New Generation Church? Or the First Generation Church?

One Malayalam fortnightly had interviewed my father, a respected servant of GOD, about a year and a half back. After all the questions about dad’s history and ministry that were asked, came what I think was the final question from the interviewer, “Pastor, what do you think about today’s new generation churches and its popularity?”

My dad’s answer was something along these lines: “I don’t agree with the term ‘New generation’ in the first place. Churches always were one. But if you give it that name that because of the worship services that you see today, I see nothing wrong. Music and dance were always a part of worship right from the Old Testament times. We cannot force our youngsters to worship in the same way we do.”

Almost two years have passed; the interview is yet to get featured. My dad, as if prophetic, said the moment they left, “They haven’t liked what I told them about their question on new generation church. I won’t be surprised if they don’t cover it!” I didn’t quite fathom what the fuss was all about. And, I still can’t! Never knew ‘New Generation Church’ would be an accusation! Here are some of the thoughts and observations that I shared with my friends about the church today. One of the striking things that came out was ‘Love’ or the absence of it in our congregations today…

• Knowledgeable and ‘wise’ believers cannot build the churches today. Lovable and Loving brethren will… (Read I Corinthians 8:1)
• It’s an age when saying, “I love you” to another brethren raises eyebrows. It’s an age where hugging another brother makes people cringe in doubt. It’s an age where walking hand-in-hand and hand-on-shoulder with another brother makes people look at us twice. What then is the remedy? Either we stop doing all of the above
  Or Do it so frequently that it becomes common and ‘normal behaviour’. Why don’t we start with or church. After all, the world is supposed to (and will?) follow us. Let the normal behaviour of GOD be replicated in our churches and lives. 
• “Greet all your brethren with a holy kiss.” – wonder when this became a ‘commandment’ to be followed strictly immediately after the LORD’s Supper… Judas betrayed the SON OF MAN with a kiss before crucification. We do it after remembering HIS death on the cross!

I guess there’s no better way to sign off than by this last part:

 

Our brethren may christen a powerful (and unusual) movement of the HOLY SPIRIT in us youngsters as a ‘New Generation church of today’s Y-generation’. It’s anything but ‘new’. It’s a ‘First generation church of a ‘Y-not generation’! Why ask ‘Why’ about a work of the Holy Spirit? Why not ask ‘Why not’?