Flourishing Families: Flourishing Teenagers

February 13, 2022 – Pastor Drew Litwiller

Message Big Idea – Teenagers are a gift from God, both to a family and a church. As we model a life of faith with teenagers, we learn that God is trustworthy for wisdom and guidance. We then can take an intentional approach of forming teens into disciples of Jesus, aimed at dismantling the darkness of our world. Teenagers, therefore, are an integral part of both today and tomorrow’s church.

DIG DEEPER
Reflect on the following sequence of questions. If you are doing this with others, share your responses with them.

LEAN IN >> Think about it.

  • Who or what was among the most influential voices of your teenage years? (Media, family, music, friends) What level of influence does this voice still have in your life today?

LOOK DOWN >> Read the following passages and discuss or reflect on the  the corresponding questions:

  • Read Psalm 127 (in several different versions)

LOOK OUT >> Connect the world of the Bible to our culture.

  • Working hard apart from God produces frustration. Working hard with faith in God produces satisfaction. Where does our world work hard at helping, correcting, or forming teens without being ‘in step’ with God?

LOOK IN >> Go straight to the heart of the matter.

  • Pastor Charlie Dates says that “rest is an unspoken declaration of trust in God.” Trust is the belief that God will sustain us when we are not in control and that He will make a way that we can live into. When was the last time you found yourself resting in God when trials and tribulations set the stage for your experiences?
  • The Church has a communal mandate to model faith and love in Christ. This modeling helps to shape watching teenagers. When we live out our faith, we will ask thoughtfully loving questions to students and listen carefully to their response. Who was a person that engaged you like this in your life? Do you reflect that experience in how you engage with teenagers at church?
  • If you want to have an identity that is sure, be one who knows where they belong, and be empowered to live a life ‘on mission’, you need to be part of a church community. If you choose not to engage in church, you will still be formed and shaped but by a lesser source. Which experience did you have as a teenager, one shaped by the love and faith of a church or one shaped by the world and its worries and wants? How has that influenced your service to the church today?

LIVE IT OUT >> Put it into action.