Go Beyond

Each of us are stewards of our own generation — essentially a narrow slice of time in which to serve God’s purpose. After that, we die and return to dust. However, what we do in our generation does not have to die with us if we will own and responsibly serve God’s purpose while we have opportunity.

In a sermon that Paul preached on his first missionary journey, he said, ”Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed.” (Acts 13:36). But, what David did in his generation impacted the course of redemptive history because he served the purpose of God.

One way in which we can impact the course of redemptive history is by investing in the next generation. By so doing we help to ensure “that the generation to come might know” (Ps. 78:6) God and understand His purpose in the world. We must therefore teach the successive generation to “put their confidence in God” and “not forget the works of God” and “keep His commandments” (Ps. 78:7).

One of the best things we do at Kingsland is to invest in ministry interns — young people who have expressed an interest in serving and learning about all-things ministry. Mentoring and encouraging those who will take the reins of ministry long after we are gone is strategic in the work of the kingdom.

I had the special privilege of having eight missions ministry interns this summer. We spent the first week and a half meeting with many of our local ministry partners throughout the greater Houston area. The purpose of these meetings was to gain greater insight into the value of strategic partnerships and understanding the importance of cooperating with others in order to reach our community for Christ.

Our interns also assembled more than fifteen-hundred of our Go Beyond Explorers Kids Club packets for our Vacation Bible School. We also did some team-building Crossfit training together － in the heat. I especially loved the upbeat and always positive attitude of each member of the team. They brought smiles to faces and blessed others wherever they served.

Five of my interns spent the month of June in Alaska. They served with GraceWorks Alaska, our partner in Anchorage. Our interns led volunteer groups from around the nation that served neighborhood kids in city parks throughout Anchorage. Many kids came to faith in Christ through this initiative.

The interns who stayed home helped with a million details of trip preparation for our student ministry mission trips that sent over four-hundred volunteers around the globe. Each of our interns was assigned leadership responsibilities on a student trip and helped shepherd our students as they served others.

All of my interns spent the balance of their time in July serving with our partners at The Hangar in Brookshire. Our missions ministry has invested much in developing this strategic ministry location that is reaching kids and families. They engaged in a variety of tasks — from cleaning bathrooms to working outdoors to serving neighborhood kids.

Today is the last day of our summer missions ministry internship. I am going to miss all of the energy, excitement, and joy that our interns generated on a daily basis. But I am so encouraged by what I have seen God do in their lives. I have received so many encouraging text messages and emails from those touched by our team.

I am proud of each of our interns and wish them the very best as they return to their respective schools in the coming days. They served well and will no doubt continue to do so as they return to their college campuses. I am confident that God will use them to reach their own generation and, long after I am gone, to invest as well in the next generation.