Teenagers and the church

DISCERNING THE SCRIPTURES

Christian Ethics & Youth

 

    There is the tendency for older Christians to kind of "shrug-off" the younger Christians. "Ah, they're the church of tomorrow."  Well, that's true, but they are also important members of the church today, and if we older Christians don't uphold our responsibilities to them, there won't be any church "tomorrow."

    In too many aspects, we expect nothing from our young Christians. We joke about how they "have to sow their wild oats!" In too many areas, we even encourage them to be just like all the other young people in the world who have never committed themselves to Jesus Christ.

            The command to "seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first" is not only given to older Christians, but also the young.  Is the command to "exercise yourself unto godliness" and, "be an example of them that believe" (1Tim. 4:7 & 12), a goal that older Christians only should strive for, or should it include the young as well?  Paul instructs Timothy, "Let no one despise thy youth" (1Tim. 4:12). That is, don't behave in such a way that people consider you too immature to be taken seriously.

            In God's divine plan, it is in the home where young people are to find their primary encouragement for spiritual growth (Eph. 6:4) - - but in order for this to be accomplished, our children must realize their subordination and submission to parental jurisdiction (Eph. 6:1).

            It is no strange thing that to be qualified for the Eldership, Christian men must be able to rule their own house according to the Bible (1Tim. 3:4). If they cannot rule their own house according to the Bible, they will not be able to rule God's House according to the Bible.

            If the young Christian is still living at home, he is expected to obey his parents as well as the Eldership. If the young Christian cannot obey his parents whom he can see, how can he obey God whom he cannot see? (1John 4:20).

            Even if the young Christian is still in school, he is to be careful "to keep his behavior seemly among the Gentiles" (1Pet. 2:12). Some will undoubtedly say, "Toby, I think that's asking a little too much from our young people who have been baptized into Christ!"  "Oh? Well, why then were they baptized into Christ?"

            A young man was once brought before Alexander the Great guilty of a crime. Alexander the Great asked him, "What is your name?" The young man replied, "Alexander."  The great Grecian leader commanded, "Either change your name, or change your life."  The same principle applies to Christianity: either change your life, or stop calling yourself a Christian. Somewhere the polluted modern day definition of what it means to be a true Bible Christian has to be challenged (cf. 1John 4:1).

            Christians of all ages should/must be in the process of allowing the Holy Spirit to change their lives into the image of Christ (2Corinthians 3:18), and that is accomplished by following the Holy Spirit inspired Word.  But this is becoming extremely difficult because the Word of God is being proclaimed from pulpits around the world in much less clarity than in decades gone by. It seems that a generation has arisen "that knoweth not God" (cf. Judges 2:10), or at least has lost its ability to discern truth from error (cf. Ezekiel 44:23).

            My advice to young people is: Don't be just another leaf that blows in the wind;  Don't be just another drop of water that runs down the gutter;  Don't let peer-pressure turn you into just another puppet;  and don't let the desire to be "popular" put you on a dead-end street.  Be somebody that's worth being – be different – be peculiar (Titus 2:14) – "come out from among them and be ye separate" (2Cor. 6:17) – be a Christian, and "let your manner of life be worthy of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:27a).

                                                                                                                                                 - - Toby Miller

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