TODAY’S APPROACH TO YOUTH WORK

As I read the advertisements that are coming across my desk I can not help but notice that modern youth ministry is nothing more than worldly entertainment. The same type of worldly entertainment that was preached against a generation ago. Now instead of singing “What can wash away my sin? – - – Nothing but the blood of Jesus” we bring in some long hared maggot infested homosexual looking rock and roll singers and call it a Christian concert. Afterwards a “youth speaker” will get up and give a 10-minute devotional out of whatever “version” he is trying to sell so that our kids will feel better about themselves and achieve self-esteem.

Instead of singing spiritual songs around the campfire at our church camps we have worldly styled concerts. Instead of preachers we have “speakers”, and instead of Bible doctrine we have pop psychology. Our Youth conferences are no longer 5 days of preaching, but rather the kids are taken to amusement parks, water parks, zoos, beaches, and other such things during the day and then after they are too tired to do anything but sleep they are brought to the big auditorium where they will sing shallow, meaningless songs that have only 10 words repeated 1,000 times and given a pep talk by some “youth speaker” who refuses to preach against their sin for fear that he may offend someone.

There is no preaching against sin, no encouragement to holy living, no emphasis on doctrine, and no separation from the world.

Malachi 3:6 “For I am the LORD, I change not”

• If the King James Bible was the Word of God a generation ago then it is still the Word of God today!
• If TV and Hollywood movies and rock music, and rap music, and country music, and all other types of worldly amusements were sin a generation ago then they are sin today!
• If liquor and tobacco were a sin a generation ago then they are a sin today!
• If mixed bathing was a sin a generation ago then it is a sin today!
• If short shorts and britches and miniskirts were sinful attire a generation ago then they are sinful attire today!
• If fondling and petting were sinful a generation ago then they are sinful today!
• If it was sin a generation ago, if it was modernism a generation ago, if it was worldliness a generation ago, then it is still wicked today!

Psalm 119: 89 says, “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” We can re-write the Bible every six months and come out with 120 more “versions”, but God’s Word DOES NOT CHANGE! Therefore we should not change. And neither should we compromise!

Romans 10:14, “And how shall they hear without a preacher?”

I am saved today because a preacher took the Bible, preached against my sin, and fearlessly proclaimed the Gospel. First Corinthians 1:21 says, “it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” If our teenagers are going to be saved then we need to get rid of the “youth speakers” and bring back the preachers.

Tags: youthministry, preaching, compromise, worldliness, kjv, jesus christ