I had the distinct privilege last week of meeting a pastor from Mongolia. This man is a pioneer Christian leader and is responsible for training young Christians who will shape the future identity of Christianity in their country. The Gospel is new in Mongolia. According to this pastor, as recently as 1998, there were only a handful of Christians in the entire country. Today, the are an estimated 400,000 Christians.
The Christian church is only one generation old in Mongolia.
The opportunities are significant because the people are hungry for God. Their hearts are pure. They have not been corrupted by familiarity.
I encouraged this pastor to fight hard to keep the people pure. We discussed the difficulties that will be faced by future generations. There is a tendency for people to drift from God. Each generation removed from an initial experience with God suffers lukewarmness. I talked to this new friend about the spiritual lethargy in America and how they can avoid this problem in Mongolia.
Every generation needs its own encounter with Christ. There is no such thing as hand-me-down faith. I explained to this humble pastor, the American phrase, “God has no grandchildren.” In other words, today’s generation must cultivate a personal relationship with God distinct from their parents’ relationships with God.
In America, we have a glut of the Gospel. Most everyone has seen and heard. Hearts are hardened.
We need a first generation experience with the Spirit of God.
Thoughts on Life and Leading 