This weekend we hosted Student Takeover at Liquid Church, where we learned that the bravery found in Generation Z will take them one step closer to changing the world. But how? Every student is just one caring adult away from unleashing their God-given potential.

You see, we live in such a complex time that most adults instinctively want to protect the next generation from its dangers. But, we need to shift our perspective and realize that God has placed an explosive power and potential in Gen Z that has the ability to impact our world for the glory of Christ. That means the next generation needs to be unleashed upon the world - not shielded from it.

THE EXAMPLE OF MOSES AND JOSHUA

The idea of leaders helping unlock the God-given potential in the next generation is not new. In fact, we can look back to the Old Testament to find the story of how Moses helped Joshua unlock his potential. See, Joshua was a mighty warrior and a servant of Moses. When Moses died, God was preparing to use Joshua in an amazing way. God had freed his people from slavery in Egypt through Moses' leadership, and God promised them a new home called The Promised Land. But Moses' generation wandered for 40 years in the desert, never crossing the threshold of the Jordan River into God's promised land. So, Moses passed the baton to Joshua to go further than he and to do greater things for God's people.

In Joshua 1:6-9 Moses tells Joshua over and over again to "Be strong and courageous" in the face of the leadership task before him. Likewise, Gen Z is the "Joshua" generation of our day - and every student truly is just one caring adult away from their God-given potential. As the Church, we get to be those adults who bravely help empower the next generation to be brave themselves and unleash their gifting.

HOW TO BE BRAVE

The good news is, the bravery we need to unleash the next generation doesn't come from our own ability. Rather, that bravery comes from the knowledge of God's promises. In the example of Moses and Joshua, God had promised to give His people a new land - The Promised Land. In Joshua chapter 1, God doesn't just tell His people to be brave and then leaves them to go do it. Rather, in verse 7 God tells Joshua, "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go."

In this verse, God called Joshua to follow Him with brave obedience - and he would be successful in his God-given endeavor. Today, when we follow God's direction, we can impact someone's destiny. So, be brave, remembering that God is with you. God will never leave you. Remember how Jesus bravely and obediently faced death on a Cross and rose again so we can be in relationship with Him. As God's Church, we have a baton to pass - and we can start now by investing in the next generation of leaders, to help them unleash their God-given potential.

NEXT STEPS

To learn how you can take steps to invest in the next generation, visit LiquidChurch.com/Student.