Passing or Dropping the God Baton...?
Have you ever done a relay race where you passed a baton?
It takes a bit more coordination than you'd think.
On the track there's a "passing zone" where two people can run together,
To get in sync with each other,
One, two, one, two, one two...
To get the timing in a short period,
One person's arm forward while the others is backward,
To perfectly intersect so you can...
PASS the baton!
Wohooo!!!
It doesn't come without practice,
It doesn't come without focus,
It doesn't come with intentional effort.
Did you know that when it comes to Jesus,
We're supposed to pass the GOD BATON to the next generation,
So they can pick up where we left off,
NOT starting over,
But progressing FORWARD,
Into new territory the previous generation hasn't seen before.
What does passing the GOD BATON really look like?
It's passing forward the heart, knowledge and skills of God,
So that the next generation doesn't have to reinvent the wheel,
So that OUR ceiling becomes THEIR floor,
And THEIR ceiling becomes the NEXT generation's FLOOR.
Jesus said, "...anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these..."
Each generation should have...
New victories that are legendary,
New miracles that are mind-blowing,
New moves of God never seen before,
By standing on the shoulders of the generation before,
So those things happen more effectively, efficiently each time.
That accelerate the fulfillment of the Great Commission,
To LOVE God,
To LOVE Others,
To Share God with LOVE and teach others how to do the same,
To "make disciples of ALL nations".
Then Jesus will return,
We will go to heaven,
And find out that Jesus had been waiting on US all along, lol. ^_^
"And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come."
PASSING forward the GOD BATON requires 2 things...
1) We need our OWN faith strong enough to stand on and pass forward.
2) We need to LEARN how to pass the baton.
Passing the GOD BATON is NOT...
Going to church once a week,
Praying before meals,
Praying before you go to sleep,
Reading a 5 minute devotion,
That is the same tactic and skill from the 1800's.
It's good, it's foundation,
But it's not enough.
It won't cut it.
We have a 1000x more distractions, entertainment and temptations.
In this world, we require something more REAL and AUTHENTIC to become DEEPLY CONNECTED to Jesus.
Currently the body of Christ in the U.S. is atrophying.
In 2007, 77% of Americans identified as Christians (in a survey by Pew Research), but 10 years later in 2018-19 the number reduced to 65%. That's a 12% reduction in 10 years! If that trend continues, there's no more Christians in 70 years.
What does that tell us?
We are NOT passing the BATON effectively.
We are NOT innovating and developing new ways to pass the BATON.
I submit to you...
Truly passing the BATON is showing and teaching,
The next generation,
The next wave of believers,
To go DEEPER with God,
In relationship,
In knowledge,
In desire,
In passion,
In power,
In love,
In self-discipline.
That is no easy task.
Because it FIRST requires for US to have something REAL with Jesus.
It requires for US to go DEEP with Jesus before we can pass it on.
It requires effort,
It requires strategy,
It requires skill,
It requires mindset,
It requires commitment.
But it's what it will take.
If we DON'T...
The next generation will only know how to run around the track,
They will not have a BATON to receive,
To stand on our shoulders to BENEFIT from the previous generation.
Instead, their experience will feel like a hamster wheel,
Around and around they go (going to church every week),
Bored by routine (pray before meals and sleep),
Without a personal RELATIONSHIP with Jesus,
Without a personal LOVE for Jesus,
Without their IDENTITY in Jesus,
Without EXPERIENCING the healing LOVE of Jesus,
It will be very hard to choose Jesus over social media, friends and money.
Eventually, a generation without DEEP, AUTHENTIC, ROOTS in Jesus will...
Get tired of the race,
Quit,
Stop running,
And no longer identify themselves as a Christian.
It's already happening,
It's already happened,
10 years in the making.
I just want to bring personal ownership to the condition of FAITH in our country.
It starts with OUR own PERSONAL relationship with God,
Because if we don't have one,
There's no BATON to pass,
We're also just running around the track,
In a hamster wheel like the others,
But YOU can change that,
YOU can break the pattern,
YOU can make a difference.
Professional athletes are always inventing and innovating new ways to do things better, strong, faster.
Entrepreneurs are always innovating, masterminding for better process and results,
So we need to be like a professional athletes and entrepreneurs in handing off the God BATON.
And much like sharing any best practice,
We need to EXPERIENCE it first for ourselves,
So we are sharing a PERSONAL testimony,
Of God's power in lives.
So the FIRST step is to strengthen YOUR personal relationship and experience with God so you have a baton to pass forward.
Ask God for help,
He will surely show up.
Start asking the question...
"God, how can I deepen my PERSONAL relationship with You?"
"God, how can I love You more PERSONALLY?"
"God, how can I want You more?"
"God, how can I value You more?"
"God, how can I learn more best practices?"
"God, how can I find better support and others like me?"
Look at it as you would a sport or business.
As business people and athletes...
We find a coaches,
We find a groups,
We find masterminds,
We find a communities,
We apply the learnings,
We get accountability,
We get results.
Ask "God, what other resources do You have for me? Send them my way. I am ready and willing. Come Holy Spirit, come!"
Let's get BOLD,
Let's get FEARLESS,
Let's get VISIONARY,
It's what we need as Christians,
It's what we need as the body of Christ,
It's what we need as a country,
And it all starts with YOU.
YOUR FAITH,
YOUR part in the BODY of Christ,
YOUR brief but precious LIFE here on earth.
"Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
"Dear Heavenly Father,
This country,
This generation,
Needs something fresh and new.
I want You,
I seek You,
I want something fresh and new.
The world is changing,
The enemy looks like he's winning,
But I know You're waiting on me,
To get serious,
About kicking some butt,
For You and Your kingdom.
Renew my faith,
Renew my fire,
Take me from lukewarm to fiery hot,
So that others will feel the warmth of Your love,
Your truth,
Your light,
And be provoked to jealousy about You,
And say "I want some of that."
Lord, help me be a better light for You,
Help me be a better vessel for You,
Mold me,
Shape me,
Refine me,
Reconstruct me,
However You'd like,
Whatever You need,
I say YES,
YES all the way,
Give me the strength to follow You,
All the way to victory.
In Jesus name, Amen."
Cheers to passing the BATON and raising and army for Jesus! Wohooo!!!
