By Ada Brownell
ANEMIC
YOUTH GROUPS
One day I asked my oldest son why he serves the Lord when so many young
people fall away.
“I think it’s because we didn’t have a youth pastor,” he said.
I was shocked. “Why?”
“Because we had to do everything.”
I doubt the same type of service would fly today,
but my son had a point. A youth service
should be much more than fun and games (often mimicking the world), and where
the youth pastor practices preaching. Spiritually thriving youth groups today
use technology and the latest methods, but successful leaders also believe,
live, preach and teach the Word -- and put Christian young people to work
living their faith.
God is moving mightily in some youth groups. But
national statistics show more than two-thirds of Protestant young adults leave
church between ages 18 and 22. For the
Assemblies of God, of the 60,000 youth who graduate from high schools each
spring, 50 to 70 percent will leave the faith within four years.[1]
Apparently more than half of what youth groups do today isn’t
working.
But the news is not all bad. There is hope! Thirty to fifty percent of youth stay in
church and many are dedicated, born-again, spirit-filled young people.
Some churches have Bible quiz teams, youth clubs
like Royal Rangers and Missionettes, and some lead pastors do major teaching on
Sunday mornings which reaches young adults. Helps in some of the new Bibles
such as the Fire Bible make the Word easier to study.
NO INTERACTION WITH ADULT CHURCH
A large number of youth have never attended an adult worship service, let
alone a revival meeting. They start in the nursery, go on to children’s
services, then to junior and senior high youth. They don’t know, love or
respect the lead pastor, have no adult Christian heroes, and feel no connection
to the church body.
In previous generations whole youth groups served God until old age.
These teens not only attended adult church, but were a vital part. Adults need
to embrace and love this generation and integrate them into the church,
especially upon high school graduation. If the older adults value their
hearing, they can tear off a corner of the same Kleenex used to wipe tears shed
praying for this generation, stuff it in their ears and rejoice when they see
God touch and use young lives.
Interacting with Christian adults helps young people establish spiritual
goals because they’ll meet people who model true religion.
LACK OF LOVE FOR GOD AND OTHERS
The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy about what we’re living.
“In the last days perilous times will come,” he wrote. “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud,
abusive, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving,
slanderous, without self control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous,
rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of
godliness but denying its power.”
Yet, there is hope! God promises that His Word will not return void,
which means if we’ve planted the Word in young people’s hearts, it should bear
fruit. Our Heavenly Father is the same yesterday, today and forever. The
promise (of salvation and Holy Ghost infilling) is unto us and to our children
and our children’s children and to all who are afar off.
Yes, we have an at-risk generation all around us, but let us not grow
weary with the challenge.
BRAINWASHING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES
Youth in the United States are taught from an early age they are no more than animals.
The secular world attempts to destroy faith in God with propaganda (spinning the truth) and brainwashing. Yet, no one can prove whether God exists because faith is necessary for salvation. Yet, there is more evidence for faith in God than faith that you just appeared on the earth with seeing eyes, hearing ears, and all the wonderful things in your body and in the universe, that has to be perfect down to the last atom or gene.
When Satan makes a bid for the souls of our youth, creating temptations such as sex, drugs, liquor, and even crime, often the brainwashing wins. They think, what difference does it make? Then when they begin reaping the hurricane of trouble from what they sowed, often their lives are horribly damaged.
God does redeem, however. Scripture tells "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." and "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in him, shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
I pray for youth every day. They will take the truth to the next generation and tell them why Jesus left Heaven and came to earth, if Jesus tarries His coming. Some youth say the church is not relevant. How can living forever be irrelevant? Jesus humankind's only hope for eternal life, but He also is concerned that we have abundant, joyful life while we're on earth. He came to seek and save those who are lost and give them joy and life forevermore!
I pray for youth every day. They will take the truth to the next generation and tell them why Jesus left Heaven and came to earth, if Jesus tarries His coming. Some youth say the church is not relevant. How can living forever be irrelevant? Jesus humankind's only hope for eternal life, but He also is concerned that we have abundant, joyful life while we're on earth. He came to seek and save those who are lost and give them joy and life forevermore!
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Ada's latest book: FACTS, FAITH AND PROPAGANDA
Scripture written by Peter:
“For we did not follow cunningly devised fables”2 Peter 1:16 One from St. John: "That which we have heard, and we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our eyes have handled, the Word of life; For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with (God the) Father, and was manifested unto us. That which we have seen and heard, we declare unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1-3).
Everything about who we are, how we came to be, and why we are here, is
settled by faith. This book, written by a journalist who interviewed people on both sides of the
argument, supplies evidence for faith—and reveals forgeries designed to destroy
belief in God such as the Piltdown man, missing evolutionary links that DNA
proved aren’t links, and a newer theory than Darwin’s, punctuated equilibrium.
She also studied extensively on the reliability of scripture and evidence for
the Resurrection of Jesus.
FACTS, FAITH AND PROPAGANDA IS AVAILABLE FOR .99 ON AMAZON:
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