Youth is for Living in the Body of Christ

1/24/2001

Hey, I was wondering if you or someone else has ever written about a suggested model for youth groups and its role in the church. Do you have youth groups…whether it be in the traditional or non-traditional way? In other words, is there any sort of program that encourages the youth of the church to come together...whether it be in a spiritual setting or just to hang out??

I have recently been asked to help out with the youth group/ministry at my church. The youth pastor is young and open to suggestions and his desire is that it would not conform itself to being just another typical pizza party youth group. Statistics show that close to 75% of youth groupers fall away from the Lord in their later years. This is unacceptable for him and he has asked me if I had any ideas. In his own words he said, “The old model just doesn’t work and I want to do this the way God wants it to be done.” I was wondering if you had ever written anything in the past concerning the youth of the church that I could share with him.

Hi, Brace yourself! Do you believe in having special dinners for all of (and ONLY) the Chinese Christians in a church? How about a special night out for ONLY blondes? Any other kind of segregation around “flesh” come to mind as a good idea? How about a “Black people only basketball game?” No? Doesn’t that sound “ill”??!! It does to me!! For fifteen years we’ve endeavored to OBEY the Command to “see NO man after the flesh” and not be like “mere humans” by doing so. “What’s born of FLESH is flesh.” We’ve had NO need for the unBiblical process of separating people by color or age, “neither Jew, nor Greek,” or education—or any category at ALL (other than whether the “ANCIENT OF DAYS” lives inside, making EVERYONE the same age!). Consequently, the “best friends” of many of the younger people are twice or 5 times their age! It’s super cool, and VERY powerful. We don’t WANT anyone, young or old, to be “discipled by their peers”!! It only breeds foolishness and unSpirituality, thus the 70% (or whatever the number) of young people that reject Jesus as they get “free” to do so. The church world builds foolishly on the sand, and wonders why the storms bring down the young people’s houses?!

“Youth Groups,” “Christian Camps,” and “Turkey-Fests”

Youth groups, “christian” summer camps, sports camps, “christian” schools, turkey-fests, car washes, or song-fests or “choirs” or “bible studies” or “services” or “praise and worship” seminars or any activity of any kind that finds it origins in the ways of men bears awful fruit for individuals, as well as whole masses of people, because it is BUILT ON THE WRONG FOUNDATION. The “tower” in Gen. 11 was a “great idea” too—to carnal men.

I currently know of MANY people from MANY DIFFERENT religious backgrounds and regions who could testify with first hand knowledge of the BAD FRUIT from these “pizza party ministries” and “christian camps.” We know of first hand knowledge of smuggling in alcohol and pornography, stealing the wine for the “Lord’s supper” and trying to get drunk on it, guy/girl goo-goo junk, making out in the woods, strip poker, and even a young lady recovering from an abortion. Whether in the “building,” or at the camp or potluck dinner, the “warm fuzzies,” pretty “scenery,” colorful decorations, catchy tunes and “campfires,” are a very thin veneer over a deeply corrupted scheme of projecting God to the masses. Naïve or lazy parents and adults try to convince themselves “not here”—but they are wrong. If a person is helped by a sermon or some other truth that comes through to them, it is not that they are helped BECAUSE of the system, but IN SPITE of the system. God will work through whatever means He can to help someone, out of His Kindness and Mercy. But it is NOT His intent that it be built the way that it has been for 2000 years. Like you said, the old way doesn’t work. Let’s do it GOD’S Way for a change. Sure, some mean well, but that’s how Ishmael was born and how Saul became King. Man’s ways are rejecting God. And the fruit proves it in the end.

Few people escape unscathed. Most of God’s lambs never even know it’s a problem and remain blinded to God’s TRUE INTENT FOR HIS PEOPLE. We know people all over the world who have experienced these heartaches and pains and scars. It is not just “isolated” bad situations. It happens everywhere.

Now, I realize that busting the paradigm isn’t going to help add bells and whistles to that faulty and unBiblical paradigm, so I guess my answer is not too helpful, eh??!! ;) But, you love me anyway, right? : ) Sleep well, dude ....