|
Today’s teen lives in a world that no longer respects “right “ and “wrong”. In their culture “right” or “truth” is whatever you want it to be; whatever makes sense to you. This is certainly a wholesale rejection of the “truth” we in the Church of God Reformation Movement have believed, preached and lived for years. This is bothersome indeed and deadly to their spirits and ultimately to their souls.
As teens mature I find them to be searching and hungering for a truth that is true, a belief that matters; a faith that will sustain them through all of life’s issues and struggles. And believe me, their issues these days are not anything like ours are as adults! Their issues require the truth that only Jesus Christ provides, as no one else could possibly decipher the myriad of difficulties that face our youth. From suicide to teen pregnancy, cutting or self-mutilation to the collapse of the home, where else can a young person find answers if not in the truth of the Scriptures and person and sacrifice of Christ?! Let's look at a few of their issues and discover why truth matters in a culture gone crazy.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that 60% of high school students have considered suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in teens ages 15-24, and the fourth leading cause of death in young people ages 10-14. If those young people have accepted the popular belief that we simply evolved and are not a special and unique creation, loved by God, then what is to keep them from taking their life? What argument can help in the face of falsehood like that? It is VITAL that the young person know the truth that they are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14) and that God is a Creator who loves them “with an ever lasting love”(Jer.31:3).It is also vital that they know the truth of a very real heaven, hell, and the truth of life and death as God reveals in His Word; the truth that God does not desire that any should perish and that all should have eternal life (John 3:16). The truth matters in the face of suicide.
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy reports that 3 out of 10 girls in the U.S. become pregnant at least once by age 20. “With more than 400,000 teen births annually, the U.S. has the highest rate of teen pregnancy and childbearing in the industrialized world today,” according to the same report. Promiscuity is often explained away in our teens by a waving of the hand and the falsehood voiced that they will “sin more or less everyday”. Yet when a young person is caught in the shame and controversy of an unplanned pregnancy, the same individuals who endorse sinning as a way of life, reject and take issue with the sin and the “situation” that youth is dealing with.
The truth is that holiness CAN be a way of life and that sanctification is real and true, providing the daily power of the Holy Spirit of God to assist us in our pursuit of godliness! And yes, even teenagers can live that kind of life by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit! The truth matters in the face of teen pregnancy.
There are so many other issues that should be treated with truth: handling divorce and blended families, sexual and physical abuse, loneliness, depression, cutting, anger; all of which we deal with on a regular basis in Youth Ministry. These are complex, difficult and very real problems in the lives of teens today. These devastating issues require truth…there is -- no other answer. The survival of the Church of God Reformation Movement as we know it today is dependent on the transfer to and embracing of truth by our teens. This transfer and its acceptance or rejection will determine not only the future of our movement, but also the condition of the souls of our youth. Does truth matter? It is a matter of life or death. Family Did you know?????
More than 1.3 million children are homeless at some time each year.
1 in 8 youth under the age of 18 will leave home and become homeless in need of food, medicine and shelter.
12-17 year olds are at more risk of homelessness than are adults.
1/3 of homeless teens have witnessed a stabbing, shooting, rape or murder. (Taken from: myfriendsplace.org)
One out of every eight children under the age of twelve in the U.S. goes to bed hungry every night.
More than 40% of teens who admitted drinking said they drink when they are upset; 31% said they drink alone; 25% said they drink when they are bored; and 25% said they drink to "get high." (U.S. Surgeon General, 1991)
Now you do!!!
How will you and your congregation respond to teens in your community? If YOU don’t intersect with their lives – with GRACE, with genuine friendship and love – who will? Pray for the youth in your church, encourage them, support them. And then go beyond the walls of your church, pray specifically for a young person in your neighborhood, look for ways to be a friend. Don’t be afraid – They are longing for someone to really care!
|