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What We Are About and Why?

Whose Youth Group Is It?

 

There are many viable claims to ownership – the youth, the leaders and the church. Even the parents might want to raise their hands. Each has a valid argument as the group would not exist without any one of them.

 

The problem with these answers is that they breed disunity. They have the potential to lead to a giant game of tug-of-war where each group tries to pull the Youth Group in the direction of their own individual wants.

The earth is the LORD's,

  and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in it;

for he founded it upon the seas

  and established it upon the waters.

Psalm 24:1-2

 

Psalm 24 tells us that since God created everything, He owns everything. That means God owns the church, the youth and the leaders. They are all from Him and are to be for Him. So, whose Youth Group is it? Ultimately, the youth group belongs to God.

 

This fact brings unity. Once we have accepted God’s ownership, our question changes from what we want to what God wants. Now we are all asking the same question and seeking the same answer.

What Does God Want?

 

Before we look at the answer to this question, just consider why we should seek the answer in regard to Youth Group.

 

What God wants is a reflection of who He is:

 

  • God is wise and so what God wants will be wise. It will have the best outcome in view.

  • God is love, and so what God wants will be good for everyone.

  • God is overwhelmingly happy. He is the creator of taste, smell, colour, lightning, weird looking animals, and mud. He is not boring and what He wants won’t be either.

  • God is the giver of life and the Saviour from sin and death. What He wants will be life-promoting.

  • God is eternal, and what He wants will reflect an eternal perspective. It will not be a time filler, but something of ultimate significance that will have effects for all eternity.

So, whether you eat or drink,

  or whatever you do,

do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31

 

I’m sure you can think of many answers to the question of what God wants. 1 Corinthians 10:31 expresses the big umbrella want that incorporates all other wants.

 

It tells us that God wants every aspect of our lives to be about Him. He wants our lives to be a display of the greatness of who He is. He wants people to see in us the beauty, excellency, value, wisdom, power, love, trustworthiness, and holiness of God through the way we live. Since Youth Group is an aspect of life, He wants what we do at Youth Group to be to the glory of God too.

What Is God's Mission?

 

Now that we have God’s big umbrella want before us, we need to ask what mission or task will give shape to how we as a Youth Group will seek to glorify Him?

 

This task is best seen in the commission Jesus gave His followers just before He returned to His Father in heaven. As a result of the universal authority Jesus has been given, He calls us to bring all of creation under His authority by making disciples of Jesus.

 

Jesus wants us to be disciples who make disciples. That is the life that will glorify God. That is what He wants Youth Group to be about.

 

If you are wondering what a disciple is, it is basically a person who is growing in these 3 areas:

  • Knowing Christ

  • Being like Christ

  • Making Christ known

How then do we make disciples? The answer to this question is seen in the commands that accompany the main command to make disciples.

 

Go – This is a command to get active. We have to take the initiative and be intentional about disciple making.

 

Baptising them – Baptism signifies the start of the Christian life. It has in view the pre-Christian part of disciple making, where the focus is on bringing a person to Jesus. We do this through evangelism (telling them the good news about who Jesus is and what He has done).

 

Teaching them – Jesus makes clear through the words ‘to observe’ that the goal of teaching is not knowledge, but obedience to Jesus. The second stage of making disciples involves training and equipping people to live in total obedience to Jesus.

How Will We Do This?

 

A wise youth pastor once said, “programmes must serve your vision.” The programmes we operate will no doubt change from time to time depending on the circumstances, but they will always be intentionally shaped in relation to God’s vision of discipleship. They will all fall into one of three stages:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.Bringing in – This stage reflects the command to ‘baptise’. Programmes in this category will be focused on bringing unbelievers to Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

 

2.Building up – This stage reflects the command to ‘teach’. Programmes in this category will be focused on training and equipping the youth to live lives of total obedience to Jesus.

 

3.Sending out – This stage reflects the command to ‘go’. Programmes in this category will be focused on training and equipping the youth to proclaim the good news of Jesus to others, and to answer any objections they may face.

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