The passion we have for the church and our relationship with God is infectious. When the younger generation see us full of passion for the Gospel it will ignite their hearts and pull them towards the truth. If we look like we have been baptisted in pickle juice and either display apathy or even distain for the church family, why would our young people be interested in being a part of that?
“When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.”
Proverbs 29:18 NLT
How many teens have you seen grow up in a youth group only to leave the church as soon as they could get free? Why is this phenomenon happening in the church? If you work in youth ministry they tell you that’s 1 in 10 you will stay in the church. That number is staggering for the amount of work that gets poured into each and every youth that attends a ministry.
We must not put all the blame on the leaders of these ministries for failing. The youth them selves are the ones who grow up, and decided to walk away from the truth. They see the life of university as a time to experience new things and expand their world. They set aside all the values that many people, from leaders, pastors to parents have work hard to I still in their lives. We continue to pray for these now young adults that the Holy Spirit will work in their lives to reveal to them the true God and how important and relevant Jesus is to them.
How the young people see those who are the corner stones of the church behave will have significant impact on their choices. If church is a place of argument, or where if feels like one family runs the place, there will be no attachment. Contrary if a church strives to connect with God and reach the community with love and passion, those things are attractive.
But for the youth who stays, they are most likely active, listening for what the Holy Spirit is calling them to do, they are plugged into God. When we get plugged into God amazing things will happen, God will show up in incredible ways. We need to encourage our youth and children to not just attend church, but to seek God with all their heart, focus on him, ask the Holy Spirit to guide them. Love them as Christ loves you. Encourage them in their faith. Don’t ever give up on them. Keep praying for them.
Jesus, we want to see you move in our children and youth, reverse the trend of today where young adults run from the church the first opportunity they get. We need a generation of fired up young adults with a passion for you. We need your passion to be able to reach this generation and mentor them in love. Amen
50 Days of Pray 