TAKE YOUR TEEN TO CHURCH

Do you have a teenager?
If you do, take them to church!
Sorry if I sound bossy but I'm pretty passionate about this.

If you have a teen you need to take them to church on a regular basis.
You have to make church a family priority.
I know, I know....You have sports.
So, do we.
Your teen has too much school work.
So does mine. Church is approximately 90 minutes. Our teens spend way more time on social media on a daily basis.
Your teen whines, complains, and wants to sleep in.
So does mine.
My response is, "Get up. You're going."
She lives in our house, she goes.

I know some of you are going to say that sounds harsh.
It's not.
If they are sick, do you take them to the doctor?
If they have a toothache, do you take them to the dentist?
If they are struggling in school, do you get them a tutor?
If they are in competitive sports, do you get them private coaching?

Most of us in the western church, are going to say yes. We would do anything for our children. Yet, we will neglect their souls. The salvation of their soul is so much more important than sports, academics, and even their future careers. Without having a foundation of Jesus, they will encounter the storms of life and falter. Teens today are facing enormous challenges. They are struggling with identity crises, social media addiction, drug addiction, pornography at their finger tips, depression, anxiety, and increasing suicide rates.

Your teens are going to say, "Church is boring."
Mine just did this Sunday.
I'll ask her, "Did you get a nugget of wisdom from the message of the Bible?"
"Well, yeah....they said that we can get very distracted and stressed with everything in our life, like school and sports, and we need to rest in Jesus."

That's it! One nugget of gold from God's treasure chest of wisdom and love.
One jewel hidden in her heart. And, then next week another little jewel and another and another and so on.

I have a rule in my house, if one of my daughter's friends spend the night on Saturday, they go to church with us on Sunday.
So, Sunday, as I'm walking to church with my daughter and her friend,
I ask them, "Why is going to church important?"
My daughter tells her friend, "Be careful, it's a trick question."
My kid is so funny!
Her friend says, "I don't know?"

I tell her, "Going to church is offering God our sacrifice of time. We are prioritizing Him in our life. We often pray for God to bless us in school, in sports, in relationships, etc. We want Him to pour out His blessing on us, yet we are not even willing to give Him 90 minutes one day a week. He is saying to us, 'I want your heart, I want to bless you, but will you take time to be with Me?' He says to seek Him first, in everything, and then He will give us what we need in this life."

If, as a parent, my teen does not see me prioritize God in my life, by modeling going to church, reading my Bible, and praying, why will she?
If those things are not necessary in my life, she will wonder why they are necessary in her life. However, if I can't live without God, His Word, and being surrounded by Believers, then maybe she'll wonder if she can't live without them. Well, that is my prayer anyways.

Many Christians have stopped going to church. They no longer prioritize it. Some will say they do "home church." I recently heard one of my favorite pastors say that his church started providing online live-stream of his services, and he noticed that his attendance went way down. People who had attended his church for years, now told him that they loved the live-stream because they could stay home in their pajamas, drink coffee, and "do" church. The pastor could not believe it! He said, "That is not church. If you are bed-ridden or ill, then online services are for you. But, if you are able-bodied then you need to get into church."

Why?
Jesus is the head of the church. And, yes you could argue that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit so we are the church but....
God said, "Don't neglect meeting together, as other people do, but encourage one another, especially as you see the day of Jesus' return approaching." (Hebrews 10:25) That was a prophetic warning from God. God knew that in the Last Days, Christians would fall away from the faith because they would neglect the assembly of Believers. They would prioritize and idolize the world and they would put aside God from their life. Then, because they were isolated, the Devil would have an easier time targeting them. That is why, God said, "Don't stop getting together with other Believers. You need each other to stay strong. Encourage one another. Where two or more are gathered in My Name, I am in their midst." The Last Days are going to be scary, ugly, and confusing. Look around, we are already in the Last Days. We need to surround ourselves with those who are filled with God's Spirit, who can discern Biblical truth from the world's lies, and with those who will pray with us. Most Christians don't read their Bibles on a daily bases. At least, if they attend a Bible teaching church they will be fed scripture one a week. It's not great but it's better than nothing. Without being part of a church, we are living our Christian life, isolated and we are easy prey for the Devil, who roams around like a roaring lion seeking who he will devour.

Taking your teen to church is no guarantee that they will not stray from the faith. Many will fall away in the last days. We already see it and we've already been warned. But, as for my teen, I'm holding on to God's promise - "Train up a child in the way they should go, and when they are old they will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6 (EVS)
Also, look at the story of Job. God called him a blameless and upright man. The Bible says that on a regular bases, Job would gather his children and offer burnt offerings for them for the forgiveness of their sins. He made sure his children had "church" regularly. The Bible says Job feared God and shunned evil. God praised Him for his dedication to the LORD.

So, if my child falls away, it will not because of me. I will have done all I can to train her up. I will pray for her and with her daily. I will encourage her to read her Bible. I will share scripture with her daily, even if I have to text it or put it on social media. I will model total dependence on God in every aspect and decision in our life. I will model praying for others. And, as for me and my family, as long as they are under my roof, we will go to church.

So, if you have a teen, for their sake find a Bible teaching, Spirit-filled church and go as a family. Don't let them be like those other people who will be caught unaware by the return of Jesus. As parents, it is our job to be the watchman on the wall, to be informed of the signs of the times, and to stand firm in the faith. Then, and only then, can we expect our children to do the same. 

Love,
Yolanda

This morning, I woke up doubting this blog post, thinking it was too harsh. But, The LORD led me to this scripture and confirmed the message - take your teens to church:

Ephesians 4:11-16 (NLT)
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.