The other day, I entered in a discussion with some friends on the topic of older teens to 20-somethings. Someone thought it was a common practice for people in this age group to fall away from their Christian teaching and living.
The truth of the matter is that many do follow this road, and some end up with their lives in a real mess. There is another truth that sometimes we forget, and that is that they don’t have to, and actually it’s never God’s will. He does provide the power, to those who will accept it, to be overcomers.
In the book of Jude, the writer tells us that our God and savior is able to keep us from falling and to make us presentable before his glorious presence without fault. We do need to understand that this doesn’t happen because of our own righteousness but because of our trust and faith in what the Lord is doing inside of us through his presence. We also see in 2 Peter 1:3 that God’s divine power has given us everything we need to live a life of godliness. He goes on in that chapter to say that we can participate in God’s divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
So you see, our young people don’t have to drift away from the Lord or the church when they begin to grow up. I’m afraid that many do because many a church expects them to and does not provide a ministry for them. Think about it: Most churches have youth ministries but nothing designed to help those ready to spread their wings and take on the world.
We at New Beginnings began to realize this and will begin this week a class primarily for high-school seniors to 20-somethings that will meet Wednesday evenings. If you are interested in participating, call the church office at 445-0196.
Our society has young people who want to make a difference. So let’s pray for them, believe in them and direct them with all the love and wisdom we can share.