I’ve wondered lately how life will be different when the next generation is in charge. My main concern is that we have prepared them for the challenges that lie ahead.

Have we adequately taught them to live with a Biblical worldview? Have we taught them to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints”? (Jude 3) Have we modeled what it means to have a daily dynamic walk with the Lord?

If we are not diligent, we will find ourselves living in “post-Joshua” times. Joshua and Caleb were the only two of their generation to enter the Promised Land. The generation who subdued the land, however, eventually died out, and their succeeding generation is the one I call post-Joshua.

 That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works he had done for Israel. – Judges 2:10

Will the generation that follows us no little or nothing about the Lord or what He has done for us? I wrote in an earlier blog of my conviction about the need to pass the baton of the faith to others in the next generation. We must intentionally invest in the next generation or they will become a post-Joshua generation.

What Does a Post-Joshua Generation Look Like?

The verse in the book of Judges ascribes two attributes to the post-Joshua generation.

1. They did not know the Lord.

The generation who settled the Promised Land failed to teach their children and grandchildren the truth about God. They failed to model what it meant to live in covenant with God. Therefore, the post-Joshua generation had no concept of who God was.

2. They did not know what God had done for them.

The settling generation stopped telling the story of the Exodus, the Wandering, the Manna, and the disobedient acts. Somewhere along the way, they quit giving testimony to the miraculous works of God. They quit telling the story of Rahab and Jericho, Ai, and Gilgal.

Perhaps they stopped seeing the hand of God and thought they were responsible for their own victory. Possibly, they settled for the mediocrity that their self-effort could sustain and stopped experiencing God’s miraculous power.

Whatever the reasons, the conquering generation failed to pass the faith along to the post-Joshua generation.

How Can We Avoid a Post-Joshua Generation?

One thing is abundantly clear: avoiding a post-Joshua generation will require intentionality on our part. Left alone, the human heart and mind drift away from God. Such is the default setting in the fallen, human nature. We must make a consistent and intentional effort to pass the faith along to the next generation.

1. The Message.

Right now, before the next generation gets any older, we must teach the truth of God’s Word. No longer can our Bibles sit idle on the bedside table.

We must read God’s Word and learn what is there. We cannot teach what we do not know; nor can we lead where we will not go.

My generation may be the most biblically illiterate one in centuries. We simply don’t know what is in the Bible because we do not read it systematically.

2. The Testimony.

When was the last time you told a younger person a story about how God miraculously provided for you? Do your children know when and how you became a Jesus follower?

Your life should be an ongoing, growing tale of the adventures of God at work in you. When you tell your story, you demonstrate both the truthfulness and practicality of God’s Word.

3. The Model.

Real-time online living of your faith teaches more effectively than declaring truth and telling stories of the past. The next generation will learn more from what they see than what they hear. Both are important, but a daily life consistent with its message and its testimony is more effective than words alone.

Does the next generation see you taking your faith seriously? Do they see how your relationship with Jesus drives your family relationships, your job performance, and your priority choices?

By the grace of God, I want Him to use me to prepare the next generation to stand for Him. If the next generation turns out post-Joshua, may it not be because I was silent.