“Strengthening Our Young People”

Monday, March 05, 2018

Young people play an important role in the spiritual life of a local church. In the Bible, there are many references to young people and their significant role in God’s plan.

• Timothy was a young preacher for whom Paul had a special place in his heart and in his work.

• Titus was also a young evangelist that Paul worked with and encouraged (at least, he was younger than Paul who referred to him as a “son in the faith”).

• John Mark is believed to be the young man who fled when Christ was arrested (Mark 15:51-52). Later he wrote the book of Mark in the New Testament.

• Many Bible scholars believe it is possible that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a teenager when the angel told her that she would bring God’s Son into the world.

• Joseph was only 17 years old when his brothers sold him into slavery, beginning his journey toward a life of serving God.

• Jeremiah referred to himself as “a youth” (Jeremiah 1:6). He felt inadequate to his task, but God trusted him to do the work and be faithful.

• Much of the book of Proverbs was written as advice from an older, experienced person to a younger one struggling with difficult challenges in life.

• And there are other examples, as well.

The primary responsibility for rearing children in the Lord belongs to the parents, especially the father. “And you fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). But there is no reason why the family and the church cannot work together as partners in helping young men and women grow and mature in the faith.

Parents need to plan spiritual activities for their children to train them to love and serve God. It is obviously going to be helpful to take them to all of the classes and services of the church and to visit other faithful congregations during special times of Bible study and sermons. Often the key to success in a young person’s Bible class is not the teacher during a 40 minute study period, but rather the parents in making certain that the child is prepared and has studied well before he or she comes to class. If teenagers, for example, do not have their lessons prepared for class time, that is as much a parent problem as it is a young person issue.

Bible classes at the church building should be available to supplement, not replace, the Bible studies that the family is doing together at home. But, because many children are not receiving any, or very little, Bible teaching at home, it is vital for the church to have a great Bible class curriculum set up to make certain that young people are learning as much of God’s word as possible, in an organized and helpful arrangement.

One of our goals in Bible classes must be to not only teach Bible facts to young people, and that is very important, but we must also teach these tender hearts to love the Lord. Teachers must stress the application of Bible teaching to the young person’s life and show him/her how following the Bible will lead to a happier, more successful life as well as to an eternal reward. Churches must do their best to choose teachers who do not simply relay Bible truth to young people, but whose lives also match the message. That was one of Christ’s criticisms of the first century Pharisees, that “they say, and do not do.” Our lives must be living illustrations of how Jesus can change our lives for the better and really emphasize that He should make a difference in how we do everything, not just “church things.”

A recently published book, entitled Already Gone, makes a strong case for teaching Biblical evidences to young people. It claims that many young folks make the decision to leave the Lord in late elementary school or middle school, rather than high school or college. Mentally they have checked out long before they possess the freedom to act on that decision and we only realize it when they go away to college and immediately quit serving God. In reality, they quit in their hearts long ago.

So we must emphasize why they should believe in God, why they must believe that Jesus is His Son and why it is consistent to trust that the Bible is a special book, breathed out by God for man’s eternal guidance and direction.

Elders, preachers, teachers and other faithful Christians need to realize that many children we see regularly at services are not getting the father and mother example they need to be well rounded in their faith. If you know of young people whose father is not a godly example, try to help the mother and the child by providing an excellent example of a righteous man who shows an interest in helping others to mature in Christ. If the mother is lacking in her influence, other godly women should make it a special point to encourage her children to be faithful to God. Many of us were encouraged by an older Christian, to whom we were not necessarily related, who took an interest in us and spent time helping us to learn to love Christ.

Some parents have expressed remorse over having lost their children because the parents didn’t place enough priority on spiritual things while their children were growing up. We don’t get a second chance to do a better job at that, but we can perhaps make a difference for our grandchildren or for the children of other Christians whom we can influence in a godly way.

It has been said that children are the church of tomorrow and there is certainly truth in that statement. But we can’t wait until they are grown to try to instill in them the value of serving God. We must start now. Training classes for both boys and girls can show them some of the things that they should be working toward as they mature. Let young boys do what they can in the worship services. Give them some instructions about how to lead singing, or to lead a public prayer or to give a short talk from the Bible or how to serve the Lord’s Supper.

Many religious groups have engaged for years in fun and games and food and have turned to many other unscriptural forms of entertainment in an attempt to excite the young and keep them coming to planned activities. It is not the responsibility of the church to provide entertainment to try to keep young people interested in God. Entertainment is fine, in its place, which is to say, when it is provided by the home and family, not by the church. Families do need to provide such opportunities for their children. Those who do not will regret it later. But do not involve the church in things that are not a part of the God-given mission of the church.

Young people can inject energy and excitement and zeal into older, more complacent Christians. The older Christians can add much in the way of experience and wisdom and understanding of the Bible to make certain that young people are not expressing “zeal without knowledge” (Romans 10:1-2). We need each other. So let’s do what we can to help our young people love and obey God, starting when they are still young (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

--Roger Hillis

Share