Central Assembly

1 Samuel 7:15-17
15 Samuel continued as Israel’s leader all the days of his life. 16 From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all those places. 17 But he always went back to Ramah, where his home was, and there he also held court for Israel. And he built an altar there to the Lord.

1 Samuel 8:1-3
1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

“More people have left the church in the last twenty-five years than all the new people who became Christians from the First Great Awakening, Second Great Awakening, and Billy Graham crusades combined.”
- The Great Dechurching (Jim Davis and Michael Graham)

TO PARENTS . . .

1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders… 3 But his sons did not follow his ways.

* The overly passive problem

* The overly protective problem

1 Samuel 8:4-5
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.

1 Samuel 8:6-7
6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.”

1 Samuel 8:21-22a
21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”

TO THE NEXT GENERATION . . .

* Don’t cave in to the world’s way and settle for second best

* Balance the intellectual and the experiential in your faith

1 Samuel 9:2,17
2 Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else… 17 When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, “This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.”

1 Samuel 10:5-6
5 “After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, timbrels, pipes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. 6 The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.

What factors help Christian youth maintain their faith into adulthood? A major research project called the National Study of Youth and Religion found the following three factors:

1. The young person's parents practiced the faith in the home and in daily life, not just in public-church settings.
2. The young person had at least one significant adult mentor or friend, other than parents, who practiced the faith seriously.
3. The young person had at least one significant spiritual experience before the age of 17.

- Adapted from Seraphim Danckaert, "Losing our Religion"

TO THE NEXT GENERATION . . .

* Don’t cave in to the world’s way and settle for second best

* Balance the intellectual and the experiential in your faith

* Keep your insecurities from dictating your obedience to Jesus

1 Samuel 10:21b-22
21…But when they looked for him [Saul], he was not to be found. 22 So they inquired further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?” And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.”

1 Samuel 10:23-24
23 They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. 24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!”