Churches Are Robbing Youth !: 2015

#415 Churches Are Robbing Youth
1. Title: The Fact is: Churches Are Robbing Youth; And That's Not All!
2. theme: church reform is to yield kid-revival then missionaries that are kids; youth reaching youth.
  1. A big change in today's church is needed and everyone knows it – especially church leaders. The proper action term should be reformation. It takes no rocket science logic or monster computer to calculate the downward trend of attendance and church backbone that has increased for a number of years.
  2. Scripture gives clear direction, with many guarantees of joy and spiritual prosperity, to the obedient. Further, the Bible is bursting with case histories of the obedient and the stiff-necked.
  3. It would be helpful here to look at two words in scripture.

Symptoms and sickness in today's church, as I've witnessed them for a number of years and in their ministerial association meetings I have attended. (list is not prioritized)
1. Humility of church leaders is almost non-existent. Leaders don't seek the prayers of their people.
2. Lay people need to pray for and encourage leaders to stand strong in pulpit – they are accountable. And by implication, we are accountable also.
3. Sermons don't use words and themes about sin, repentance, conviction, and accountability.
  (sin is defined here: Sin is thinking and doing things we know God doesn't like.)
4. Our pattern of prayer doesn't begin with praise and adoration and it doesn't end with 'thy will be done”. Health issues dominate the top majority of the list with salvation and missions hardly mentioned, if at all.
5. Adults don't want to evangelize youth because that requires tears and a God-honoring repentant life style and sacrificial creed in front of the youth.
6. Seniors forget they were once energized kids.
7. Seniors visually throw daggers at kids in sanctuary expecting them to be adults in kid's bodies.
8. Adults feed kids sugar candy to get them to behave, but the result is just the opposite.
9. Leaders feed kids archaic bible lessons salted with traditional bible stories. Kids are smart enough to recognize these disrespectful provisions toward their real needs.
10. Churches are robbing the seniors of their greatest opportunity in church and great commission.
11. Churches are robbing the youth of their joy, peace, purpose for now and tomorrow.
12. Churches are not teaching the contemporary relevance of scripture and its use in today's world.
13. For generations, technology has been used as an inhuman babysitter.
14. Personal bibles are replaced with wall displays and middle of the road quarterlies.
15. People don't see the sacrifice in true love. They have no clear meaning of real love.
16. Churches get louder bands and audio system trying to reach youth, but now you couldn't hear the Holy Spirit convicting your heart, even if you wanted to.
17. People believe Satan’s big lie: “It's too late to reach youth.”
18. Church men don't step up to the plate and lead as commanded by God, so the women do.
19. Satan has clouded the value of each and every soul. (and the value of my own salvation, too)
20. Milk-toast believeism and evangelism has deluded people into thinking they have been saved and washed by the blood of the lamb for all eternity. They then live a 'christian' life that is not at all 'Christ-like'; discouraged, selfish, holding hands with the world.
21. Volumes of church conversation is about sports, fashions, and the physical health of others, and nothing about the salvation and spiritual maturity of the youth.
22. Youth leaders have such classroom disrespect and order from students, that spiritual growth and scriptural training are far from possible.

Let's take a breather here, and get a peek at where we want to go, in reforming our churches, their leaders, and those of us in the pews that love our Lord so much and want a better future for our local church family. I'm more of a teacher with pictures; or better yet, parables. A parable was used by our Lord often, because you could see what He was teaching, and even put yourself inside the parable. The ultimate then, is to put the lesson inside your heart, spirit, and character. We've got time for just the first chapter of the shaky missionary. Remember now, put yourself in the pew behind Granny.
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Chap 1

“Hi Bobby. Can you fix this?” The Sunday School opening wouldn't be starting for another 20 minutes. Granny Fron had been sitting back in her favorite pew spot where the warm sun's rays soothed her aching shoulders. With hand tremors, she held out her little cell phone toward the 12 yr old boy who had been delivered by the church bus moments before. Granny's level 9 mission had started.

The boy looked up from his busy task with flying thumbs, almost ready to conquer level 4 of his favorite computer game. His eyes met Granny's eyes filled with 73 years of livin' and lovin' her Lord. Now, the truth be known, there wasn't anything wrong with her cell phone. She was on a mission, reaching out to this young wandering heart. Her heart was drawn out of her pew to Bobby, with more force than a Star Trek tractor beam.

Granny's eyes couldn't move fast enough to see all that Bobby did to get the new name added to her phone's address book. Miss Granny casually took a seat next to Bobby. The 'fixed' phone was handed back to jittering wrinkled hands with a tender thank you and a comforting smile God only gives for grandma use.

“Bobby, I figure you're a pretty smart fella, as fast as you fixed my phone, and the way you whiz through your game levels. Will ya tell me a little about your game?” The boy took the next few minutes telling Granny Fron about his game progress and how proud he was to have almost reached level 4. Even while he was talking, the back of his mind was asking why this white-haired lady was showing any interest in a bus-kid, like himself. Bobby was sure this was all leading up to him being told to shove his game box into his back pack and act like he knew he was in church – certainly the last place for playing games.

Granny asked the 12 yr old several more questions, that made Bobby feel like he was a teacher and Granny was the student. The boy had explained you win the game when you reach level 8. Granny rubbed her chin in a slow thoughtful way, wondering how to ask the question. “Young man, what if I told you, your game actually has a level 9?” “No, Granny. See the levels only go to 8, there isn't any 9.” Bobby was surprised to see his white-haired friend pick up a book laying on the seat cushion next to her. Her shaky hands turned to a certain page and held it out to the young lad to see the words.

“Look here, son. This page tells you about your level 9.” He read the sentence that was being pointed to. “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” (Romans 8:37).

“I'll tell you what, Mr. Teacher...”(she said, with that God-given granny smile), “if you'll tell me 'we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.' the next time we see each other, I'll tell you about that level 9. But for now, repeat the last four words of the sentence.” Bobby obeyed, “him that loved us.”

Granny's finger pointed toward the large cross hanging in the front of the church, as she tenderly introduced the boy to the One that loves him greater than any level of man's ability.

It's so simple and exciting to see how silver-hair, students, and computers all connect in love, at the foot of the old rugged cross. = =

We'll visit Granny Fron and Mr. Teacher (that's Bobby) again soon and see the surprises unfold)

so stay tuned... and share with a friend.

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Well, back from our breather with Granny and Bobby. It's no secret they are a fictional pair, that teach us about our own heart and that of God's heart of incredible love for you and I. No, not any churches I've been in have a pair like Granny and Bobby. I wish they did. Maybe you do also.
A reality check will show that as soon as you even begin asking the church and your class to move "the youth" up toward the top of the prayer list, you'll be ruffling feathers in a serious defiant way. Include in your 'move up' request the justification that those with runny noses, ripped jeans, or green hair will soon be the decision makers of this very church we are seated in and members of.
This I've done repeatedly, in the last 5 churches I've attended regularly and/or are member of. See how fast the group leader makes a statement that equates to, "OK. let's move on." Or, during prayer request time, ask to have the teachers (by name) of the youth added to the prayer list. In just a few weeks you'll be counciled and given a choice to either "don't make waves" or quietly find another church you'd better fit into. Without any details, before God, I can tell you from several experiences, this is what happens.

What am I saying? This is a real point of PERSONAL prayer and meditation. There can be different reasons for these "don't make waves" attitudes, or maybe a combination of them. Some years ago, during my job as director in a local Youth For Christ chapter, I spent one of my first days in a juvinile court room. I watched a mother and dad standing before the judge, with their teen son between them. I heart the father and mother clearly ask the judge to take their son from them. Our son will not obey us in any way. We're almost becoming afraid of him. (At least words to that effect.)
As I write these words, I'm thinking of the commands God gave to take a defiant son and have him stoned... defiant children were a real threat to God's plan for families and communities. They still are. But we want to take a closer look at responsibility and accountability as leaders and models for our youth.

I would say it's time to review our definition of the attribute of love; especially, God's Love.
LOVE is the sacrificial heart-felt act or attitude toward another.

... until next time... stay tuned.
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