There’s a lot of talk nowadays about the problem with Millennials – the older generation finds them difficult to work with and often sees them as an entitled bunch. That might be true, but I’m convinced Millennials have something to teach the church that no other generation has.
In fact, I’m convinced every generation has the opportunity to understand a facet of the Gospel that no other group will be able to understand like they will. I think it’s because of each generation’s unique experiences and opportunities.
Now, I can’t speak about other generations, but since I barely squeaked by in the Millennial category, here’s what I think we can teach the church:
We have the opportunity to understand the implications of Romans 8:28 better than any other generation.
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
No other generation has experienced so many possibilities in this world. I mean, you can make a living by posting selfies on Instagram. You can start a company, never make a single penny, and sell it for 715 million dollars in 2 years. (Again, Instagram)
When I see things like that, I actually get a glimpse of how God could turn every evil thing into a good thing. I can see it because I know that nearly anything is possible. I see a God who can innovate far more shrewdly than a couple of people with a smartphone and laptop.
Imagine if the Church started respecting generations enough to see their perspective. What could we learn from Millennials? From Baby Boomers? From Gen X, or even from Generation Z?
Imagine the rounded view we could start getting of our God – the fact that His word is bigger than one generation’s capability to comprehend.
We serve a big God. Let’s learn more about Him together.
Are you in a different generation? What do you understand about God that other generations don’t? I’d love to see what you see.
