MARTY GABLER—Destiny And Identity—Often musings are vocalized as to the deep, mystical reason there are “so few young people in our churches.” Yet, in all honesty, one must wonder why young people, who have an eye to the future, would want to be around a bunch of people who regularly express misery, disappointment and desire for getting out of here. Many people express themselves as only having a hope to get to heaven. There is great faith to get to heaven but not much evidenced for anything prior to that desired place of dwelling. Churchmen have presented heaven as our goal (consider the goal of Rom8:29 & Gal4:19)  and have tended to present Jesus as little more than a ticket to get there. Has religion inferred to a world rampant with hopelessness that the only answer is to get to heaven so everything will be OK? Is it possible that the underlying implication offered to a coming generation is that Jesus is powerful enough to get someone to heaven but He isn’t much good for anything else? The destiny of the Church is not heaven but displaying a living Christ now to the children who must be given identity and purpose. Perhaps then they will find their place in their generation and answer the longing of creation for the manifestation of the sons of God (Rom8:19), and become destiny on display.  (seecministries.org)