The Lord’s Heart for the Discipleship of the Youth
Last week I watched five teenage girls bear testimony of Christ and be baptized, one after another. I stood a few feet in front of them and took videos for their families and for myself. In one way or another, I discipled each of them when they were in junior high. What joy filled my heart!
I love opportunities to disciple youth. They are able to understand so much—especially the ones who are born again, in whom the Holy Spirit also dwells. It’s a perfect time to develop a good foundation of faith. The enemy of our souls doesn’t give children a pass because they are young. Our world is filled with distractions, temptations and bad theology. From my experience, youth are generally eager to be taught God’s Word. Adults who are more familiar can become unteachable.
We know the accounts in the gospels, how people brought little children to Jesus, that He might touch them, but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. When Jesus saw it, He was very displeased, and rebuked His disciples. “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it” (Mk 10:14-15). And Jesus took the children in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.
Yesterday my pastor encouraged parents to bring their children with them to worship services, so they can get the benefit of observing people (particularly their parents) praising God, and sitting under the teaching of God’s Word. The younger ones won’t understand everything, but they can learn! (You’d be surprised what they pick up…) He also encouraged parents to put their children in classes for their age group the other hour, and to use the second hour themselves to disciple the next generation. My heart loved his exhortation.
I was raised under that philosophy. My parents had me in Sunday school with my peers one hour and in the worship service with them the other hour, from the time I left the nursery. May God bless my parents for that decision. I learned so much, and I am sad for the kids who don’t experience it. I can remember when I was about six years old, standing in the service during a time of singing, looking around at the congregation and thinking how glad I was to be part of the body of Christ.
Youth also tend to be humble, because they know they have so much to learn. On another occasion, Jesus used this point to instruct His disciples about being humble servants. They had been arguing among themselves about which of them was the greatest (Mk 9:33-34, Lk 9:46-48).
Matthew 18:2-5
2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
Today my church family is reading 1 Thessalonians 3-5. You may have already read my testimony of how God used 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 along with another passage to answer my prayer when I was a youth. If not, I invite you to read it! You may prefer to start at the beginning: The Carcasses, the Eagles, and the Taken. I am praying the Holy Spirit would enable His people—from young to old—to hear what He is actually saying in His Word—not necessarily the way we’ve been conditioned to read it.
A verse which is near to my heart after the Lord answered those big prayers in my youth is Luke 10:21 (also, Mt 11:25-26):
Luke 10:21
21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.
In this case, the “babes” He spoke of were His disciples, who had returned with joy after He sent out seventy of them, two by two, to preach and heal in His name. Some say the twelve disciples were all teenagers except for Peter, citing the account of the double-drachma tax (Mt 17:24-27). Exodus 30:11-16 speaks of a half shekel tax for all registered males, twenty years old or more. Since only Jesus and Peter paid, it is argued that the other disciples were not yet twenty. In any case, these Galileans were ordinary men, not exalted in the eyes of the world (Ac 4:13).
The message of Jesus’ words, though, is my testimony. The LORD revealed His word to me by the Father’s will, even though I was young. How amazing the Creator and sustainer of the universe decides to reveal “hidden” things to youth! What love! James 1:5-8 promises, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” He kept His promise.
At another time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven” (Mt 18:10).
I want to share one more Scripture about children. It was the day after Palm Sunday in Jerusalem. Jesus had cleansed the temple, and children praised Him.
Matthew 21:15-16
15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?”
And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read,
‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise’?”
“Hosanna” means “Save please!” and “Son of David” is a confession of faith that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the son of David (2 Sam 7:13-16). The verse Jesus is quoting is from Psalm 8:2.
I pray these words will bless you and any youth He has entrusted to you.
Last week I watched five teenage girls bear testimony of Christ and be baptized, one after another. I stood a few feet in front of them and took videos for their families and for myself. In one way or another, I discipled each of them when they were in junior high. What joy filled my heart!
I love opportunities to disciple youth. They are able to understand so much—especially the ones who are born again, in whom the Holy Spirit also dwells. It’s a perfect time to develop a good foundation of faith. The enemy of our souls doesn’t give children a pass because they are young. Our world is filled with distractions, temptations and bad theology. From my experience, youth are generally eager to be taught God’s Word. Adults who are more familiar can become unteachable.
We know the accounts in the gospels, how people brought little children to Jesus, that He might touch them, but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. When Jesus saw it, He was very displeased, and rebuked His disciples. “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it” (Mk 10:14-15). And Jesus took the children in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.
Yesterday my pastor encouraged parents to bring their children with them to worship services, so they can get the benefit of observing people (particularly their parents) praising God, and sitting under the teaching of God’s Word. The younger ones won’t understand everything, but they can learn! (You’d be surprised what they pick up…) He also encouraged parents to put their children in classes for their age group the other hour, and to use the second hour themselves to disciple the next generation. My heart loved his exhortation.
I was raised under that philosophy. My parents had me in Sunday school with my peers one hour and in the worship service with them the other hour, from the time I left the nursery. May God bless my parents for that decision. I learned so much, and I am sad for the kids who don’t experience it. I can remember when I was about six years old, standing in the service during a time of singing, looking around at the congregation and thinking how glad I was to be part of the body of Christ.
Youth also tend to be humble, because they know they have so much to learn. On another occasion, Jesus used this point to instruct His disciples about being humble servants. They had been arguing among themselves about which of them was the greatest (Mk 9:33-34, Lk 9:46-48).
Matthew 18:2-5
2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
Today my church family is reading 1 Thessalonians 3-5. You may have already read my testimony of how God used 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 along with another passage to answer my prayer when I was a youth. If not, I invite you to read it! You may prefer to start at the beginning: The Carcasses, the Eagles, and the Taken. I am praying the Holy Spirit would enable His people—from young to old—to hear what He is actually saying in His Word—not necessarily the way we’ve been conditioned to read it.
A verse which is near to my heart after the Lord answered those big prayers in my youth is Luke 10:21 (also, Mt 11:25-26):
Luke 10:21
21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.
In this case, the “babes” He spoke of were His disciples, who had returned with joy after He sent out seventy of them, two by two, to preach and heal in His name. Some say the twelve disciples were all teenagers except for Peter, citing the account of the double-drachma tax (Mt 17:24-27). Exodus 30:11-16 speaks of a half shekel tax for all registered males, twenty years old or more. Since only Jesus and Peter paid, it is argued that the other disciples were not yet twenty. In any case, these Galileans were ordinary men, not exalted in the eyes of the world (Ac 4:13).
The message of Jesus’ words, though, is my testimony. The LORD revealed His word to me by the Father’s will, even though I was young. How amazing the Creator and sustainer of the universe decides to reveal “hidden” things to youth! What love! James 1:5-8 promises, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” He kept His promise.
At another time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven” (Mt 18:10).
I want to share one more Scripture about children. It was the day after Palm Sunday in Jerusalem. Jesus had cleansed the temple, and children praised Him.
Matthew 21:15-16
15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?”
And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read,
‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise’?”
“Hosanna” means “Save please!” and “Son of David” is a confession of faith that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the son of David (2 Sam 7:13-16). The verse Jesus is quoting is from Psalm 8:2.
I pray these words will bless you and any youth He has entrusted to you.
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