I read D.A. Carson’s daily comments this morning in For the Love of God. Today’s entry is about God’s stunning appearance in the form of fire when Elijah and the prophets of Baal face off on Mount Carmel. It’s an incredible story which reminds us once again that God is present, active, and jealous that his name be glorified in all the earth.

There was one sentence that particularly stuck with me:

“…the church is never more than a generation or two from extinction.”

Read that again, slowly. This frightening reality is as true for us as it was for the Israelites. This is why I feel such urgency that we learn “functional godliness” in five15. This is why parents feel such urgency to raise their teens to see the holiness of God, the sinfulness of sin and the grace of the gospel.

If the church is never more than a generation from extinction, then we must work to be sure that God is glorified in our individual lives. We must each “live not for ourselves, but for him.” Teens, ask your parents today what you can do to “live for him” today, and the next, and the next, so that the church doesn’t become extinct in your generation.

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