Think of the old movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where Indiana Jones and his nemesis are trying to choose which cup, of the hundreds there, was the one cup Jesus supposedly drank from. As you may remember, Jones’ rival chose a cup – polished brass encrusted with jewels – as the one that had to be the one but ultimately led to his death. This is exactly what Satan does, he offers those who are seeking answers something bright, shining, and covered with jewels. For anyone who is lost, without God, and has not had the influence of a family member who actively attends church, they cannot tell the counterfeit from what’s real. Remember the teachings of the apostle Paul, And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). Just as there are counterfeit preachers and denominations, there are counterfeit Bibles, and counterfeit philosophies Satan offers that are appealing. While the Bible teaches that the Lord offers salvation brought to man by the work of the Lord Jesus without any action other than our faith, trust, and love in Him, Satan’s offerings appeal to our image of ourselves, to the excitement and pleasure of the flesh, and of our own capabilities. If Christians will not be ready to give answers about our faith, rest assured that Satan stands ready to give his answers.
The lost generation is frustrated and angry…
All it takes is to read many of the comments on Facebook or Twitter to see the anger many of the lost generation are carrying. Their anger is not confined to one area of life, but is spread around between their personal wealth, sexual identity, acceptance (or lack thereof) in their peer group and family, and a whole list of other things that at times are beyond normal understanding. We see the lost generation attacking others and themselves when a viewpoint that challenges their world view. Solomon wrote, A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger (Proverbs 15:1). When we respond – and we should – to those who angrily challenge our faith and belief in Jesus, we must do so with the full demonstration of the love of Jesus Christ. We must not come across as being judgmental nor condemning their deeds, actions, or beliefs – this is the work of the Holy Spirit. Our job, as a child of God, is to simply introduce them to the Lord through the testimony of what He has done in our lives.
It is important to remember that many of the lost generation do have this anger that is driven by a great emptiness that only the Lord can fill. They have tried filling it with drugs and alcohol, sexual experimentation, body alterations such as tattoos and piercings, and some have even resorted to self-mutilation and cutting in their attempts to feel something other than the emptiness they’ve become enshrouded in. They know something is missing and are angry especially when they believe that others have a peace and joy that cannot be understood nor can they seem to find. When God created man, He created us with a need and desire to worship someone greater than ourselves. There is only complete joy and happiness and a permanent release of anger and frustration when the relationship between God and ourselves is where it needs to be. At the same time, God did create man with complete free will as He wanted man to decide to voluntarily love God rather than to program man to worship automatically and without question. In fact, the Lord extends this invitation to all: O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him (Psalms 34:8).
The origins of the lost generation
This blog has a global audience and what I am about to share is very America-centered. The lost generation of Europe began its formation shortly after the conclusion of the Second World War and was not only the results of the horror of that war, but of the countless wars between the various factions of Christianity since the Middle Ages. Within the United States, it is a by-product of the late 1960s when the generation that were rebelling against the society of the 1950s also rebelled against the importance of Christian faith, often blaming Christianity and the God we worship as the cause of human suffering, oppression, racism, and anything else that was believed to be keeping humanist peace and harmony from happening. I am a product of the 1970s and as many of you know, I was not raised in a Christian home. I didn’t become a born-again believer of Jesus until 2006; but had it not been for the testimonies and the sharing of the gospel of true and dedicated Christians, I might never have come to the Lord and accepted His gift of salvation.
My parents, much unlike the generation before them, came into their teenage years at the end of the 1950s and the 1960s. They were encouraged to discard the teachings of the previous generation, specifically the role of faith within society. Regular church attendance wasn’t important; scholars had begun to put into the minds of Americans if it were really necessary to attend church as a part of the Christian faith. Radio serials and sports broadcasts began to fill the family home with outside entertainment, much preferred by the younger generation than an evening singing around the living room, attending Bible studies, and social activities in the church. By the time my generation came around, the world’s philosophy had changed; religion and science were bitter enemies, intelligence required the rejection of faith, Christianity and Jesus became known as crutches for the weak-minded and those who couldn’t deal with life, and worst of all, one can be a moral person without having an absolute moral value tied to the unchanging nature of a Creator-God. It is within my generation that the seeds of the lost generation were sown.
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