A church for all ages.

Gary Boyd

Refresher Course • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago

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Who are we responsible for reaching?

Last week we talked about the purpose of our church.

We are to evangelize.

We are to baptize.

We are to train.

One thing I have noticed is that some churches seem to only be interested in reaching a certain demographic.

Children

Teens

Seniors

In Psalm 89 the author, a man named Ethan states that he will “make known thy faithfulness to all generations.”

All ages of people need to hear about Jesus.

There is not age limit placed on the great commission.

With that in mind, I’d like to spend the next two weeks dealing with the issue of a church for all ages.

Reaching Children

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record the instance of the children coming to Jesus.

Luke 18:16 “16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”

We know how the disciples stood in the way of the children.

Their disruption threatened to distract the adult who had come to hear Jesus.

Jesus, of course rebuked the disciples and warned them and us about forbidding a child to come to Christ.

Although I seriously doubt that anyone in this church would verbally deny a child that wanted to come to Christ, does forbiddance need to be verbally spoken?

Are there other ways that we as adults might prevent a child from coming to Jesus?

What would you say is the most important ingredient for the children’s ministry at the Baptist Tabernacle?

Discipline?

Instruction?

Fun?

What about Love?

The kind of love that we have talked about from 1 Corinthians 13.

We know that this is referring to all inter-church relationships.

Shouldn’t that apply to the children as well?

1 Corinthians 13:1–3 KJV 1900

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

This sounds kind of like my ministry to children, teens, and adults are dependent upon my ability to demonstrate biblical love.

We like to point to youth ministry and young adult ministry as the culprits for the tendency of some to leave church when they graduate.

Personality is cemented between 3yrs and 1st grade.

What happens to a child between the ages of 9-12 will largely instruct the course of their life.

Before a kid even enters the youth group, their personality and life direction are already firmly in place.

You will have kids come through your class that rarely hear a kind word or compliment outside of church.

You will have parents that only ever hear how bad there kids are...

These people need to find love at church.

This ought to make us take a step back and really consider our approach to children’s ministry.

We cannot assume at any level, that we can afford to waste time or put in half effort.

Of course, both of theses mentalities are unbiblical.

We are to “redeem the time” that we are given.

Whatever our hands finds to do, we are to do it with our might.

That should apply to children’s ministry.

We only have a short time to influence the lives of these children.

The importance of what takes place in those kids’ classrooms can not be understated.

They have the highest probability of accepting Jesus during those ages.

Their attitude about church is being shaped during these ages.

The things that they learn and the verses they memorize will stay with them throughout their life.

None of this will come to pass, if we do not show them love.

Remember how 1 Corinthians 13 concludes, “13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

We want to reach children, and we want to do so with love.

Reaching Teens

We have a few examples in the Bible of teenagers who served the Lord.

Samuel and David immediately come to my mind.

The boy with a lunch that Jesus used to feed thousands.

Jesus, Himself, is another example of a teenager that behaved well.

We want our teens to make a successful transition from childhood to adulthood.

David expresses this desire in Psalm 144:12 “12 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; That our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:”

The years that they spend in the youth group are certainly battleground years.

There are many influences vying for their attention and affection.

Marketers understand the buying power of a teenager.

Peers are looking to influence teens to be just like them.

Influencers are looking to add to their audience.

App makers are looking for users.

…the list goes on.

Teens are beginning to feel like everyone is just trying to use them or get something from them

Teens are also more perceptive than we give them credit for.

Growing up with social media possessing parents, they know there is a disparity between what is posted and what is real.

Though they may be obsessed with their device, deep down they know that it is not real.

Unfortunately, youth ministry is not exempt from reinforcing these perceptions.

We want our ministry to youth to promote authenticity not hypocrisy.

Hypocrisy in ministry is a deadly problem.

Jeremiah prophesied repeatedly in his book against the hypocrisy of the pastors/spiritual leaders of Israel.

Jesus often rebuked the pharisees and the spiritual leaders of his day for their hypocrisy as well.

We are familiar with what Jesus said in Matthew 23:27 “27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.”

Just a few verses earlier He also painted this lovely picture in Matthew 23:25 “25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.”

Hypocrisy delegitimizes what we are trying to accomplish.

It gives teens a reason to discredit what we say.

From the top down, we want to be authentic in our relationship with Jesus.

We want to practice what we preach.

This means promoting authenticity in the leaders that we want our teens to look up to.

Youth Pastor

Youth Workers

Parents

Other adults in the church.

What affect does it have on a teenager to sit in church and be challenged on different fronts only to watch their spiritual leaders and examples disregard the clear message of the Bible?

Do as I say, not as I do, has never worked and never will.

They need to hear and see our message equally passionately presented.

How much harm is done, when a teenager hears a message on bitterness and then watches an adult “leader” demonstrate bitterness.

How much harm is done when we talk about respect for authority and then proceed to tear down the authorities in our life that we disagree with?

This is to say nothing about matters of purity, language, addictions, and other vices.

If the teens of our youth group are going to reject what we are trying to teach them let it not be due to the hypocrisy they saw in us.

Reaching Young Adults

So far, we have seen a need for love and authenticity in our ministry to children and teens.

What about young adults, though?

What is the word that should describe our attempts to reach those people that are leaving adolescence and entering into full adulthood?

The one thing young adults are looking for is respect.

Romans 12:10 says “10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;”

Respect is often wrongfully withheld from young adults for no reason other than their age.

Think about a young adult that has grown up in a church for their entire life.

They have been a part of the church longer than most of the staff, some of the officers, and maybe even the pastor.

They have watched through the good times and the bad times at the church and have had little say in their involvement.

Now, they have graduated from the youth group and entered the adult ministries of the church.

In their mind, they are now a fully connected member of the church.

Then they are told they are not because they are in their 20’s and don’t really know what they’re talking about.

Their singleness and childlessness are a detriment to them.

Maybe even the mistakes of their childhood are held up as examples of their immaturity.

This is a sad reality for many young adults.

We say that young adults have to make their parents’ faith their own, but how can they do that if their parents’ church won’t let them?

This is why we have made changes to our mission committee.

It is mostly young men.

This is why we are trying every week to connect our young adults with places of service.

There are many other places where young adults can get involved.

When a young adult makes an effort to contribute to the ministry of the church, what kind of welcome will they receive from the older, more experienced workers?

Will they be treated as a second-class helper?

Will they be allowed to make mistakes or do things a little differently than they have always been done?

I know Paul wrote and told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12 “12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

Sometimes it seems that older generations are looking for reasons to despise the younger generation.

This should not be the case in a church context.

We can prefer one another regardless of age difference.

We have a calling to train the next generation.

If you are a long-time member of the Baptist Tabernacle, then I know that you want to see the church continue on beyond your time.

That requires us to allow the next generations to gain experience.

That requires us to allow the next generation to occupy leadership positions.

A willingness to do take these steps, is a sign of respect for the younger generations.

It helps them connect with the church on a deeper level.

Just like they must make their faith personal, they must also make the church personal to them.

They are going to want to put their own touch on the church just like their parents and grandparents did.

Reaching Adults

Fellowship

Reaching Seniors

Remembrance

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