Jesus “amazed” everyone who heard him in the temple that day.
His answers were thorough and his understanding was well beyond his years. At only age twelve it can be presumed that boy Jesus understanding and knowledge were vastly better than the teachers of his day. Luke 2:47, “Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers,” reminds me of an admonition of the Apostle Paul in a letter to young Timothy.
In I Timothy 4: 12, Paul encourages Timothy; “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” Jesus, of course, was the perfect example of this, even in his youth. Timothy must have been struggling with his ministry and needed this spiritual boost from Paul. He (Paul) understood the impact youth can have on each other; Timothy was considered young, even being in his early 30s.
Think of the impact the youth of today would have if they lived by this example? What if the (Christian) youth of today tamed their tongue? Conducted themselves in a Christ-like manner? Loved by putting others first? Remained faithful to the cause of Christ? And stayed pure? How many people would be “AMAZED” at their lives?
Today’s youth have this same opportunity, think of the impact a Christian teen can have on a lost friend their own age by, “setting the example?” I came to know the Lord because of a friend did that for me.
Jesus wasn’t even a teen before he began setting the standard! Let’s use this text as a means of encouraging our youth that, with the right heart, God can use them to AMAZE others by showing them the power of Christ in their lives!
Michael Butash
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
Good message Michael. The youth of today I think have become more lazy, too entertained and thus are become less and less effective ministers of the Gospel so to speak. We feed them sugary sermons and we get them all pumped up to save the world but we are failing to equip them with the right tools to truly be effective witnesses in their worlds. They need to be fed substance.
There is a generation that wants to be taken seriously. They don't want to be looked down upon because they are young. If we do not take our youth seriously then they in turn will not take themselves seriously. You said it best "Jesus wasn’t even a teen before he began setting the standard! Let’s use this text as a means of encouraging our youth that, with the right heart, God can use them to AMAZE others by showing them the power of Christ in their lives!"
Michael, you are so right in saying that teens and kids influence each other more than we can fathom. Right now I am at Scioto Hills camp in Ohio for a camp conference. This morning I went to a facilitating workshop and there I was reminded that kids really understand a lot of things.
Obviously kids and teens are usually on different levels than their peers - good and bad. But sometimes such truth comes out of their mouths. If we as adults listen to what they are saying, we can learn to understand their thinking and even challenge them to a new level of faith.
When I recognize campers and youth in general who are knowledgeable about the Bible and their faith in God, I love to watch them set the standard for everyone around them. Often, those kids are unaware of how much other kids listen to them. That is an important time when an adult can encourage them to keep going strong. A mentoring opportunity may even arise. As you or someone else may mentor a teen, challenge the teen to mentor someone younger than them who they see is growing in their faith. I wish I had this growing up. Then I would be more comfortable mentoring others. It starts a cycle that hopefully will continue into the future.
Michael, you have challenged me to be an example to the youth I come into contact with everyday. I am amazed by the lack of good examples in our world today. I've lost sight of that at times because I am no longer a "youth" and also because I don't have any kids. Our kids and teens need examples of godly Christians, so I'll start with myself.
Michael, I wonder if we have underestimated our youth in our churches. These teens often have strong teaching from their church backgrounds and sometimes Christian school and know so much but we often don't allow them to minister in our churches. They could learn to serve in so many ways. Maybe it is our fault for not seeing their potential. Jeannie
Michael,
Thanks for the admonition. As I read your blog and the passage that you addressed -- I couldn't help but notice that the verse just before your section talks of Jesus growing in stature and in wisdom. I have often wondered, how is it that the "fullness of the Godhead in bodily form" could grow in wisdom? It is clear by this passage that He was in fact full of wisdom - enough to astound the listeners. Jesus must have been quite a student; in turn, we need to be students of the Word to be effective for the cause of Christ.
The youth you refer to have not exactly had the best examples as models to emulate. My generation (almost- but not yet 50) followed a generation that told us not to have long hair and or go to movies because both would make us worldly. We responded at tearing down the walls between us and the world. Not always were those walls bad. The present generation makes their own decisions and must answer for what they do. But have we been a good example to them? Is it too late for us to be that example?
Michael I also love your post! In camping ministry we are able to encourage young people daily to be amazing for God.
I recall a conversation just today with a younger man who has committed himself to not being bound by his failures and is committed to living for God.
You have encouraged me to continue our conversation with him to spur him on to be Amazing as he serves Christ by serving others!
Like everyone else, Michael-I am challenged by your post. When you said about living an examplarary life to those around us, the verse that came to my mind is James 1:22"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
I am looking forward to do ministry with youth in the future, one reason I have a heart for youth is that they are molderble. They came with an open eyes and ears to see if they will find their identity in what I have to say to them. No matter a person might grew up in a strong Christian, somewhere in teenage years, this kid will need reassurance of his beleifs and his identity in Christ. That is the main reason why reaching out to youth is crucial in our time since they are the next generation of adult that will influence the Church, school etc. for Christ.
Post a Comment