Reaching The Next Generation | Pastor Matt Hoole

Devotional

Day 1: Planting Hedges in the Formative Years

Daniel’s early years under King Josiah’s revival shaped his unshakable faith. Just as hedges guide a path, intentional discipleship in childhood creates boundaries that keep young hearts aligned with God. Those first twelve years of Daniel’s life in a spiritually awakened nation prepared him to withstand Babylon’s pressures. Parents and churches must prioritize planting truth early, before culture claims their attention. Every lesson, prayer, and Scripture shared becomes a seed that anchors identity in Christ. [09:35]

But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. (Daniel 1:8, NIV)

Reflection: What intentional habits or routines are you establishing now to plant spiritual “hedges” in your child’s life? How can you partner with others to reinforce these boundaries?

Day 2: Raising Daniels in Babylon’s Playground

Today’s youth face a culture intent on redefining truth, much like Daniel’s Babylon. Algorithms, peers, and media compete to shape their identity. The church must create countercultural spaces where young people encounter God’s presence and purpose. Just as Daniel’s training program became his mission field, our classrooms and youth groups can be labs for courageous faith. [04:17]

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6, ESV)

Reflection: Which cultural influence most concerns you in your child’s world? How can you turn that challenge into a conversation about God’s truth?

Day 3: The Battle for the Dinner Table

Daniel’s refusal to eat the king’s food wasn’t about picky eating—it was a declaration of allegiance. Modern families face daily battles over screens, schedules, and priorities. Saying “no” to good things creates space to say “yes” to eternal ones. Every choice—like Daniel’s ten-day veggie trial—becomes a test of who shapes our appetites. [07:42]

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31, ESV)

Reflection: What seemingly neutral habit in your home might need reevaluation? How could a small, consistent “no” create room for a bigger “yes” to God?

Day 4: When the Church Becomes Family

Daniel thrived because he belonged to a community that prayed, prophesied, and persevered together. The church’s role isn’t to replace parents but to reinforce their efforts through intergenerational support. Like Josiah’s revival impacting young Daniel, a united church family creates momentum no single family can sustain alone. [23:15]

Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. (Psalm 92:13, ESV)

Reflection: Which older believer could you invite to intentionally pray for or mentor your child? How might you become that person for someone else’s family?

Day 5: Curling Fingers Into a Fist

Lucy’s “five fingers” cartoon illustrates the church’s power when unified. Middle school ministries, renovated spaces, and parenting classes mean little without willing hands. Every volunteer who leads games, prays over babies, or serves snacks becomes part of the hedge-guiding young souls. The battle for Gen Z requires every generation to lock arms. [25:16]

And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above, and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. (Daniel 12:3, ESV)

Reflection: What specific skill, passion, or hour per week could you offer to strengthen the church’s reach to the next generation? What’s stopping you from starting today?

Sermon Summary

God thinks generationally. He names himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and he tells Jeremiah that he knew him before he was formed. So Gen Z and Gen Alpha are not an accident in history. They are loved by God, known by God, and sent into a hard hour with a holy assignment. Romans 10 presses the urgency: how will they believe unless they hear, and how will they hear unless someone tells them? The mission sits in plain sight.

Daniel embodies the point. Babylon tries to rewrite truth, rename identity, retrain appetites, and reroute worship. Daniel “resolved not to defile himself,” risking status and even life, and God honors a ten–day test that turns into a long obedience. Yet that courage did not appear out of thin air. Under Josiah’s revival, Daniel’s first twelve years were planted in Scripture and worship. Proverbs 22’s picture of “training” as hedges explains the roots: hedges form a pathway. God got there first. In the race to the heart of the next generation, the first one there wins.

So the call is clear: get there first. First to the heart. A church and home must plant better hedges than the algorithm, the feed, and the friend group. Pathways, milestones, and environments become seeds that lodge early and grow strong. Prioritizing gathered worship matters, because “if church is optional, Jesus becomes unnecessary” in a child’s expectations of life. Space, staffing, and scheduling are not bells and whistles. They are ways of getting to the heart early and often.

Then get to the home. Parents are the primary disciplers. A strong family on one side and a strong church family on the other form the two hedges that keep a child on the path. Classes, coaching, and community are not busywork. They are reinforcements for late–night questions, conflicted consciences, and daily practices that shape a soul.

Finally, get to the battle. This is not a playground but a battleground. Psalm 92 promises that those planted in the house flourish, so planting becomes a strategy, not a slogan. Prayer and partnership must lock hands until the church becomes, in Lucy’s words, “a weapon that is terrible to behold.” Daniel 12 lifts the horizon: those who put others on the right path “will glow like stars forever.” That future belongs to those who say yes now, show up, and sow into the hedge that keeps a generation walking with God.

Key Takeaways

1. Get to the heart first Early discipleship beats cultural drift. Daniel stood in Babylon because his heart was already formed under Josiah’s revival. The algorithm, music, and peers are always planting a hedge, so intentional pathways must plant better, earlier seeds. Environments, rhythms, and Scripture must reach a child before pressure does. [12:54]
2. Train hedges that hold Proverbs 22 pictures training as hedges that shape a path. Habits hem a life in long before choices feel high–stakes. “God got there first” becomes a strategy: saturate early years with Scripture, worship, and wise voices so conviction has memory. Early formation makes later courage feel natural. [10:57]
3. Plant in God’s house to flourish Psalm 92 ties flourishing to being planted, not merely potted. Stability in a local church multiplies voices who pray, correct, and cheer when parents are tired. A planted life gathers roots in community, not just leaves from content. Over time, roots beat storms. [22:36]
4. Fight the battle together Raising kids is warfare, not convenience management. Prayer matters, but partnership puts muscle on prayer, turning a crowd into a coordinated front. When a church locks hands, it becomes “a weapon that is terrible to behold,” and the gates of hell cannot organize against it. Show up, link arms, and carry the load. [25:41]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:28] - Vision: Kids and Young Families
[01:35] - God Thinks Generationally
[03:11] - Mandate to Reach Gen Z/Alpha
[03:56] - Daniel’s World Mirrors Today
[06:11] - Babylon’s Strategy and Daniel’s Resolve
[08:28] - What Keeps Youth Faithful
[10:57] - Training as Hedges, God Got There First
[12:22] - Get There First: The Race to the Heart
[12:54] - Strategy 1: Get to the Heart
[19:26] - Strategy 2: Get to the Home
[21:56] - Strategy 3: Get to the Battle
[25:41] - A United Church as a Weapon
[30:49] - Call to Christ and Closing Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Daniel 1:8 (ESV)
"But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore, he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself."

Proverbs 22:6 (ESV)
"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."

Psalm 92:13 (ESV)
"They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God."

Observation Questions

What specific action did Daniel take to remain faithful to God in Babylon, and what risks did he face? (Daniel 1:8)
How does Proverbs 22:6 use the metaphor of "training" as a pathway shaped by hedges?
What does Psalm 92:13 promise to those who are "planted in the house of the Lord"?
According to the sermon, what cultural forces are actively shaping young people’s hearts today? [13:44]

Interpretation Questions

Why was Daniel’s early upbringing under King Josiah’s revival critical to his later courage in Babylon?
How does the idea of "hedges" in Proverbs 22:6 apply to both intentional discipleship and cultural influences?
What does it mean for a family and church to act as "two hedges" guiding a child’s spiritual path? [21:32]
Why is partnership (not just prayer) essential in the battle for the next generation’s faith? [24:12]

Application Questions

What intentional practices (e.g., Scripture reading, worship, conversations) are you using to disciple the young people in your life? How could you strengthen these "hedges"?
If "church optional" leads to "Jesus unnecessary" for kids, what changes might your family need to make in prioritizing gathered worship? [16:46]
How can you personally help create environments (e.g., small groups, serving teams) where young people feel rooted in God’s truth and community?
What specific step could you take this month to partner with others in praying for or mentoring the next generation? [24:36]
Are there areas where cultural "algorithm hedges" (social media, peers) are influencing your family more than intentional spiritual habits? How can you replace those influences?
What does it look like to view parenting or mentoring as a "battleground" rather than a "playground"? What practical adjustments would this perspective require? [21:56]

Sermon Clips

34s

“``No power in hell can stop a church that's doing this. It comes together, a unit, a united front against the enemy and every assault, against every other path. No force in hell can stand against it. It's it's a it's a weapon that is terrible to behold. Amen? And God's called us to partner together for the next generation. If we're gonna get there first, it's gonna take not one, not two. It's gonna take all of us working together. Amen?”

31s

“If you treat church as optional, don't be surprised when your kids treat Jesus as unnecessary. on, pastor. It's true. I grew up in a house. We did not have an option, guys. Never had an option. I had to go to church. There was never like, hey, I don't feel like going today. It's like, no. Get your butt out of bed and go to church. Like I said, we didn't we didn't do that at all. And so I'm gonna I'm gonna encourage you. Get your kids in the places that are gonna plant seeds in that hedge.”

30s

“Eight years old. And for whatever reason, Josiah has a heart for God. At a young age, he he he says, you know what? We as a nation need to begin following God again. We're not being faithful. They don't know he's like, idol like, all this pagan idolatry happening in the nation, all these things. He finds the the book of the law in the temple, and he realizes, man, we are not following God's law. We have to turn back to God. Over the next several decades, the nation will have a spiritual awakening.”

41s

“want you to shine brilliantly. I want you to glow like stars forever, and if you're gonna do that, Daniel says, not me, but Daniel says, you gotta help set people on the right path. And some of you are called to be one of those people who will plant seeds in the hedge of a child in our church. You will lead them in a small group. You will lead a devotional. You will be part of a game or whatever it is. But you're gonna be planting seeds all along the way that will keep that child on the right path. God's calling some of you.”

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