The Josiah Generation

One of my favorite Bible heroes is Josiah, the eight-year-old king of Israel. When he was a teenager, he commissioned some repairs on the Temple and the Book of the Law was recovered and brought to him. He took it and read it privately and it sparked a passion in his heart to see revival in his generation.

I think of our current generation in America as much like Josiah’s. It isn’t that we’ve lost the Word for centuries because the Bible has been very much a part of American life, even more so in past years. What bothers me about our current generation is that, like Josiah’s, our generation may be the last generation to really know God.You see, because Josiah responded in humility to God’s Word and led the nation to restore the prominence of God’s Word in public and private life, God decided to spare him seeing the downfall of his homeland. Jerusalem would not see utter destruction and captivity until shortly after Josiah’s death. But his reforms were really too late for the lost soul of his nation. God had already determined to judge the land and the people.

Here is one promise that remains for our current generation that gives me great hope - The Holy Spirit is actively indwelling and empowering His people. We live in the New Testament age, which I believe Jesus promised would be an age of growth for the church until His return. Though we face much uncertainty about the state of Christianity toward the end times, we know that the present age is one in which God’s grace is being shared and permeated throughout the world, so things are different for us than they were for Josiah. Nevertheless, there are some lessons from his life that we would do well to listen to for the sake of the up and coming generation…

First, we need to reinstate the prominence of God’s Word. I’ve tried to be less critical of the contemporary Christian culture than others. I like to be positive and I believe that a lot of great innovations are being used for ministry today that will have great value to our influence of this generation for Christ.

But if we have a weakness, it is our selectivity when in comes to how much of God’s Word should be shared. In our struggle to be relevant, we often miss the mark by presenting only those parts of the truth that are immediately applicable to the felt needs of people today. As a result, we often de-emphasize the role of the Word of God in revival. I’m not a Calvinist, and I’m bothered by some of the trendiness surrounding Calvinism today. I am, however, thankful that a fascination with the reformed tradition has brought about a renewed emphasis on biblical preaching.

Second, we must listen to an up and coming generation of potential Josiah’s. I believe that today’s teenagers are the key to salvaging the gospel’s permeation of America. They venture into the greatest mission field that exists in America today - schools. Every day that Christian students attend class, they enter a hostile field where the gospel draws them great criticism, but also has the potential to change the landscape of an entire nation.

We must refuse to be selfish and judgmental toward young people today. It’s easy to withdraw from kids whom we don’t always understand, but it’s far greater to love them for whom they are and to pray for them every day. I would go so far as to say that we can often learn as much from them as they can from us. They are tech-obsessed cell phone and ipod users who are held to higher academic standards than any previous American generation. They are confronted with scientific battles over the origin of humanity and reinterpretations of history. They are targeted by marketers of every kind of product imaginable. They are our hope today.

So let’s tune in. This Josiah generation can make a difference. It’s going to be hard and they need all kinds of great support from those who have fought the fight in the past. Let’s reach this Josiah generation for His glory!