Jon here. Hopefully this blog will be practical, relevant and helpful.
Many of us at True come from families that go to church regularly, we know what it’s like to be brought up in a Christian family. This is my experience too and although I count it as a huge privilege now, I haven’t always done so.
I’ve grown up in several churches and from what I’ve noticed, there are three things that can happen to teenagers raised in Christian homes.
1. They discover God for themselves accept it, pursue it, and grows in faith through the work of God in their lives, amazing.
2. A young person discovers God, accepts the good news, but is caught in the tension of living in the world and the pressures that come with that. They live a kind of double life for a few years before eventually deciding which way they want to go.
3. The teenager sees the gospel as irrelevant, something that their parents believe and therefore not cool and so they reject it. Perhaps they keep coming to church because they have to.
I love coming across people in the first category, you guys are a massive encouragement and it’s great to see God at work in you and through you - keep going!
To the second group I want to say ‘I’ve spent a good few years in this group.’ In today’s culture I think your teenage years are the most difficult as a Christian. Everything’s new and untried: sex drugs alcohol. On top of that people are bullid for even the smallest of things in their lives; hair colour, family background, preferences, faith etc.
As you get older personal beliefs are more acceptable and individualism is encouraged so this becomes perhaps less of an issue.
To the last group: I have also been here, and can empathise with you as well. My encouragement is that, even if you are not interested, by coming here it honours your parents (which in turn makes life easier at home).
My testimony…
Like I said. I grew up in a Christian home, made a vague commitment when I was about 7 and didn’t think too much more of it. In fact it went out the window almost straight away.
When I got into my teens I made a really good friend with a lad in the same position, we rebelled together and started bullying the members of a youth group. I got into a serious relationship with a girl and made some very silly mistakes, which I regret.
When I was 16 my family moved to Dorset to join a small church plant. At college I got into more relationships and started drugs, m life wasn’t going where I wanted it to. Things were getting quite uncomfortable in the church. My brothers and I were the youth group so I had very little support and no where to hide. My parents had said I had to carry on going till I was 18, so I longed for that day t come. When I was 18 I was persuaded to go to Newday 2004 where I finally committed my life to God, I met with him powerfully and had my life changed by him. I discovered his grace, and kindness to me and have been obsessed with living for him ever since.
From where I am now, I can see there are three reasons why I failed to survive in my teenage years as a Christian.
1. I did not discover/encounter God for myself. BIG ONE
2. I did not have any Christian friends
3. I was not discipled.
So let me just say a bit about each one of them.
1. Discovering God. (THE BIG ONE) Bible reading, Matt 16v13-18.
• You cannot grow as a Christian without your own personal encounter with God.
• You don’t have to have a powerful experience with God, but you do need to be in love with Jesus. If you’re a guy who thinks he’s too manly for that - get over it this is your creator and saviour not some girl from college!
• I’d been to every Christian festival going. Been there, done that, got loads of t-shirts. It wasn’t ‘til 2004 where I found it required a personal application, I needed to do something about it myself.
• Without discovering God for yourself, you will lose interest. Jesus didn’t just die for everyone. He died for you personally.
• God doesn’t want to know what your friends and family believe. He wants to know what you believe. Jesus said to Peter “but who do you say I am” It’s personal!
• Your parents might be un-cool, but that doesn’t make their beliefs irrelevant.
2. Friendships.
• Most teenagers are influenced more by what their friends do and think, than their parents, so here’s some tips on how to be influenced well:
o Spend time with some Christian friends.
o You guys and girls are part of a huge youth group with a lot of, socially, really cool guys and girls in, get to know them.There is also a larger proportion of ‘on fire’ Christians than in any other youth group I have been in.
• Don’t fall into the trap of only hanging out with Christians though.
3. Discipleship.
• What is it? Followers together helping each other on in God.
• In both my previous churches I was not disciple and I wish I was. Discipleship is something we believe strongly in
at Kings. Jesus had 12 Disciples. Spent three years, teaching, eating and spending time with them. Timothy spent many years under the discipleship of Paul and was all the better for it.
• Being discipled by someone you admire, respect or are friends with, is beneficial to your growth as a Christian.
• A discipler should encourage you to grow in all areas of life, challenging you and teaching you.
• Discipleship helps to prevent you falling into bad habits.
Whatever happens, be true to who you are and don't think of God as some religious control freak with a desire to make your life hard. That's a big fat lie that is a million miles off who God really is.
Remember - God loves you, is passionate about you and wants your good; he has a plan for your life.
Peace.
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