I'm sure you know the running joke about fishermen exaggerating the size of their catch. But in 1959, Alfred Dean didn’t need to exaggerate when he caught a 2,664-pound great white shark in Australia, the largest fish ever caught in history. The Bible tells us about an even more unbelievable story, but in reverse—the story of a fish that caught a man. Jonah’s encounter with the great fish would make worldwide news today, but here’s what might surprise you: The fish story isn’t really the point. The book of Jonah is actually the missionary book of the Old Testament, revealing that God has a missionary heart and every Christian is called to be on mission. I like how John Stott said, “We profess to believe in God? He’s a missionary God. We’re committed to Christ? He’s a missionary Christ.” The truth that applies to us today is simple: We all are called. Every Christian has a mission to perform, a message to proclaim, a ministry to promote, and a Master to praise.

At the Alamo, legend tells us, Commander William Travis drew a line in the dirt, asking his men to choose their fate—cross the line and face certain death fighting for Texas, or leave and surrender. All but one crossed that line, choosing sacrifice over surrender. Like those brave men, we face crucial choices every day. The average person makes 773,618 decisions over a lifetime and regrets 143,262 of them. While some decisions are trivial, others shape our eternal destiny. After weeks of discussing generational discipleship—teaching God’s truth, modeling godly living, and stewarding opportunities—we now arrive at decision day. Just as Joshua drew his own line in the sand before the people of Israel, saying, “...choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15, NIV), we, too, must decide which side of the line our families will stand on.

According to Harvard Business School, any company that offers a product or service is in the business of solving problems. That’s not just true about companies; it’s true about churches. And we’re facing a massive problem in the church today: We're losing the next generation. Studies project that 35 million youths raised in Christian families will stop following Jesus by 2050, which would be the largest and fastest shift in religious association in American history. Before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, Moses gathered them all together and spoke these words—words that we must also impart to our children—to ensure they would maintain God’s favor: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, NIV). Every day, in every way, our generation must point the next generation to God.