God calls His people to live with vision, making decisions today that will impact those who come after us. Our faithfulness now is not just for our own benefit, but so that generations not yet born may come to know and praise the Lord. When we invest in what God is doing, we are sowing seeds that will bear fruit long after we are gone. Let your heart be stirred to think beyond the present, trusting that your obedience and worship can shape the spiritual landscape for those who will follow. [01:06]
Psalm 102:18 (NIV)
“Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord.”
Reflection: What is one step you can take this week to invest in the spiritual future of the next generation—whether in your family, church, or community?
Jesus teaches that new seasons require new structures and a willingness to be stretched. Just as new wine needs a renewed wineskin, God desires to pour out fresh anointing and vision, but it requires us to be flexible, open, and ready for change. Holding onto old patterns or resisting the stretching process can cause us to miss what God wants to do now. Ask God to soften your heart and prepare you for the new things He is doing, so you can be a vessel for His purposes in this season. [07:36]
Matthew 9:16-17 (NIV)
“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
Reflection: Where do you sense God inviting you to be more flexible or open to change so He can do something new in and through you?
God often meets needs and solves problems through the people He has already placed in His church. When challenges arise, the solution is not always something or someone from outside, but rather the gifts, callings, and willingness of those already present. Each person is an answer to someone’s prayer, and God wants to ignite His people to serve, adapt, and step into new roles as needs emerge. Be attentive to the needs around you and consider how God might be calling you to be part of the answer. [11:20]
Acts 6:1-7 (NIV)
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
Reflection: What need or problem do you see in your church or community, and how might God be prompting you to be part of the solution?
God’s people are called to actively seek the welfare of their city, not just for their own benefit but as a witness to God’s love and care. By engaging in practical acts of service, building partnerships, and praying for the city’s prosperity, the church becomes a beacon of hope and transformation. When the city flourishes, so do its people, and God is glorified through the unity and compassion of His people. [44:02]
Jeremiah 29:7 (NIV)
“Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
Reflection: What is one tangible way you can serve or pray for your city this week to help it flourish?
True unity in the church is not about sameness, but about being joined together in purpose while celebrating diverse gifts and callings. God delights in the variety of His people, and when we synchronize our efforts—each bringing our unique strengths—we become a powerful force for His mission in the world. The church is not just an institution with a mission; it is the very means by which God’s mission is accomplished. Let us value one another, work together, and move forward in unity for the sake of the gospel. [16:15]
John 17:20-23 (NIV)
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
Reflection: Who in your church or community has a different gift or calling than you, and how can you intentionally encourage or partner with them this week for God’s greater purpose?
For all to know Jesus and to follow Him fully—this is the heartbeat and purpose that drives everything forward. When people encounter the real Jesus, not a cultural or historical caricature, but the Jesus of Scripture, their lives are transformed. This vision is not just for today, but for generations yet to come, as Psalm 102:18 reminds us: what we do now is meant to echo into the future, so that those not yet born may praise the Lord.
God is stirring a hunger in the next generation. Stories abound of young people going to great lengths to be part of the church, starting Bible studies, and seeking truth that is grounded and eternal. The landscape around us is changing rapidly, and the church must not become a stagnant institution, but remain a living, flexible movement. Like the river that moved and left a bridge stranded, we must be willing to move with the Spirit, not just maintain old structures. Jesus’ teaching about new wine and new wineskins calls us to be stretched, to receive fresh oil, and to be ready for what God wants to pour out in this season.
The early church grew not by avoiding problems, but by facing them head-on, reorganizing, and empowering people within the community to meet new needs. The answer is always in the house—God uses ordinary people to meet extraordinary needs. Flexibility, unity, and a willingness to be stretched are essential. True unity is not sameness, but a beautiful diversity of gifts and callings, all synchronized around a common purpose.
The church is not just a place with a mission; the mission has a church. We are called not just to realize our potential, but to walk in our unique calling as a community. Stories of transformation, service, and radical life change are the fruit of this calling. As we look to the future, several key initiatives are being launched: a citywide campaign to serve families with special needs, a renewed commitment to city partnership through graffiti abatement, a new college to raise up leaders, and a continued focus on reaching the lost through large-scale events like Easter at the fairgrounds.
Everyone is invited to participate—not out of pressure, but out of a shared vision to see God’s kingdom come in our city and beyond. Every act of generosity, every step of faith, every willingness to be stretched is part of the legacy we are building for generations to come.
Psalm 102:18 (ESV) — Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.
Matthew 9:16-17 (ESV) — “No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”
Acts 6:1-7 (ESV) — Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
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