The world we live in is increasingly difficult
to raise a generation.
There are 8 million single moms
who are trying to raise children by themselves.
58% of the households in America
are needing two incomes just to survive.
So time is restricted on the parental side,
but we also have the social concerns.
We have the education system,
which has visibly shifted to more of a social focus
where they are tackling social concerns
that should never be tackled by the state
or by the education system.
We also have the entertainment industry,
which is creating moral confusion and identity crisis
through their desensitizing of violence,
through the glamorizing of harmful behaviors,
as well as promoting materialistic values,
and the list could go on and on.
Even churches in our culture today
are compromising their historical and biblical values
to be more inclusive, which just leads to moral decline.
So what is the answer?
I believe that in this generation,
we are called in spite of all these circumstances
to raise an elite generation.
My name is Matthew Rupert.
I'm the children's pastor here at The Road.
I've been in children's ministry for eight years now
and am passionate about discipling children
and young people.
Today, I wanna tackle the concept
of raising an elite generation,
a concept that I believe that God has given me
to set a high standard and goal for educators,
churches, and parents alike to work their hardest
in raising children who can stand
and defy the cultural norms of this time.
This concept was inspired from Daniel
when he and his three friends were exiled to Babylon.
Theologians believe that they were most likely royalty
or at least some of the elite from Israel
that were taken over to Babylon
because they were intended to be educated
and provided the indoctrination needed for them
to actually be part of the government
in Babylon at the time.
So these men were educated and they were well-discipled
and we see the effects of their discipleship
when the pressure was on.
When Daniel was praying three times a day
and the people came against him, he stood his ground.
When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
were threatened by a blazing, fiery furnace,
they refused to bow even though everyone around them
were bowing.
Again, theologians think that they were probably teenagers.
How could teenagers, especially when we think of it
in context to the teens of today,
how could teenagers have stood against
the insurmountable circumstances that they were facing?
It was because they were discipled
and they understood the truths of God's word
and they possessed the skills and abilities
to stand against the opposition that they were facing.
So what are the results of the culture that we see today?
I believe that we see many young people who are unmotivated,
unmotivated to do anything significant
beyond watching TV and playing their video games.
I believe that they are receiving all these messages
of live your truth, be yourself, do what you dream to do,
and yet they're being left with these vague encouragements
with no clear guidance or direction
on how to do something purposeful.
Knowledge and physical resources
are at this generation's fingertips,
and yet there are so many young people
who don't know what to be when they grow up.
I see something different.
I see a generation like Daniel and his three friends
who can stand up and be different.
Through the collaborative effort of parents,
churches, and educators, we can raise an elite generation
that don't cave to the throes of our culture,
who stand firmly planted in the truth of God's word
and possess the values and skills needed
to make a meaningful impact in this world.
I see an elite generation as a possibility
and something that we can aim for in this time.
So what is an elite generation?
Let's dive right in.
I believe that God gave me this word elite.
Elite as a noun in the Merriam-Webster's dictionary
is a group of persons who,
by virtue of their position or education,
exercise power and influence.
As an adjective, elite refers to persons
with superior qualities, skills, or rank.
Many people think of elite.
categorically, elite in athletes, or elite in wealth or finance, things like this. But I think
of elite more as a holistic sense that we can raise people who are an above average in their
heart, mind, soul, and body, the core elements of their being. This concept comes from Mark
chapter 12 verses 30 through 31, which reads, a teacher of religious law came and asked Jesus
of all of the commandments, which is the most important? Jesus answered, the most important
commandment is this, listen, oh Israel, the Lord our God is one and only Lord, and you must love
the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your mind,
and with all of your strength. The second is equally important, love your neighbor as yourself,
no other commandment is greater than these. We are made in the image of God, that means that we are
a dynamic interweaving of both physical and non-physical elements that sets us apart from
all other creation. We were created with the purpose of aligning all of those elements to
and for the service of God. We were supposed to partner with God to actually carry out his will
on the earth. This concept brings up a number of questions. What does it mean to love God with all
of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your body? I believe that the answers to these
questions are what drives and can drive a generation towards excellence. Now the skeptic
might ask the question, is a person who is above average in every core element of their being
really considered elite? I believe some would say yes and some would say no. To be honest with you,
elite is subjective in that way, but what I'm intending to do by using the word elite is
setting a high standard. Jesus said, be perfect as I am perfect. That seems crazy because in this life
will we ever arrive at perfection? The answer is no, but Jesus himself set that standard for us
to give us something to aspire to, to give us something to work towards, and I believe
that is what the word elite is being used for in context to a generation, giving parents, educators,
and churches something to aim for, something to aspire to for this generation. So what is an elite
generation? An elite generation is a generation that possesses the exceptional qualities and
skills within their heart, mind, soul, and body, which allows them to possess power and influence
in our world. I believe that if we set our goals high with the intent of honoring God with every
part of who we are, then there is nothing that is impossible for the kingdom. In the next episodes,
we are going to be diving into those four individual parts of our being, how we can
disciple them for God, as well as talking about a strategy that we can use to effectively disciple
an elite generation.