Passing the Baton: Running the Relay of Faith

Introduction

Pastor opens by honoring students who led worship, remembering his own first preaching opportunity.
Announces “Christmas at the Movies” (Nov 29–30) designed for evangelism.
Sets tone: Today’s shorter message focuses on what will matter when believers are “hugging Jesus”—handing down the faith.

Hebrews 12:1–2 links believers to the “great cloud of witnesses” (Heb 11).
Analogy progression:
- Sprint = initial zeal (energy fades).
- Marathon = long-term rhythms (helpful but incomplete).
- Relay = success hinges on the baton pass.
Olympic 4×100 illustration (Tokyo 2021): U.S. team lost despite fastest runners; failure occurred in the exchange zone.
Spiritual exchange zone: the unbroken transfer of the gospel from the apostles to today’s church.

Cultural narrative labels Gen Z/Millennials as lazy, purposeless; Scripture and history disagree.
Ordinary vs. Extraordinary operations of the Spirit: periods when God does more in minutes than humans in decades (revival).
Survey of U.S. Great Awakenings:
1. First (1730s–40s) – Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield.
2. Second (1790–1850) – Charles Finney, Father Nash.
3. Third (1900–10) – D. L. Moody, Azusa Street.
4. Fourth (late 1960s–70s) – Billy Graham, Chuck Smith, Jesus Movement.
Pattern: roughly 50-year intervals; timeline points to potential new move (≈ 2025).
Current indicators: Bible sales +42 %, Christian app downloads +80 %, worship streams +50 %, Gen Z/Millennials now largest church-attending block.
Historical fact: every awakening was sparked by leaders in their teens, 20s, or early 30s.
Call: Consecrate these years; trade drinking, gaming, and scrolling for gospel mission; ask, “What would I attempt if I knew God was in it?”

Judges 2:7–10—tragic failure when one generation doesn’t pass on what it has “seen.”
Gospel is always one generation from extinction; complacency is dangerous even in seasons of growth.
Biblical model of multigenerational transfer: Abraham → Isaac → Jacob.
- Abraham: first believer in family, a “blessed mess,” but changed the family tree.
- Isaac: did “a little better”—one wife, prayed, trusted God.
- Jacob: walked intimately with God; father of the 12 tribes.
- Principle: each generation’s ceiling becomes the next generation’s floor.
Societal commentary: culture dismantles fatherhood and expects government to fill the gap; church must raise strong spiritual mothers and fathers.
Pastor’s testimony:
- Grandfather Jerry—saved late, first college graduate at 50, small-church pastor.
- Father Rick—encourager, seminary-trained, church planter.
- Josh—beneficiary of 80 years of accumulated ministry experience at 35, now leading Lake Pointe.
- Illustration of baton successfully passed.

God sovereignly places believers in a particular time with specific gifts to advance His kingdom.
Faith transmission is the central task of the church; revival often ignites through consecrated young adults supported by faithful elders.
Spiritual legacy requires intentionality; without it, an entire generation can “arise who do not know the Lord.”
When the baton is rightly passed, God multiplies impact—each generation stands on the shoulders of the previous one.

For the Under-35s:

Set holy rhythms: Scripture intake, confession, community, weekly worship.
Dream Kingdom dreams—career, finances, and relationships aimed at gospel expansion.
Pursue mentorship; step into leadership opportunities now.

For the 35-Plus:

Pray daily for specific students, children, and young adults by name.
Model faithfulness: marriage, integrity, service, generosity.
Actively mentor—open homes, share testimonies, teach skills, finance mission trips, fund next-gen ministries.
Guard against complacency; celebrate growth yet press forward for future souls.

The church stands in the “exchange zone” of history.
Older believers: “Run through the line” and extend the baton with clarity and encouragement.
Younger believers: Grip the baton with faith and sprint into God’s purposes, believing another awakening is imminent.
Congregation invited to commit—each group to its charge—for the glory of Christ and the salvation of those yet to come.