This past week we tackled a big subject at youth group…Pornography. I’m sure some of you just ran and hid under a piece of furniture, started sweating, or just got really uncomfortable. Don’t worry!! That is not what I am talking about in this article.
Some of you might ask, “Why are you talking about that in youth group?”. 30+ years ago I might be asking the same question. However, in the culture we live in today, there are so many things being thrown at our young people; ALL subjects, both big and small. The world has no shame or guilt throwing these messages at our youth from every direction, and those messages (more often then not) are contrary to the Word of God.
Over the decades, the church has often had two extreme approaches when it came to “Big” topics such as sex, homosexuality, gender identity, pornography. The first is a lot like the defense mechanism of the ostrich (which is actually a myth). When something big comes up we bury our heads in the sand and pretend it doesn’t exist. Ignore it, and hope it will go away. If the problem doesn’t exist, then we don’t need to address it. The second approach is loud and proud! Waving signs that tell people they’re going to hell, or that God hates them for such things. Both of these reactions are extremely unhealthy, unhelpful, and are frankly… a non-biblical approach to raising the next generation.
Throughout the Old Testament, God instructs Israel to pass on what He has done for them. God has Israel put up monuments and alters to remember the great deeds He performed. God told Israel to remember His laws and decrees and to pass them down to their children and their children. But one of the saddest verses in all the Bible is this, “After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel.” -Judges 2:10. What’s even worse is the result. The next verse says that Israel did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord.
How could an entire generation grow up and not even know the Lord? Because parents, grandparents, teachers, leaders failed to teach the next generation. Kids are curious by nature, that is how God created us. And if they don’t learn the truth from us then they will find whatever answers they can from wherever they can. Why not find out the truth from us. After all, the world won’t provide the Godly truth that we find in His word.
So let’s stand together to teach the next generation the truth that can only be found in God’s word, and not just the fluffy stuff. We need to tackle the tough subjects. Let it not be said of us that we failed to teach our children the truth of what God has done for us.