The Nu-Generation Revolution
Central Scripture:
1 Peter 2:1-10
4 As you come to him, the living Stone-- rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him--
5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,"
8 and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message-- which is also what they were destined for.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
(NIV)
The Message
Eugene Peterson
I Peter 2: 1-10
So Clean House! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and harmful talk. You’ve had a taste of God. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God.
Welcome to the Living Stone, the Source of life. The workman took one look and threw it out; God set it in a place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ approved lives up to God. The Scriptures provide precedent:
“Look! I’m setting a stone in Zion, a cornerstone in the place of honor.
Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation will never have cause to regret it.”
TO you who trust him, he’s a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him,
“The stone the workman threw out is now the chief foundation stone.”
For the untrusting it’s
“….a stone to trip over
a boulder blocking the way.”
They trip and fall because they refuse to obey, just as predicted.
But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night and day difference he made for you – from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.
Central Theme: An intimate and personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the cornerstone and foundation of the Nu Generation church. This produces radical behavior that builds the Body of Christ through agape love. This is the beginning of the revolution
Believers’ response: Choose join the revolution here at the Rock
Seeker response: Choose to give their life to Christ
There is a revolution about to take place and you are at ground zero whether you
Like it
Understand it
Comprehend it
Or are ready for it
There is a change coming
Have you been paying attention? Do you recognize the signs? Don’t let this revolution pass you by.
If you are distracted with the distress of depression
Anxious and apathetic about life
Constantly constipated with complacency
Momentarily mesmerized by the madness of life
This revolution will take place and instead of being a participant you will be a casualty
This revolution will be a revival through out the land from
• Tucker to Tylersville
• Decatur to Duluth
• Atlanta to Athens
• Stone Mountain to Sandy Springs
• Lithonia to Lawrenceville
• Clarkston to Charlotte
• Dekalb to Cobb
• Georgia to Alabama
There is a revolution about to take place and you are at ground zero whether you
Like it
Understand it
Comprehend it
Or are ready for it
There is a change coming
Have you been paying attention? Do you recognize the signs? Don’t let the revolution pass you by.
There is a revolution about to take place but the
Whitehouse will not issue an executive order
Capital Hill will not legislate it
Wall Street will not finance it
Disney will not choreograph
P and G will not manufacture it
Microsoft will not have a web site for it
And this revolution will not be televised on
NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, CNN ESPN, BET, VH1 or Lifetime
If the truth be told and you really want to know
Oprah, Montel, Rikki Lake, Charlie Gibson, Larry King, Rush, Connie Chun and Dr. Laura are all clueless
There is a revolution about to take place and you are at ground zero whether you
Like it
Understand it
Comprehend it
Or are ready for it
There is a change coming
Have you been paying attention? Do you recognize the signs? Don’t let this revolution pass you by.
There is no central command because Elohiem the commander and chief is omnipresent.
The is no Central Intelligence Agency because Adoni is all knowing
There is no central distribution because my God supplies all of my needs and all of your needs where ever we are.
Our objective is clear
Take the city for the Body of Christ
Our mission is imperative
By any means necessary win the loss at any cost
Our weapons is unstoppable
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control, forgiveness and prayer
FYI, Basic training is about to commence here at the Rock
By the way did I tell you?
There is a revolution about to take place and you are at ground zero whether you
Like it
Understand it
Comprehend it
Or are ready for it
There is a change coming
Have you been paying attention? Do you recognize the signs? Don’t let this revolution pass you by.
This revolution has a vision
• Transform peoples lives
• Reach out to those who have been marginalized
• Reconcile people who have been hurt by pious religious systems
• Re-tool church folks who have been burnt out on programs
• Unite churches across denominational lines to take the city for Christ
This revolution is about the Body of Christ returning to the core values that Jesus taught
You know:
Matt 5:3-10
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
That is what this revolution is about. Going back to basics.
You see the church has lost its passion to fulfill the mission; vision and values that Jesus taught and lived out
“Many churches have lost the notion of the church being a missionizing agent in the world…the local church is a missionizing, evangelizing, witnessing community for the gospel.”
Alvin O’ Jackson
So that we can all go in the same direction let us establish a clear definition of a revolution
A revolution is
Revolution: v-
Radical behavior directed toward bringing about significant changes
in the status quo
This concept of a radical behavior scares most folk because they are no longer in control. The reality is that we no longer have the luxury of time to sit in strategic planning meetings, visioning 2000 forums or next millennium colloquies.
Has knowing Jesus made a difference in your life? Is this relationship precious? Then it makes since that we want everyone to experience the awesomeness of a personal relationship with our Savior.
This revolution is not about the church but it is about the kingdom of God. In your professional life people should recognize the difference in you, in the community people should recognize the difference in you, as you hang out at the gym and even when you are on the golf course your testimony about the goodness of God in your life should be a badge of honor.
In a society that like to compartmentalize our lives this revolution will begin with those who are more committed to making disciples for Christ than they are church membership and membership numbers social in gatherings and self preservation or promotion
This revolution is not for those who don’t want to get dirty or are to self-absorbed with their own importance to serve another human being in order to win them to Christ.
Your comfort Zones will be destroyed
Your orderly schedules will be disrupted
Your personal idiosyncrasies will be demolished
You will have to sacrifice and struggle
Moan and groan
if you want to be a part of this revolution.
You will be exhaserbated, exhausted and exhilarated
Motivated, messed up and misunderstood
But nothing will stop you and nothing will distract you because you would have accepted the call to be a part of the Nu-Generation.
Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Peter in this text was pushing those in the church at Rome and those in Asia Minor to fully accept not only the salvation of Christ but the responsibilities that comes with membership. Members of the Nu-Generation are those who are sold out, totally committed, unashamed, and devoted to seeking the lost and to present them through our service and life style with the Good News of Jesus Christ so that others can experience the power of a personal relationship with the Messiah despite the social conditions around them.
1 Pet 2:9-10
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received
(NIV)
Peter was a very able spokesman on the subject. Peter was bold enough to walk out on water but almost sank when he took his eyes off of Jesus. Peter wanted to fight for Jesus in the Garden but denied him three times before his crucifixion. I can imagine Peter as a guy who would go fishing all night, have a come to Jesus Fish Fry with a keg of beer at 9:00 in the morning. Peter was bold and sold out to Jesus even though he had faced challenges in his walk with the Master.
Peter uses the entire 2 chapter to push the people toward maturity in spite of their past religious experience. It was hard for the Gentiles to understand a relationship with Jesus that had requirements of maturity. There were no expectations of behavior change or morality in those who served Greek or Roman gods. This made it difficult to be open their Savior. There was also no expectation of community or association with a group. Many of the churches of that time were meeting in houses and with these associations came accountability.
Peter then states their purpose, and destiny as those who believe in Christ. He also shares with them how they should be the Nu-Generation
Who are the Nu-Generation
1. Chosen People –
Selected for a mission, called into duty and set aside with a purpose. This is not a random selection process but it is for everyone who receives Jesus Christ as Savior.
2. Royal Priesthood – A priest has the responsibility to stand before God and represent the people. This was in sharp contrast to priests who represented Greek and Roman gods. They were responsible for pointing the way to God
3. Holy Nation – Physically pure, morally blameless and religiously consecrated. Peter was making it known that the Nu-Generation was responsible for living in such a way that the people saw God in them
4. People belonging to God. Most people are apprehensive to share their testimony because they are not able to answer a simple question
Where would I be today without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Answering that question makes it easy to understand where our priorities are.
Chosen
Royal Priesthood
Holy Nation
A People Off Da Hook and Cruck because of how God has changed their life
Nu Generation Folk have
• A Nu Vision - No longer weak minority but now people of God. The family and community with responsibility and accountability
• Nu Values – Religiosity was no longer the goal. Going to the temple was not enough but to live out the calling in service to others was the greatest reward so that others could see the change in you and desire to meet the one who changed you.
• Nu Venacular – Conversation was about what God has done. With Jesus as the cornerstone then their was stability and inner peace
• Nu Victory – Molded day by day in the glory of God as living Stones
• Nu Vigor – The energy that they operated on was not their own. They went the extra mile for the glory of God.
• Nu View – No longer complacent with priestly work being done by others
• Nu Vitality – Living stones must move. Maturity was not an option but the standard
• Nu Voice – Voice that proclaims the awesomeness of God
Celebration can be the nu voice to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and a contextualized conclusion
