Reach Out To Our Children and Teens

TEXT:        Psalms 78: 1-7

THESIS:    We are loosing our youth to the world.  God is calling us to reach out to them.

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I.  Reach out to our children and teens before we lose them.

A.     The younger the age, the greater the possibility of leading them to Christ.  Children are more likely to accept Christ than adults are.

B.     Statistics reveal that with each new generation, church attendance is decreasing greatly.

II. Reach out to children and teens with intensity and purpose. (vs.5-6)

A.     God took the initiative to reach out to mankind when we did not deserve it.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5: 6-8

1.      God loved us so much he was compelled to send his one and only son.

2.      God came to us in our lost state.

B.     Adults have a responsibility to pass the baton onto the next generation.

1.      God “commands our forefathers to teach their children”.

III. Reach out to children and teens with our time, talents and resources.

A.     God’s word says:

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save him?  Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."  Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder.  James 2:14-19

Five Ways to be Involved in the Life of a Child or a Teen

1.      Commit to praying for a particular child or teen daily. (at least to adulthood)

2.      Become acquainted with our children and teens.

3.      Sponsor a child or teen for summer camp.

4.      Do not be critical of a young persons taste in clothes, hair style or their choice of Christian

                              music.

5.     Attend a game or function of a child or teen.

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."  I Samuel 16:7