1 Timothy 4:12 - Don't Let Anyone Think Less of You

Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.

2 Timothy 4:12

I am a product of the Millennial generation. Since I fall toward the debatable beginning of that time span, I feel that I understand the concerns of the older generation and the younger generation even as I feel misunderstood by both of them.

I have desired to serve God to the fullest extent I could, though obviously there have been mountain tops and valleys of that commitment. I have struggled with feeling that I am not taken seriously by older generations of Christians, whether that is rooted in the truth or not.

We Millennials DO need to be listened to. We understand the current culture, as tripped up as we often get by the traps the Enemy has set there. Those of us who want to see God move do want to be theologically sound. We do want to evangelize our friends and the world. We do want to see our churches grow. The committed of this generation do want to be connected and make a difference. We have passion. We want to know God in a very personal, relational way. 

Yes, we Millennials can be flaky and under-committed. At times we seek an emotional experience and make it all about us. We can demand to be heard in ways that are not always God-glorifying. Our opinions often are too secular, too relativistic, and too immature. We can be apathetic. We can't stay off social media or stop watching shows on Netflix. 

But... we are what's coming up next in the scene of this world. That scares me because things are getting darker by the day. We are tasked with passing truth down to the coming generation and often feel less than affirmed as to how well we are doing that.

I often find myself wearing this face - 0.o - at the whole situation. Or this one: :/ .

The burden of proof rests with us. We have to prove to the older generations that we are the real deal. We have to get up off our lazy, internet-addicted butts and actually do all the things our minds, hearts, and spirits connect with so intensely instead of leaving it an idealized image in our heads. Older generations have the position to cherish their ideals about the good old days and how things "should" be all they want. The Lord has given them the task of leading us, and they are worried, suspicious, and frightened by all the trends we are immersed in.

As much as we may resent this mentality, we have to honor it in some way because we do need the wise counsel provided by these believers. We can't always dictate the matters of style we believe would be more effective for us and our friends. We have to do what we think we do best - connect with this past heritage and validate the good in it - while finding a way to communicate our vision for what the future has to look like if Christianity is going to survive us.

Again, scary. 

Daunting. 

I'm tempted to go back to communicating with emoticons right now.

What can we do?

What can I do?

Paul gave Timothy sound advice: Be an example to all believers. This includes being extremely authentic and loving while at the same time remaining or becoming extremely pure. Being absolutely above reproach in the way we live, minister, and have fun.

We need to get serious about the Bible and its commands, esteeming others as better than ourselves and just going out there and sharing our faith, no matter what the cost.

Our mandate is to worship God in Spirit and in truth wherever we are planted.

We should be the most loving, the best at reaching out to others of all age groups, the most unconcerned with trivial issues that don't matter in the scope of the gospel message and the soon return of Christ.

All of this is starting to sound like a to-do list that no one is really capable of handling, but the truth is that if we are walking in the Spirit on a daily basis, confessing sins and seeking direction for all of our decisions, God will equip us to do far more than we could ever do on our own.