Anyone here have a junk drawer in your house? You know what I’m talking about? The one that’s supposed to hold important things like batteries, tape, and scissors…
but somehow ends up holding takeout menus from restaurants that closed five years ago and 27 keys that open absolutely nothing.
Every now and then, you open that drawer, look at the mess, and say, “We really should organize this someday.” And then we gently close it and pretend everything is fine.
Some churches treat their core values the same way. They’re written down somewhere… maybe in a binder, maybe on an old bulletin… maybe in a dusty frame behind the fake tree in the foyer.
And every once in a while we say, “We should really get back to these.” And then… we quietly shut the drawer and head to lunch.
But core values aren’t meant to be stored away… they’re meant to be used. They’re the batteries that power what we do, the scissors that cut away the clutter, the tape that holds the church together.
And the good news? Unlike your junk drawer, they still work… if we actually take them out and use them.
Ours are on the wall just outside of this room… but if they just stay on the wall and never get into our heads and hearts… they’re not worth much.
This is why I felt the need to have this series over the past month and a half that we called, “At the Core”. The idea was to let everyone know, the reasoning behind some of the things that we do here at ECC.
Here is what we have talked about so far.
The Bible is the absolute standard of truth.
The church is the body of Christ.
Every follower of Jesus is a minister.
We must care about the lost and reach them.
Confess Jesus, repent of sins, and be baptized.
Live a life worthy of the gospel
And today we wrap up the series by looking at the final 2 core values.
If you want to know what a community will look like twenty years from now… don’t check the news, don’t poll social media, don’t survey the culture…
Just take a look inside the living rooms, dining rooms, and backseats of minivans. Look at the families. And look at the young people God has entrusted to us.
God’s design has always been that the family becomes the training ground of faith… and that the youth become the carriers of faith into the next season of God’s kingdom work.
You break the family, you weaken the church. You neglect the youth, and the church loses its pulse.
Today we’re going to look at two truths that are woven from Genesis to Revelation:
The family is essential to a unified community.
The youth are the heartbeat of the church.
Now… These two truths are not separate ideas. They’re two strands braided together into one cord… one mission... if you will. So… Let’s take a look at them together.
First… let’s see how…
1. The family is essential to a unified community.
I think it is safe to say that the break down of the family unit has been one of most impactful factors in the decay of our churches and our nation.
When you look at scripture it’s pretty clear that…
God builds through families.
There is a great story found in the book of Joshua where Joshua is near the end of his life, and gathers all of Israel at Shechem to renew their covenant with God.
He reminds them of God’s past faithfulness and then calls them to make a clear, exclusive choice to serve the Lord alone.
He said, you can serve the pagan Gods that some of your ancestors did or you can serve the God of Israel who delivered from Egypt and so many other things.
And Joshua said, But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15
He didn’t say, “As for me… and maybe my wife…”
He didn’t say, “As for me… and whoever else wants to join…”
He said my family.
Because Joshua knew something: it was his responsibility to lead his family spiritually. Just like it’s our job, men to do that too. And what Joshua knew, we need to know as well.
You can’t build a strong nation with weak families… and… You can’t build a strong church with divided homes.
Why do you suppose Satan has attacked the family unit so much? He knows it’s the backbone.
Cities with high rates of single parenthood have significantly higher total and violent crime rates, with some studies reporting more than double the rate for both violent crime and homicide compared to cities with low single-parent populations
Studies show a strong link between experiencing a "broken home" and later adult violence.
One analysis found that men who experienced a parental marital breakdown were more than twice as likely to have a violent conviction later in life.
Another study showed that Children in single-parent households are more likely to enter the juvenile justice system.
Also… There is a strong association between family structure and school violence. For example, a study of school shootings found that 82% of the perpetrators came from unstable or single-parent homes.
Studies have also shown that a high percentage of adolescents in substance abuse centers come from fatherless homes.
God can and will work in broken homes… I believe that He can and that He does… and God bless those of you who are doing it by yourself… we are praying for you.
In fact, can we just give a round of applause for those single parents who are really doing their best to raise their child in a God-honoring home…. It’s not easy!
It makes me think of the story about the little girl who asked her mommy…
“Mommy, if Santa Claus brings our presents, and God gives us our daily bread, and Uncle Sam gives us Social Security, why do we keep daddy around?”
Well… Mommy and Daddy are both needed because when we look at Scripture we see that…
God’s covenant began with a man named Abraham and a family.
God’s deliverance began with Moses and a family.
God’s royal line began with David and a family.
Jesus entered the world through Mary, Joseph, and a family.
And I don’t believe that blueprint has ever changed nor will it. And because of that we need to understand that…
The family shapes character before the church ever can.
Before your child ever hears a sermon… before they ever sit in youth group… before they ever memorize a verse of scripture…
they are learning from you.
The home is where children learn what love looks like, what forgiveness looks like, what how to handle conflict, how to pray, how to treat others, how to trust God.
If we want a strong unified church… it starts with strong unified living rooms and marriages and hearts dedicated to serving the Lord… not just at church… but in the home as well. That’s where it starts.
Listen, we are going to all that we can do to help make sure your child is trained and equipped to serve the Lord as they grow… but it starts in your home.
Here at ECC we are committed to teaching your family biblical truths… and are committed to guiding you in the programs and in the worship services that we offer…
But what we offer here, cannot be a substitute for what you are giving them at home. If you are giving a different worldview in your home than what we are presenting here… your kids are going to be confused.
You know how many times they say it takes… for a child to hear and see the gospel lived out… before they ever respond. I think it’s something like 6 – 7 times. (do the dumb 6-7 thing)
But I wonder if they are hearing it here… outside the home… but inside the home… there isn’t a consistent theme… kids are going to be confused.
And when the family isn’t unified with the message then the family unit starts to break down and…
When the family breaks down, the community breaks down
We live in a world where the enemy doesn’t usually attack the church building first… he attacks the home.
He slips into the marriage.
He creeps into communication.
He plants discouragement, distraction, disappointment.
If you want to weaken a community… crush the family.
If you want to divide a church… divide the home.
But when families are anchored in Christ… praying together, worshiping together, forgiving each other, encouraging one another… unity becomes the natural overflow.
I want to give you some practical steps that you can take if you want to unify and solidify your families. They are not in your notes but they are on the screen here if you have room to write them down.
Here is a challenge for families… if you will.
First for the parents. (list these one at a time as I say them)
? Lead with humility not perfection.
? Let your kids see you repent.
? Let your kids hear you pray.
? Let them know church is a priority not an accessory.
Husbands and wives
? Guard your unity like your life depends on it… because your example shapes generations.
Children and teens (also one at a time)
? Honor your parents.
? Respect their sacrifice.
? Understand that God speaks through their counsel.
When the family flourishes, the church becomes a lighthouse of unity in a divided world. Now… onto part 2 of this morning’s message.
2. The youth are the heartbeat of the church
Something that more churches need to understand is this truth that I learned a long time ago… and you probably did too.
? If we want to put a charge in the church, we have to cheer the children.
Riley read for us a moment ago, a very important passage of Scripture where the apostle Paul is writing to Timothy and he says this…
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.
1 Timothy 4:12
There is a saying that we have used down through the years that seems right. It seems innocent. But the more I think about it, the more I think it’s wrong.
That saying goes something like this… “Young people are the church of tomorrow.” I think that’s wrong! I don’t like it. Young people are the church right now.
You remove the youth from a church, and you’re left with: no movement, no fresh vision, no new fire, no future leadership.
A heart without a beat is a body that will not last.
A church without young people is a church without a future.
And as I learned about a year ago or so… today’s youth don’t want their own thing apart from this. They want to be a part of this… And I absolutely love that.
This past weekend, a bunch of helped move my son, Nick and his wife Macy and their 2 little boys into a new house.
And this house is quite a bit larger than their old house. And in most of the rooms, there is really nice plush carpet. And the boys, Avett and Brooks spent a significant amount of time, running around doing summersaults and sliding, and rolling on the floor.
And every adult that watches something like that says the same thing… “Man, I wish I had that kind of…….” Energy, right? We all look at little ones bouncing off the walls and think, “I’d love to have that kind of energy.”
The next generation brings God-given energy.
They bring creativity, they bring passion, they bring boldness, they bring a willingness to try new things, they bring questions that sharpen our faith, they bring perspective that pushes the church forward.
They dream bigger than we do. They see the world differently.
They’re not afraid to take risks for the Kingdom.
When the older generation says, “We’ve never done it that way,”
the younger generation asks, “What if that’s exactly the way God wants to do it now?”
I think of young David when the mighty Goliath came out day after day after day… and he was taunted the Israelites and he was taunting their God.
And a little shepherd boy was willing to do something that none of the older men were willing to do. The older mean were probably thinking thoughts like this perhaps.
“Look, it’s not that we’re scared… we’re just being strategic. Someone has to guard the camp. And the lunch. And the bags. And literally anything that keeps us from going out there.
I mean, have you seen that guy? He’s nine feet tall, built like a barn, and his spear is the size of a telephone pole. We’re warriors, not lumberjacks.
Right after we finished polishing our armor… and praying… and, get a sign from the Lord. Yep. Any second now.
And all of a sudden, here comes young David… who might have thinking something like this…
“Lord, You’ve brought me through danger before… lions, bears, nights alone in the fields. This giant is loud, but he’s no different. You are with me. I don’t come with armor or strength of my own; I come in Your name. Let Israel see that You are still God.
Let them remember that victory belongs to You. Steady my hands. Guide this stone. And let this giant fall so all will know there is a God in Israel.”
I wonder, what Giants are we not slaying here at ECC that maybe some young person would not be afraid to tackle. But here’s the deal.
The next generation needs freedom and guidance
I think revival happens in a church when wisdom and energy walk hand in hand. This is why I love the fact that we are so multi-generational here.
There are some churches who only focus on a certain demographic while pushing the older folks aside.
There are some church who are led by older folks who refuse to get out of the way and let some of the younger folks be involved.
I think the healthiest churches are those who are multi-generational… where the wisdom and experience of some older folks, feed off the energy of the young folks and then go out and take as much of Satan’s territory as possible.
The older generation carries the stories of God’s faithfulness down through the years.
The younger generation carries the zeal to see it happen again.
Remember when Eli fails to guide Samuel… Samuel almost misses God’s voice.
But when Paul guides Timothy… Timothy becomes a world-changer.
The youth of our church don’t just need programs… they need mentors, mothers and fathers in the faith. I mean we need programs, but we need more than that.
So… I gave a challenge to the family earlier. Here is my challenge to the church.
To the older generation
? Don’t dismiss the young… disciple them.
? Don’t fear their ideas—listen to them.
? Don’t step back from them—walk beside them.
To the youth
? Step up.
? Serve boldly.
? Take ownership of your faith.
? Don’t wait to be perfect—God uses willing hearts more than polished ones.
A church that embraces its young people becomes a church of revival, renewal, and unstoppable mission.
