Outline For Building-up And Equipping The Body Of Christ

This Biblical Christianity website encourages people to know and to live, God’s Word; thus enabling us to live now as God intended for us to live, and preparing us for eternal life in God’s kingdom.

Site Navigation:This left-column outline contains links to website pages and sources pertaining to helping the Body of Christ gain the potential for which God designed it. The menu below pages down to the individual sections of this outline from which you can navigate to other web pages. There is a fourth level to some of the third level or decimal elements of this outline that is hidden, to view this level click on the (c) symbol in the outline; to hide the fourth level, double-click upon it (I found out, the last time I checked, that Mozilla's Firefox browser doesn't support this fourth level expansion feature, sorry).

Understanding and coping with todays Generational Mindsets.

The seven living generations, as gathered from the internet.

1. The GI Generation: Born 1901 – 1926. They saved the world and then built a nation. The most revered generation on the planet. The most fascinating generation on the planet. Their Depression was The Great One; their war was The Big One; their prosperity was the legendary Happy Days. Assertive and energetic doers. Humble. Honest. Excellent team players. Community-minded and patriotic.

2. The Mature Generation or Silents: Born 1927 – 1945. Came of age deferring to the more assertive G. I. Generation. Our country’s Last Innocent Generation. Went through their formative years during an era of extreme conformity, but also during the postwar happy days: Peace! Jobs! Suburbs! Television! Rock ‘n Roll! Cars! Playboy Magazine! The first hopeful drumbeats of civil rights! Its pre-feminism women were especially haunted by "what if…?". Its Organization Men pledged loyalty to the corporation. Provided the iconic leaders of the 1960’s social revolt. Many are working past normal retirement age. Excelled in the helping professions but struggled as leaders. America was a Silent-led nation from the late 1980’s to the late 2000’s.

3. The Baby Boomer Generation Born 1946–1964: Boomers are 76.5 million strong. It is the largest and most heavily chronicled generation ever. Formative years: 1956 to 1979. Age in 2015: 50 to 68.

Boomers are the adult teenagers of the 1960s and 1970s. They retain a youthful and individualistic mindset. For the Boomer generation there is a discrepancy between their mind and body. Boomers are not brand loyal.

The booming post-World War II economy fostered the notion that all things were possible, and a majority of Boomers grew up in middle class affluence with a vision of unlimited opportunity and national pride. The ability to share experience nightly through broadcast television forged a nationally shared cultural experience; and over time the powerful new medium shocked the nation by bringing race riots and the Vietnam War into the family room. This is a generation driven by self-fulfillment, which fed both the sexual revolution of the 1960s and the higher divorce rates then – and once again, now that they are empty nesters. Yet Boomers, driven to compete with 76 million peers in the workplace, were not entirely self-indulgent. They came to define themselves by their work and created the 60-hour work week for white collar jobs, something unheard of before Boomers.

4. Generation-X This generation of 46 million that were born 1965–1976 is sandwiched between Baby Boomers and Echo Boomers. They are the most diverse and multi-ethnic generation to date. This generation is strongly independent, resilient, self-reliant, individualistic, creative and has great adaptability.

Raised with television, radio and personal computers, they are the most entrepreneurial and tech savvy generation in American history. Gen-Xer’s do not want to spend a lot of time with your advertising. They want to get it right away or move on to the next thing.

In the 1970s, America’s established institutions were looking threadbare. America’s global economic primacy eroded, and the employer-employee compact of trust and loyalty collapsed. The country was demoralized by Vietnam and Watergate. Stagflation created a spirit of malaise. Even when the economy rebounded in the 1980s, Gen Xers saw their parents’ jobs and careers "restructured" away. It was also an era of social breakdown: soaring divorce rates leading to latch-key kids, rising crime and unwed births reflecting inner city decay. But the personal computer heralded the emergence of the New Economy, while the fall of the "evil empire" opened up world markets to globalization. Gen Xers grew up to be self-reliant, self-sufficient and skeptical. They don’t trust in the permanence of things. In the workplace, they are independent and don’t respond well to micro-management.

5. The Echo Boomer (Generation-Y) Born 1977–1994, they are 72 million strong: Echo Boomers were raised by their parents to be seen, heard and featured. They feel special as they were always told this growing up. This is the first global generation.

Technology and being connected has always been a major part of their lives. They grew up with the Internet and it is their source for news, information and entertainment. It is a generation highly adaptable to change and capable of processing information quickly. They are good multi-taskers. They do not respond to traditional marketing methods. Eighty percent of 20–30-year-olds use text messaging daily. Text messaging is much more effective in reaching this generation than emails.

6. Millennials 81 million born: 1983-2001 Present Age in 2014: 13 to 31:

Raised by doting parents and awarded praise and trophies just for showing up, the Millennials suffer from no lack of self-esteem. Coming of age during the Great Recession will leave a lasting imprint on their views of money, company loyalty and planning. Enjoying a prolonged adolescence — adult Millennials are famous for living at home — they remain largely untested. Still, the generation shows promise. Technologically dependent, Millennials are hyper-connected through mobile phones, instant messaging and texting. The Internet is second nature. Furthermore, as social libertarians in their outlook, they are comfortable with diversity in race, culture and sexual orientation. Millennials are joiners: Early signs suggest they may engender a renaissance in civic participation and the rebuilding of social capital.

7. Generation Z / "Post-Millennials"/ "The I-Generation" Born: 1995 to 2012 Coming of Age: 2013-2020; age in 2004: 0-9; current Population: 23 million and growing rapidly.

While we don’t know much about Gen Z yet…we know a lot about the environment they are growing up in. This highly diverse environment will make the grade schools of the next generation the most diverse ever. Higher levels of technology will make significant inroads in academics allowing for customized instruction, data mining of student histories to enable pinpoint diagnostics and remediation or accelerated achievement opportunities.

Gen Z kids will grow up with a highly sophisticated media and computer environment and will be more Internet savvy and expert than their Gen Y forerunners. More to come on Gen Z…stay tuned.

End of internet quotes.

How are we to understand and work with these generations of people?

With each individual and each generation their mind-set will depend upon what they are taught and then learn through experience, and largely that depends upon how well they know what God has revealed to us in His Word. Without a firm and correct knowledge of God’s Word, one cannot know the truth for sure, and will end up using and relying upon the wisdom of the world that God calls foolishness (1 Cor. 1:18-25; 1 Cor. 2:9-16; 1 Cor. 3:1-4; 1 Cor. 3:18-20).

God has told us in His Word not to be conformed to this world and its foolishness (Rom. 12:2), which is well illustrated in the seven living generations above. Those who conform their lives to God’s Word will know God’s peace and blessedness; those who contrary to God’s instructions, conform their lives to this world’s foolish way of thinking above will suffer the consequences of their ignorance or disobedience. Thus, those who are born-again believers and are learning to live God’s way are going to the right, but those who are learning to live according to this world’s wisdom are going the opposite way or to the left. We are now so far apart that it makes working and living together almost impossible, and that’s why Christians are finding increasing opposition and even persecution.

While it is true that world conditions do have an influencing and shaping effect upon each individual, so does the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. So we should not evaluate or consider all people in these age-groups according to the world’s estimates and opinions. One is tremendously advantaged to grow up in a godly home where they are introduced to God and his Word and encouraged to grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior through Bible reading and prayer. As we grow up in Christ we should be learning to rely more and more upon God, His Word and the Holy Spirit and less upon even, godly men. To the degree that one has neglected this procedure or process they well be conformed to this world instead of Christ, and become more and more difficult to reach for correction and to convince of the importance of growing spiritually in the manner described! This will leave Christians in a carnal condition and proportionately and increasingly susceptible to all kinds of deception.

Satan uses the attractive things of this world to spread his lies about God and His Word, and thus to gradually draw people away from relying upon God in the manner we just considered, this is sometimes very subtle and done without them even realizing it. But daily prayer and Bible reading will give us tremendous help in overcoming Satan’s destructive influences, for God has said; "For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, [inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed one), being in readiness to punish every [insubordinate for his] disobedience, when your own submission and obedience [as a church] are fully secured and complete" (2 Cor. 10:3-6).

Those who have not had the advantage of growing up in a godly home are at a great disadvantage because this world has absolutely nothing else to offer that can possibly bring us into a right relationship with God; for Jesus said, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me (John 14:6)."

If we desire to associate with nonbelievers or carnal believers in an attempt to bring them to Christ or build them up in Christ or bring correction, we should carefully consider the following portions of Scriptures:

1 Cor. 9:19-23…. For although I am free in every way from anyone's control, I have made myself a bond servant to everyone, so that I might gain the more [for Christ]. To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to men under the Law, [I became] as one under the Law, though not myself being under the Law, that I might win those under the Law. To those without (outside) law I became as one without law, not that I am without the law of God and lawless toward Him, but that I am [especially keeping] within and committed to the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law.

In the above paragraph Paul is working with the Jews in particular who believe in God and the Old Testament, but most nonbelievers that we meet today don’t believe in God or believe some false religion. So what we need to examine more closely is the paragraph below.

²²To the weak (wanting in discernment) I have become weak (wanting in discernment) that I might win the weak and over scrupulous. I have [in short] become all things to all men, that I might by all means (at all costs and in any and every way) save some [by winning them to faith in Jesus Christ]. And I do this for the sake of the good news (the Gospel), in order that I may become a participator in it and share in its [blessings along with you].

The above paragraph seems to indicate that Paul approached and worked with people at their own level, not as someone with superior knowledge and ability. This does not suggest that he joined in with any of their foolishness or took up their practices.

Gal 6:1-5…. Brethren, If any person is overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort, you who are spiritual [who are responsive to and controlled by the Spirit] should set him right and restore and reinstate him, without any sense of superiority and with all gentleness, keeping an attentive eye on yourself, lest you should be tempted also. Bear (endure, carry) one another's burdens and troublesome moral faults, and in this way fulfill and observe perfectly the law of Christ (the Messiah) and complete what is lacking [in your obedience to it]. For if any person thinks himself to be somebody [too important to condescend to shoulder another's load] when he is nobody [of superiority except in his own estimation], he deceives and deludes and cheats himself. But let every person carefully scrutinize and examine and test his own conduct and his own work. He can then have the personal satisfaction and joy of doing something commendable [in itself alone] without [resorting to] boastful comparison with his neighbor. For every person will have to bear (be equal to understanding and calmly receive) his own [little] load [of oppressive faults].

The first thing we need to consider is our own spiritual condition, are we truly a spiritual Christian and capable of giving good instruction, or are we a carnal Christian as Paul declares the Corinthians to be (1 Cor. 3:12-4:4)? And the second thing is that if we are not careful, when we attempt to minister to a wayward individual, we ourselves can be lead astray by the deceitfulness of the pleasures of this world.

The most important consideration is of course, is this something that God wants me to do? For God also tells us; "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers [do not make mismated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and Belial [the devil]? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? What agreement [can there be between] a temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in and with and among them and will walk in and with and among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. [Ex. 25:8; 29:45; Lev. 26:12; Jer. 31:1; Ezek. 37:27.] So, come out from among [unbelievers], and separate (sever) yourselves from them, says the Lord, and touch not [any] unclean thing then I will receive you kindly and treat you with favor, [Isa. 52:11.] and I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." (2 Cor. 6:14-18)

So there is a limit to how much we can "become all things to all men" as Paul mentions above, and we will surely need guidance from the Lord in doing so. I think that what we have considered so-far indicates that in an attempt to minister to these diverse generational mindsets we should not try to attract them by conforming to their lifestyle or desires, but will need a strong Biblical presentation to point out that only God’s Word has the whole truth that can liberate us from the snares of the devil and set us free; "So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples. And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free (John 8:31-32)." We have got to restore confidence in God’s Word in the people, not appease them -- this is what we have tried to do in this section.

Matthew 4:4…. But He replied, It has been written, Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.