2 Common Routes

As I was driving into work this morning, I started to think about most of the youth in my youth group. I am starting to clearly see a major fork in the teenage path. These two paths, while they look totally different from one another, are really two paths that lead to the exact same place. The decision to take one path or another seems to be chosen before they are placed underneath my leadership and shepherding. It seems as if their choice has been made almost years before youth group. How scary to think that this happened before their doctrine and Scripture knowledge has been fortified. Anyway, here are the two paths that are being taken and where they end up.

Path #1:

The first path that is noticeably being taken by many youth is the path of rebellion. I don't know how many different youth I have seen fall this past year when it comes to their faith. I know that for many of them, they have watched those that they revere and think are solid Christians, fail miserably. Three of the young men in my youth group have watched their dads bail not only on their moms and family, but in their walk with Christ. Perhaps the worst decision of these men is to continue to call themselves Christians. 1 John 1:6 states, "If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth." These men have led their sons and anyone else who is watching them to believe that it is okay to embrace and sleep with sin while claiming to be a child of God at the same time. There could not have been more blasphemous statement made. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter (Isaiah 5:20). For the youth who have watched this, many of them are seeming to say, "What's the use. This Christian thing is just a bunch of useless crap anyway. It's a huge waste of my time." Part of me totally understands what they are saying and doing. If Christ is not who He said He was and Scripture is not really the Authoritative Word of the living God that is sharper than 2 edged sword able to pierce through bone and marrow, then use it as bookend because that's all it's really good for. I understand the rebellion to do what they want to do because that is what the adults in their lives are doing. I said I understand it, I don't agree with it. The path that this ultimately leads to is that the youth are in charge of their lives doing what they want to do, ignoring God.

Path #2

The second path that I am starting to recognize is much more subtle and received much better at the church I am ministering in. This is the path of the Pharisee. This person is just as rebellious and anti-God as the rebel, but they want to seem as if they are religious and godly. These types of youth are coming from families that are very religious and even very Christian. These youth have a high morality and know a lot of Scripture, yet there is the love of Christ that is dramatically missing from their lives. They hold everyone to a super high (unbiblical) standard of living and condemn them through looks, actions, words, and even lack of looks, actions, and words. I see these youth as walking down a path that looks totally opposite of the rebel, but is just as trashed. Instead of looking on people who compassion and love seeking to help them in their walk with Christ, they judge and gossip about them. And for some reason, they are totally blind to what it is that they are doing. Even more horrible, are the parents of those teens who are feeding what they are doing. They gossip and judge people in their lives, thus fueling the teens in what they are doing. Talk about two worlds colliding to create one big mess. The same result happens for the pharisee that happens for the rebel. They are in charge of their lives, doing what they want to do, with no thought of who God is and what He wants. They might quote Scripture, as opposed to swearing, they might live moral lives, as opposed to immoral, they might look good in the eyes of church-goers, as opposed to not caring, but the outcome is a godless person who is living life for him or herself.

The Solution:

As of right now, I am not sure. Salvation is the answer. Christ is the answer. Scripture is the answer. I know all of that...but I am not sure how to get those into the minds and hearts of the youth. They have effectively been inoculated to Scripture and what it has to say. Right now, my only course of action is to preach God's Word faithfully and confront when I get the chance. It's a battle and for a season is seems as though the enemy has gotten the upper hand. However, Christ has won the battle already. God will cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose. Soli Deo Gloria