Page 5 - Youth Discipleship Student Textbook

4. Young Christians; church experiences related to sexuality are often simplistic and judgmental. They
struggle with the church’s expectations of chastity and sexual purity in the midst of a pornographic and
depraved culture. They feel the church’s teaching on sexuality are out of date.

5. They wrestle with the exclusive nature of Christianity. Youth have been shaped by a culture that
esteems open-mindedness, tolerance, and acceptance. They feel that church is like a country club, only
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for insiders.

6. The church is unfriendly to those who doubt. They feel that the church is not open to them if they
express their doubts about faith and practice. They feel that their Christian background does not help
with depression or other emotional problems which they experience.

Ministry to youths today is a challenging ministry considering our culture that is so influential in molding
their lives. With the average youth watching more than four hours of television per day coupling that
with three hours and 45 minutes per day interacting with their smartphones, tablets, and computers, it
is no wonder that they are so captivated by the culture. The average teen who watches the average
amount of television per day has seen over 200,000 acts of violence by age 18. Seeing so much violence
on television desensitizes them and leads them to behavior that can be aggressive or even violent.
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Years ago, the computer programmers used to say, GIGO, which means “garbage in, garbage out.” The
Bible warns us about becoming captive to the thoughts and philosophy of this world:

Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty
deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the

world, and not according to Christ.

As our youth consume more and more of the world’s philosophy, the increasingly resist the things of
God. It seems that Satan is having a hay day with the minds of our youth.

Those who are called to minister to youth must realize that they enter a huge battlefield. The Bible puts
it this way:

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Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but
against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this
present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Youth ministry is a battle for the minds and hearts of our country’s young people. The youth minister
must fully understand that he is in a war against the forces of darkness who seek to bankrupt the next
generation. He must rely upon the power of the Holy Spirit to fight his battles, using the Word of God as
his offensive weapon. A successful youth minister wins his battles on his knees.

7 Ibid.
8 https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/does-watching-television-affect-your-brain

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