Youth | Patrice Rhoton
How can we, as adults, set a higher example and show kindness in our everyday interactions? What small changes can we make in our daily lives to ensure that the kids around us feel valued and important?
A couple of months ago, the solid ground team spent a month sharing with you what it means to be the Church. We all chose a few topics within the big topic of the Church, and we each wrote a lesson. We talked about what it means to be the Church, what the purpose of the Church is, and so on. The team shared amazing messages that cut to our hearts, but I want to ask you….have you ever thought of the future of our Church? What is to happen after we leaders retire or take our last breaths? How does the Church continue?
Consider this as you read Matthew 28:16-20.
Consider this as you read Matthew 28:16-20.
"Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted! Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:16-20
A lot of us have heard these verses plenty of times, but today, I want to emphasize what Jesus said here. Did Jesus say, go and pick specific believers who are in their mid-40s and baptize them in my name?
No! He said all. ALL!
Church, Jesus has called us as leaders to lead ALL. He didn’t specify an age or race. When Jesus commands All, He means ALL—even young men and women. Our youth are the future of the Church. We are to disciple them in the true gospel to keep our Church continuously moving into the future long after we, as adults, are gone.
I just got back from an awesome weekend of youth camp. On our last night of camp, Ernie closed out his lesson by asking the youth to come forward for prayer. As I was standing in front of the stage with my fellow youth leaders, I thought that maybe a handful of kids would come forward, but as I looked up from where I was standing, almost every camper came up seeking prayer and proclaiming that they were giving their lives to Jesus.
No! He said all. ALL!
Church, Jesus has called us as leaders to lead ALL. He didn’t specify an age or race. When Jesus commands All, He means ALL—even young men and women. Our youth are the future of the Church. We are to disciple them in the true gospel to keep our Church continuously moving into the future long after we, as adults, are gone.
I just got back from an awesome weekend of youth camp. On our last night of camp, Ernie closed out his lesson by asking the youth to come forward for prayer. As I was standing in front of the stage with my fellow youth leaders, I thought that maybe a handful of kids would come forward, but as I looked up from where I was standing, almost every camper came up seeking prayer and proclaiming that they were giving their lives to Jesus.
I witnessed leaders praying over these kids who were thirsty for Jesus. Then, a shift happened: the youth began asking if they could pray over their friends and siblings. And then they started praying over us leaders.
As the worship team started to gather, I walked up to my place on the stage and grabbed my mic, preparing to sing our last song together at camp, and I looked out over all of the kids. I saw my 2 sons hugging one another with tears in their eyes. I watched my oldest son on crutches hobble over to his best friend, who was crying, and place a hand on his shoulder. If anyone knows my oldest, he can be very reserved, but seeing his best friend tear up because of the Holy Spirit, he put his hand on his shoulder, supporting him, and then he allowed our junior youth leaders to hug him and pray over him.
I looked back to my 2nd oldest son, and he had gathered with his group of friends in one giant hug, supporting each other. I watched as he pulled away and gave his best friend who had just given his life to Jesus the biggest hug of love and support. And then, as we played and sang our closing song, every camper stood united, arms around each other, singing their hearts out. Halfway through our song, I looked to my right and saw our sweet group of Jr high girls, tears streaming and lifting their little arms in worship, singing louder than us, proclaiming with passion the lyrics of our camp theme song:
I looked back to my 2nd oldest son, and he had gathered with his group of friends in one giant hug, supporting each other. I watched as he pulled away and gave his best friend who had just given his life to Jesus the biggest hug of love and support. And then, as we played and sang our closing song, every camper stood united, arms around each other, singing their hearts out. Halfway through our song, I looked to my right and saw our sweet group of Jr high girls, tears streaming and lifting their little arms in worship, singing louder than us, proclaiming with passion the lyrics of our camp theme song:
“I am royalty, I have destiny, I have been set free, I’m going to shake history.”
So many lives were changed that night, even my own, and that is what Jesus meant when He said in Matthew ALL.
How are we not all passionate about the youth in our lives? We come into the Church and walk right past the younger generation. When was the last time you saw maybe an awkward-looking young man standing in the corner dressed all in baggy black clothes and dared to walk up to him and say Hi! So glad you are here. Or instead of looking at the girl with judgment because of her heavy black eyeliner and multi-primary colored hair, walking up to her and telling her you love her makeup and hair and you are so happy that she is here today?
Why do we adults hesitate to show them the love and encouragement they desperately need? In a previous solid ground lesson, I shared that we cannot look down on the lesser and still call ourselves Christians. So, we cannot look down on our youth and think oh man, they are a lost generation. My good friend Christina told me just the other day that…The youth are not lost. They have hearts to change the world. To make an impact. It is our job to show them how.
How are we not all passionate about the youth in our lives? We come into the Church and walk right past the younger generation. When was the last time you saw maybe an awkward-looking young man standing in the corner dressed all in baggy black clothes and dared to walk up to him and say Hi! So glad you are here. Or instead of looking at the girl with judgment because of her heavy black eyeliner and multi-primary colored hair, walking up to her and telling her you love her makeup and hair and you are so happy that she is here today?
Why do we adults hesitate to show them the love and encouragement they desperately need? In a previous solid ground lesson, I shared that we cannot look down on the lesser and still call ourselves Christians. So, we cannot look down on our youth and think oh man, they are a lost generation. My good friend Christina told me just the other day that…The youth are not lost. They have hearts to change the world. To make an impact. It is our job to show them how.
Church, Our mission is clear: to help build a solid foundation for these young people. We are called to disciple these young men and women who may be broken, going through things that we all may understand and have most likely been through
After all, we were all 16 at one point. Don’t you wish that you had someone in your life when you were their age who selflessly came alongside you because they understood? Because they saw the leader in you and saw the impact you could make if only you had someone to point you in the right direction?
Not everyone is called to youth ministry, and that’s perfectly okay. This isn’t about pushing you into a specific role but rather challenging each of us on how we can make a positive impact on the next generation. How can we, as adults, set a higher example and show kindness in our everyday interactions? What small changes can we make in our daily lives to ensure that the kids around us feel valued and important? Again Jesus didnt say only go to the group of people who will make it easy on you as leaders and make disciples of them. Not at all, HE SAID ALL, and this includes our youth.
In closing I would like to share a quote from a devotional I read recently, It says,
Not everyone is called to youth ministry, and that’s perfectly okay. This isn’t about pushing you into a specific role but rather challenging each of us on how we can make a positive impact on the next generation. How can we, as adults, set a higher example and show kindness in our everyday interactions? What small changes can we make in our daily lives to ensure that the kids around us feel valued and important? Again Jesus didnt say only go to the group of people who will make it easy on you as leaders and make disciples of them. Not at all, HE SAID ALL, and this includes our youth.
In closing I would like to share a quote from a devotional I read recently, It says,
“This is a battle for territory in the lives of our young people who relinquish their souls without a fight. This is a battle for the sanctity of God’s creative design in teenagers’ lives. This is a battle for hope and love and honor and all things good and righteous.”
So it’s time to rise up, Church! The youth are not only the future of the Church—they are its very heartbeat.
I love you guys.
I love you guys.
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