A Message to Unsaved Teenagers
You know, a lot of old folk in the Church see you as a lost generation. They weep for you in deepest despair, as you grow up in a post-Christian society where sin reigns supreme and Jesus is nothing but a cuss-word. They think you are doomed.
I am not one of those people. When I see a group of young people like yourselves, goofing off at 7 Eleven or making a racket on your way home from high school, I feel a great surge of affection. I smile warmly as I pass you by, shaking my head in hope and wonder.
Every time I see or even contemplate you incredible young people, bravely navigating the troubled waters of your complicated time, I think to myself, ‘You kids have no idea. You have no idea of the Joy and amazement that is about to hit your generation like a freight train.’
I look at today's teenagers, and I see sleeping giants. I see an army of unstoppable power that, as a result of decades of change and lies and controversy, just doesn't quite know what to do with that power.
You are indeed lost, but not in the sense of being evil or hopeless like so many of my Christian peers so foolishly assume.
You are just waiting. Whether you know it or not, you are waiting for something, some external force, to help you understand the purpose of the absolutely unprecedented power that lies within you.
And I do mean unprecedented. You are, with no serious competition, the most powerful generation in the history of the world. The technological wonders you have been trained on since birth were beyond the wildest imaginings even of your parents. Your brains have been fine-tuned to express yourselves, to communicate, to seek knowledge, and to understand social issues with a razor-sharp precision and efficiency that the world has never seen before.
You are the most dangerous generation in history.
But we must return to the problem: you are still waiting. The God of the Bible has been banished from a once-Christian nation, and in the absence of eternity you are being inundated with false causes that I think you know deep down are tiny, trendy and superficial, designed from the ground up to keep you ticked off and distracted.
Just beneath your full consciousness, I think you know that these causes are not worthy of beings of such immense power as you. Why would anyone fight for a cause smaller than they are?
Let me explain something to you: Jesus Christ is not smaller than you are, and his cause is eternally the greatest thing in the history of the universe he created. It is a cause not of self-interest or petty controversy, but of noble rebellion, selfless courage, and infinite love. It involves infuriating the highest authorities and breaking the chains of slavery. It is a timeless cause that ordinary men and women have championed for two thousand years. It is the ultimate adventure that has generated heroes that will be celebrated for all time and forever.
And now, it's your turn. Jesus is calling you. You, the most powerful humans of all time, are being called to duty under the Son of God Himself.
Jesus is Truth Itself, and his Truth is always simple. In the midst of the insane, complicated claptrap you are being bombarded with on all sides, all you have to do is give Jesus your undivided attention and you will hear two words. Two words that express the sweet simplicity of his call to your heart and life:
‘Follow me.’
Follow Jesus, and he will take you places you cannot now imagine, both in the world, and within yourself. He will pave a straight path for you through the maze in which you are now trapped. He will show you a new way of looking at life and yourself that transforms the way you see both.
He will obliterate any notion that you are some meaningless accidental speck and show you that he always meant for you to shine bigger and brighter than the sun for ever and ever.
It scares me. Everything about God scares me, but the idea of your generation, on fire for the Lord, using your limitless knowledge and intellect and tools for his glory, to cause the right kind of trouble…
The H-bomb would be a lesser power than what God can do through you.
But it must begin for you where it has begun with every generation: you must confess that you are sinners, admit you need a Saviour, give your lives to Jesus Christ and spend real time getting to know him in the Bible.
And this is where we come in. The old folks. The generations who came before you.
We cannot achieve what you can achieve. But we can give you the understanding you need to achieve it. I could not be the man of God I am today without the wisdom and support of Christians much more experienced than myself.
So go to Church. If your parents forbid you, go anyway. Talk to the pastor or priest and tell them you want to know more about Jesus. Ask them to set you up with an experienced mentor who can guide you through the crucial basics of understanding him.
Now let's get one thing clear: I am not a teenager. I’m not old, thank you very much, I’m only 38, but I sure ain’t no teenager! I don't understand half of what you crazy kids do!
But I do understand that that doesn't matter. Because Jesus understands. He understands your generation, and he understands each and every one of you as individuals. He can meet you right where you are, and begin the most astonishing relationship with you as you are. God knows you better than you know yourself, and he does not want to turn you into something you're not, but make you more yourself than you have ever been.
So pick up a Bible and read the Gospel of Luke. Here you will encounter Jesus, God in human form, and get your first taste of just how much he loves you. How infinitely far out of his way he was willing to go to save you, to set you free, to just be your friend.
My young friends, a revolution lies buried in your hearts, and very bad men and women have prevented it long enough. I think you young people are waking up to the fact that you are being deceived, and that you are worth so much more than you are being told to believe.
And Jesus is that waking voice. The Son of God, in whose beaming light all the forces of darkness cower and flee, is speaking to you. He longs to lead you to a destiny you never knew was possible. So seek him out.
Good hunting.
You know, a lot of old folk in the Church see you as a lost generation. They weep for you in deepest despair, as you grow up in a post-Christian society where sin reigns supreme and Jesus is nothing but a cuss-word. They think you are doomed.
I am not one of those people. When I see a group of young people like yourselves, goofing off at 7 Eleven or making a racket on your way home from high school, I feel a great surge of affection. I smile warmly as I pass you by, shaking my head in hope and wonder.
Every time I see or even contemplate you incredible young people, bravely navigating the troubled waters of your complicated time, I think to myself, ‘You kids have no idea. You have no idea of the Joy and amazement that is about to hit your generation like a freight train.’
I look at today's teenagers, and I see sleeping giants. I see an army of unstoppable power that, as a result of decades of change and lies and controversy, just doesn't quite know what to do with that power.
You are indeed lost, but not in the sense of being evil or hopeless like so many of my Christian peers so foolishly assume.
You are just waiting. Whether you know it or not, you are waiting for something, some external force, to help you understand the purpose of the absolutely unprecedented power that lies within you.
And I do mean unprecedented. You are, with no serious competition, the most powerful generation in the history of the world. The technological wonders you have been trained on since birth were beyond the wildest imaginings even of your parents. Your brains have been fine-tuned to express yourselves, to communicate, to seek knowledge, and to understand social issues with a razor-sharp precision and efficiency that the world has never seen before.
You are the most dangerous generation in history.
But we must return to the problem: you are still waiting. The God of the Bible has been banished from a once-Christian nation, and in the absence of eternity you are being inundated with false causes that I think you know deep down are tiny, trendy and superficial, designed from the ground up to keep you ticked off and distracted.
Just beneath your full consciousness, I think you know that these causes are not worthy of beings of such immense power as you. Why would anyone fight for a cause smaller than they are?
Let me explain something to you: Jesus Christ is not smaller than you are, and his cause is eternally the greatest thing in the history of the universe he created. It is a cause not of self-interest or petty controversy, but of noble rebellion, selfless courage, and infinite love. It involves infuriating the highest authorities and breaking the chains of slavery. It is a timeless cause that ordinary men and women have championed for two thousand years. It is the ultimate adventure that has generated heroes that will be celebrated for all time and forever.
And now, it's your turn. Jesus is calling you. You, the most powerful humans of all time, are being called to duty under the Son of God Himself.
Jesus is Truth Itself, and his Truth is always simple. In the midst of the insane, complicated claptrap you are being bombarded with on all sides, all you have to do is give Jesus your undivided attention and you will hear two words. Two words that express the sweet simplicity of his call to your heart and life:
‘Follow me.’
Follow Jesus, and he will take you places you cannot now imagine, both in the world, and within yourself. He will pave a straight path for you through the maze in which you are now trapped. He will show you a new way of looking at life and yourself that transforms the way you see both.
He will obliterate any notion that you are some meaningless accidental speck and show you that he always meant for you to shine bigger and brighter than the sun for ever and ever.
It scares me. Everything about God scares me, but the idea of your generation, on fire for the Lord, using your limitless knowledge and intellect and tools for his glory, to cause the right kind of trouble…
The H-bomb would be a lesser power than what God can do through you.
But it must begin for you where it has begun with every generation: you must confess that you are sinners, admit you need a Saviour, give your lives to Jesus Christ and spend real time getting to know him in the Bible.
And this is where we come in. The old folks. The generations who came before you.
We cannot achieve what you can achieve. But we can give you the understanding you need to achieve it. I could not be the man of God I am today without the wisdom and support of Christians much more experienced than myself.
So go to Church. If your parents forbid you, go anyway. Talk to the pastor or priest and tell them you want to know more about Jesus. Ask them to set you up with an experienced mentor who can guide you through the crucial basics of understanding him.
Now let's get one thing clear: I am not a teenager. I’m not old, thank you very much, I’m only 38, but I sure ain’t no teenager! I don't understand half of what you crazy kids do!
But I do understand that that doesn't matter. Because Jesus understands. He understands your generation, and he understands each and every one of you as individuals. He can meet you right where you are, and begin the most astonishing relationship with you as you are. God knows you better than you know yourself, and he does not want to turn you into something you're not, but make you more yourself than you have ever been.
So pick up a Bible and read the Gospel of Luke. Here you will encounter Jesus, God in human form, and get your first taste of just how much he loves you. How infinitely far out of his way he was willing to go to save you, to set you free, to just be your friend.
My young friends, a revolution lies buried in your hearts, and very bad men and women have prevented it long enough. I think you young people are waking up to the fact that you are being deceived, and that you are worth so much more than you are being told to believe.
And Jesus is that waking voice. The Son of God, in whose beaming light all the forces of darkness cower and flee, is speaking to you. He longs to lead you to a destiny you never knew was possible. So seek him out.
Good hunting.
