other two ends right, you're playing a game.

So it's an interesting thing that God built into the plan. So what do we take from this? Second-generation Christians, you have been counting the costs. Well, actually, let's go through the calling of second-generation Christians first. Second-generation Christians, you've been counting the costs all your life through your actions. You have been conditioned in the responsibilities of following God's law. So counting the cost is still a factor. I'm not saying it isn't.

Because there's a lot of levels of the commitment that you haven't yet gotten to and that we keep getting to. But counting the cost isn't the same for second-generation Christians as a first-generation Christian. The question is more about accepting the cost. That is the difference. Doing God's way isn't sufficient if it's not combined with willing acceptance. Part of proving our beliefs is realizing the importance of God's imitation and then accepting it. Because that's what God wants from us.

And I would say there's a lot of people who got baptized that never actually accepted what God had in mind. They were just following a path they thought their parents expected them to do. It goes back to repentance. We have to admit that hole that's inside us and our need for God.

And then, as you all know, the commitment we made at baptism is a lifelong commitment, right? We don't really know all that we committed to until every year we realized, oh, there's so much more than I ever thought. It truly is a level that you never get to perfection. You just keep realizing how much further you have to grow and how much more we need God. But that's why He's leading us through both first and second generation Christians, this journey of maturity, this journey of understanding. Now, I'll put my own analogy in here. I always knew I would probably get baptized. My assumption was my parents probably had a similar idea. You never know. They always fear. I fear very much for my boys. You never know. When I finally began to counsel for baptism, I think I mentioned it to my parents, but I really didn't discuss it with them much. And as a second generation Christian, it was very important to me that it was my relationship with God, and it wasn't my parents that were pushing me into it. I was wise enough at that age to know that. I was also stubborn enough. So they were also wise enough not to bring it up. One November from Texas, I picked up the phone and I called my parents. And I told them I just got baptized. I expected euphoria. And there was a five-second silence.

I didn't know what to do. And the first thing they said was, I wish you would have told us. We would have flown out. As a second generation Christian, I saw baptism as a private moment. I invited my parents to my graduation. I invited them to other things. But I was more apt to invite my second generation friends to my baptism than my parents. Now, as a father, I still want to be at my son's baptism, and I totally feel bad that I didn't invite my parents. And I get why they would have dropped everything, bought a plane ticket, and been there in a second. So I have learned. But it speaks to the differences. What I was doing was personally accepting the cost. Different journeys. So, let's conclude. We've covered a lot of different subjects. And I'd like us to read in closing 1 Corinthians 12, verses 13-14. I hope that I've been able to expand your way of thinking about the two generations that are within the Church. There isn't a better one or a worse one. God's calling different people in different ways. I've tried to reveal some of the things that I struggled with, and I know that they're true for many other people who I grew up with, and from other people of this generation past me, too. Because we've talked about this over the years whenever I give this message. In 1 Corinthians, Paul explains that we have to learn to let our unity in Christ unite us. That's our goal. 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 13. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves are free, whether first generation or second generation Christians, and have all been made to drink into one Spirit, for in fact the body is not one member but many. So as first and second generation Christians, we are all given this beautiful birthright, this beautiful opportunity. And if we can respect each other in our different callings and in our different journeys and the unique challenges we have, then we can bridge that gap. We can grow this church and we can help others understand why things they're feeling are different but not wrong. And at the end of the day, we can collectively gain this wonderful prize of being a first fruit.