Wise Council , Young Fools

A few weeks ago, I was sitting at a lunch table, it was more of a high-top table with community seating, and an older gentleman 60’s/70’s sits next to me and we begin to talk. At first, it’s like any two strangers meet, what’s your name, I’m Cam, his name was Jim and we begin to talk. He had moved to Phoenix a few years ago to be closer to his kids, grandkids and in his term his “lady friend” I never got her name, but he did show me a picture on his iPhone 6…if that didn't age him i don't know what would, if you don’t know where we are at on the iPhone releases for a frame of reference, we are we are on the iPhone 14 Max Pro. He worked in the Navy as a mechanic and after he got out he continued into being a car mechanic for the next 40 years.

After a while he finally asked me “what do you do for work?” I told him I am a student teaching pastor at Journey right down the street and he went on to what I can only call a pre-written monologue about the younger generation. These kids these days are not what kids used to be. They are entitled, they are arrogant and ignorant, they respect nobody and expect everybody to serve them hand and foot. They do what they want and don’t listen to anyone, they think they are grown, when in reality they are just children, and their parents (I’ve seen it with my own kids) let them talk to and treat them however they want. They are glued to their phones, tv’s and the internet. On and on he went in on to anyone who was in a generation who was younger than his. At the end he looked at me and said, “I don’t know how you do it…I never could, nor would I want to try.”

I had that conversation a few weeks ago and it was as if God was tapping me on the shoulder telling me that this series is one that is needed in this time. Because There are about 6 current living generations, the greatest generation, the silent, the boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z andGen Alpha. During the pandemic, Gen Z and Gen Alpha were nicknamed the “Zoomer” generation as classes, churches, activities all moved to Zoom. More than ever in our country, in our culture and even in our churches there is a growing trend of siloed generations. There tends to be walls that are built up and people have decided for whatever reason they are not going to reach towards one another, but they are going to stay within their group. But that was never the way that God intended societies and cultures to grow and thrive. So today I want to help anyone who is a part of any generation to realize that 1: We are better together than apart. In one of my favorite shows of all time LOST, there is a mantra that they say, “Live together or die alone” sounds dramatic but it’s true. But without one another, we don’t stand the test of time. 2: I want us to take a step or two towards one another.

If you are older, step towards the direction of someone younger than you, invest in them, if you are younger, realize that someone older than you has experienced something you haven’t and you could benefit from asking them to guide you. We are the body of Christ, we should be the model to the world that we might have differences, but we refuse our difference to divide us, rather we strive to live in unity. We have older generations serving younger generations, and younger serving older, and bother serving others better. I will say this, If you are in an older generation, Journey students need you, Journey kids need you, Journey parents need you. And the more you interact with the younger you are seeing God’s next movement of Jesus followers and you can be a builder!

All throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament we see that God uses older generations of people to nurture, guide, instruct, protect and to give wisdom to the younger generation. The older generation should have the wisdom and ability to help where they can, and the younger has the passion and energy to get jobs done. I’ve said it this way, an Older Generations normally see the Forest, while the younger generations tend to see the tree. Meaning as you get older you tend to focus on long term goals and building towards something that will outlive you. Others of us who are younger get caught up in the day to day. Both are needed, but without the other we lose sight of it all.

You know as I do that you can give as much advice or wisdom to someone you are pouring into, and they seem to be hellbent on learning from personal experience not the experience of someone else. This is true in my life and in your life isn’t it, have you ever ignored advice and paid the price? I have, but as I tell you my quick story, I want you to open up to 1 Kings chapter 12, where we will see this exact thing happen. I have several mentors in my life who have been in ministry longer than I have been alive, Carlyle almost being one of them. One of the things they always told me was to never chase the Carrot. Meaning, never chase the Job, the title, the position, the money in ministry. When you chase the carrot in the Ministry they said, more likely than not, you are following your desire not God’s calling. I understood it and I completely ignored it, that was great advise…for someone else, because I didn't think that would ever happen to me. Oftentimes we can be so focused on what we want we can convince ourselves that this is what God wants for us, and rarely is that ever true.

So what did I do? I chased the carrot, I chased the job, I didn't take their advice. I moved across the country to be at a church in North Carolina, 6 weeks later covid hits, Karlee gets mold poisoning, we move to a new apartment after getting rid of 50% or everything we owned due to mold micro toxins, the lead pastor separates from his spouse causing a rift in the church but stay on as lead pastor, and I get let go 2 days after my 1-year anniversary at the church for going against the way the church handled the lead pastor situation. Only to move back to Arizona like a dog with my tail in between my legs. I paid the price for ignoring the advice. God is good, works all things Good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose. Karlee and I and my family are blessed to call Journey home, this year on staff has been one of the most fun in ministry we have ever had, and we are just getting started. But I am still paying the price for ignoring what my mentors advised me to do. Karlee is still dealing with the ramifications of the mold poisoning. It’s changed us as a family. If I just would have listened to people who were older and wiser than I, we never would have been in this situation.

This is exactly what happens in 1 Kings 12, it is a story of Israel's history, and a story that should make us pause and realize we need one another, because, this is especially true of people my age, if we only rely on each other to advance…well we won't get very far. 1 Kings 12 starting in verse 1: Rehoboam went to shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king. Rehoboam is about to become the fourth king in the history of Israel, 3rd in the line of David, his father Solomon was David’s son, and Rehoboam is the only named son of Solomon which is interesting because Solomon had 300 wives and 700 concubines. And he was called the wisest man in the world…but I have a hard time being a good son in law to one mother in law…let alone 1,000. I don’t think a wise person would put themselves in that type of situation.

But Solomon is dead, time for a new king. V2 - When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was still in Egypt where they had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt. So, they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him, “Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”

Solomon was a great king, a wise king, but he was a focused king and a building king. In his time, he built what is called Solomon's temple, a massive and complex temple dedicated to God, and it took Israel 7 years to build. Then Solomon got to work on his palace and that took 13 years to build. (I wish we had time to discuss that, but we don't) He kept on building his entire reign which is what they called the “heaven yoke” 1: High Taxation, building ain’t free, 2: Forced labor. Solomon reigned for 40 year two generations of people, working hard. They needed a break, and they were asking their new king, if you ease the load, we will serve you faithfully.

V5 - Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then come back to me.” So the people went away. Then King Rehoboam consulted the (Who?) Elders who had served his father Solomon during his life time…Rehoboam realized that he didn't know what he did not know, and the first people he went to were the elders, those older and wiser than him, for their input, advise and counsel. “How would you advise me to answer these people?” He asked. They replied, “if today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.” This is a good example of being able to see the forest and not the trees, Rehoboam  wisdom is saying, if you serve them, they will be loyal and serve you. But pride got into the eyes and mind of Rehoboam.

V8 - But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. He asked them, “what is your advise?” How should we answer these people who sat to me, “lighten the yoke your father put on us’?” 10 The young men who had grown up with him replied, “These people have said to you, ‘Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter.’ Now tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. 11 My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.’ (That is a type of whip, not the insect.)

I’m reminded of Jim's monologue when I read those verses, kids these days don’t listen, and only do what they want. Two lessons we can learn here especially if you are in the younger generation 1: Beware of when you are advice shopping. Advice shopping is asking multiple people the same thing and waiting to act upon the advice you already want to hear or the idea you already have in your head. That is an unwise and ungodly way of getting counsel. It is simply asking for advice for the appearance of asking advice not the actually wanting real input. 2: Have people in your life that tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. I have found in my life and in ministry most people don’t have friends who will tell them the whole truth. The main reason is you don’t want conflict in a relationship or don’t want to deal with the ramifications of a fall out in a friendship if you actually told someone what they needed to hear not just what they wanted to hear. You have friends who see the tree, not the forest. If you do have those friends great, but I would say most of us don’t. That's why I love seeking advice from trusted mentors who are much older than me. They love me enough to tell me the truth and they are mature enough to handle who I react.

Sometimes an outsider can see things more clearly than those who share our same experiences. That’s why in business or ministry if you are stuck in a rut you get outside consultants who can take an objective look at how things are running and give advice, systems and processes to make fixes. You do the same when you have marital issues and you go to counseling, you need a fresh perspective and someone who will not take sides. If you need to fix your golf swing, you don’t ask a friend who is par with you or worse, you pay for a coach. I think you know what I am getting at, we all need people in our lives, who are older than us, that we trust, that in invite to speak into our lives and then actually do what they say.

Rehoboam ignored the advice, and he paid the price. Watch what happens, “Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king has said, “Come back to me in three days” The king answered th people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders. He wallowed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your toke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.” So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the Lord, to fulfill the word the Lord had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat.” - God had told Jeroboam that this would happen, but he allowed it to happen from rehaboems foolishness.

Rehoboam was foolish, he didn’t listen to the elders, instead he leaned into his own pride, and wanted to rule by force not by loyalty. This very decision is what split the Nation of Israel into two parts, Israel which consisted of 10 tribes, and Judah, which was the tribe of Judah and Benjamin. And these two parts would never again be reunited until they were taken over by the Roman Empire. One decision to ignore the advice of the elders lead to catastrophic disasters and war. Ironically enough Solomon was worried about this ever thing happening when he wrote in Ecclesiastes 2:18-19 - I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. Solomon became a little bit of a bummer towards the end of his life. But this is what can happen in one generation when we refuse to reach towards each other and build walls of separation, instead of bridges of unity.

So where does that leave us today? Journey, I want us to be a church that reaches up, down and around towards one another. That's a part of reaching wider and walking deeper. Anyone who is older than a college student, you are needed in Journey Kids and Journey students, you are needed to shepherd, guide, coach, pour into the next generation. I am going to ask you to begin praying and asking God where you can serve in Journey Kids and students. That might sound daunting, but you are needed, we are contributors to the kingdom, not consumers of the kingdom. We have ministry leaders and other volunteers who will come alongside you and equip you to serve.

If you are a college student, look for someone 5-10 years ahead of you and ask them to meet with you and you can ask any questions you want. And look in kids and students for your spot to serve here on the weekends to invest into the next generation.

If you are parents of kids and students, look up, ask God to show you a couple in our church who you can ask for help in parenting and marriage. If you’re like me, parenting is 98% winning it and 2% chick-fil-a. And if you are a boomer or older, look down, who can you invest in, who can you pray for, who can you in the stage of life give your life too.

In the lobby there is a next-steps area, if you are willing to serve and ready to sign up today, you can take our your phone, open up your camera and scan the QR code which will take you to a jot form where you will fill out a little information about yourself, and the area you are interested in, and we will follow up this week. Be a kids or students coach, welcome out first time families, be involved in leading groups, come in during the week and send birthday cards so kids feel seen and known. We literally have an endless amount of places for you to take ownership and serve.

Imagine what our church would look like if we took this seriously? Imagine with me the marriages that would be stronger, imagine how much better would parent, imagine the decisions we wouldn’t make, the hurt we wouldn’t take, imagine how our kids would be on fire of Jesus, our students being disciplined by older men and women who took it seriously. Just imagine what a journey church would look like to our community, we would look like the kingdom of God here on earth.

We are a journey church, we are a church that reaches wider and walking deeper with boomers, Zoomers and everyone in between.

Pray