OC ’12: Thursday Morning General Session Notes

This morning’s speaker was Craig Groeschel.  Here are some notes from his time with us:

• What we do in ministry is incredibly valuable.  It’s undervalued, understaffed, but maybe the most valuable in ministry.
• Children are a blessing from God.
• What do you think success is for the next generation?
• Culture says success is raising well-rounded, well-educated, happy kids
• The problem is that when we hire someone at a church.  We want someone is who is a specialist, not average.  We want an expert.  Education is not the key to everything as character is vitally important.  Happiness should not result in sin…if it makes me happy, I should do it.  Wrong way to live.
• What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his own soul? – Jesus
• Psalm 71:18 – “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.”
• We are called by God to release single-minded, Christ-centered, Biblically-anchored, world-changers.  This is our calling!
• Single-Minded – help them understand their calling
• Christ-Centered – not religion centered, ruled centered, but Christ centered.
• Biblically-Anchored – knowing God’s word, counter acting the culture with God’s word where they can defend their faith.
• World-Changers – when they are single-minded, Christ-centered, Biblically-anchored, they will be world changers
• Deut. 6:4-9
• We must enlist supporting voices who will come along with us, supporting the next generation, imparting the spiritual truth in them.  Parents are the most important voice but it can’t be the only voice. (Deut. 6:4)
• In Church world, sometimes we are the only voice speaking into the lives of children and youth.
• We need to build up leaders to love people.  Intergenerational mentoring
• We need to raise the expectations of what we expect of the next generation (Deut. 6:5)
• We have dumbed down our standards.  We need to raise the standards of what we ask and expect the next generation to do.  Christ never dropped the standards.
• We live in an entitled generation.
• 1 Corinthians 13:11 – we have said to this generation, you look like an adult but you can act like a child
• We need to keep it real (Deut. 6:7-9)
• God is not a part of our lives, He is our lives.  Going to Church is not something we do, we are the Church.
• Rules without Relationship equals Rebellion
• If you want them to be in the word, you better let them see you in the word.  If you want them to forgive and give grace, you better let them see you forgive and give grace.
• Don’t let your work in ministry replace your relationship with God
• If it’s just a job and not a calling, we will lose this generation