helping our youth

I’m reminded of a story about David early in his life. Saul doesn’t like David and with a price on his head and Saul on his trail he runs. The young David does what most youth do when they are looking for help, he goes to church. Today’s youth are searching for purpose. Do you know why they try drugs? Do you know why they are running to motels at the age of 17 or 18? Or why they are in taverns and nightclubs? They are searching for purpose, and the church needs to supply that purpose. School shootings, terrorist attacks, dangerous “designer” drugs, teen suicide pacts. It seems there is no end to the reasons to fear for our teen’s safety and well-being. In today’s world, teens are likely to encounter more ethical and moral temptations, greater spiritual battles, and more emotional and relational struggles than any other generation in history. Young people’s exposure to sexual temptations, school violence, alcohol, and illegal drugs are some dangerous influences that threatens are youth today. My prayer today is that we do what Ahimelech the priest does when youth walks thru our church doors, TO OFFER NOURISHMENT TO OUR SPIRITUALLY HUNGRY YOUTH GENERATION. Ahimelech at first does what most of our churches do in America today, he is afraid when the young man walks through the door. If we can be truthfully honest a lot of times when a young person walks through our church doors we hesitate to reach out to them.In Mark 10:13-14 Jesus tells us how to treat our youth, “AND THEY BROUGHT YOUNG CHILDREN TO HIM, THAT HE SHOULD TOUCH THEM; AND HIS DISCIPLES REBUKED THOSE THAT BROUGHT THEM. BUT WHEN JESUS SAW IT, HE WAS MUCH DISPLEASED, AND SAID UNTO THEM. SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN TO COME UNTO ME AND FORBID THEM NOT; FOR OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD.” If we will just help our youth, instead of trying to beat them with a wooden stick, pretty soon we would hear them yelling, I WANT TO BE LIKE MY JESUS NO MATTER THE COST. Plan activities, youth services, or lock in’s for your youth group, spend time with the youth and fellowship with them. Jesus spent time with thieves, sluts, and liars so what is it going to hurt for us when the youth walk through the door to love them, hug them, care about them and their needs instead of condemning them. Jesus doesn’t condemn, so what gives us the right to condemn. God said to catch them and he would clean them, but sometimes though we try to do the cleaning ourselves and end up ruining the catch of the day. Young David ask Ahimelech for some food because he is hungry, David is spiritually hungry in need of nourishment for his soul. The only thing he has is holy bread, but he gives it to David. Ahimelech is wondering if just did the right thing, did he brake the law or obeyed a higher law. He decided the higher call was a hungry soul, rather then dot the I of God’s code; he met the need of God’s child. When our youth our spiritually hungry, what are you doing to feed their hunger? Too many times we don’t feed them and they find nourishment in all the wrong places. David also asks for weapon to defend himself. Are we teaching our youth and equipping them with the weapons needed to defend themselves in the spiritual battle their in or are we just putting them on the front line to be slaughter by the enemy so we can say, “I WAS RIGHT THEY WOULDN’T LAST.” David at this point is like most youth in our generation today, he is desperate for help, he has no place to hide from his battle, no food to eat, no recourse, and no resources. They are desperate and looking to go somewhere for help. My prayer for all of us today is that they can go to God’s sanctuary, to church and that we would open our hearts to them. I pray that each one of us would be an Ahimelech, a church leader with a heart for the desperate souls of our youth. Ahimelech feeds David’s soul and gives him a weapon for his battle. David came to church hungry and weaponless and leaves with a bellyful of bread and the sword of a giant. When youth leave church are their bellies full and equipped for battle or are they looking to the streets to fill their hunger and looking for a shotgun to defend themselves from abuse, neglect, or being made fun of. Pastor and author Eugene Peterson wrote one time and had this comment, “A SANCTUARY IS WHERE WE GET BREAD AND SWORD, STRENGTH FOR THE DAY AND WEAPONS FOR THE FIGHT.” Bread and the whole armor of God, food and equipment, the church exists to provide both to our youth. Do we succeed in doing so? Not always, youth-helping is never a tidy trade. Young people enter church seeking shelter from angry Saul’s such as abuse, neglect, broken hearted, and pressure of society. Ahimelechs of the church (leaders, teachers, pastors,) are called to provide shelter for youth generation. Jesus calls the church to lean in the direction of compassion. At the end of the day, the question is not how many laws were broken but rather, how many desperate David’s (young people) were nourished and equipped? Ahimelech TEACHES THE CHURCH TO PURSUE THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW MORE THAN ITS LETTER. David stumbles in this story, desperate young people will most of the time, but at least he stumbles into the right place-into God’s sanctuary, where God meets and ministers to hopeless hearts. When youth come thru our doors we should bring bread for their souls, and a sword for their struggle. My prayer is that our churches BE A HERO, MOBILIZES, DISCIPLES, AND EQUIP THE YOUTH OF THE NATION, TO LOVE AND CARE FOR THEM, AND TO OFFER NOURISHMENT TO OUR SPIRITUALLY HUNGRY YOUTH GENERATION