II Corinthians 4:18, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
Being Part of Something Greater
Research shows that teens today have a desire to be part of something greater than themselves. They want to making a difference. They want to accomplish something of great significance, but many don’t know how or where to begin.
Jesus’s Ministry
Let’s travel back to A.D. 27. It is when Bible scholars agree that Jesus began his public ministry. Close your eyes and imagine what it must have been like to have been one of the twelve disciples Jesus chose to be part of his earthly ministry. What qualifications did he look for? What would be required of them? And what was their response when invited to be part of this group of world-changers?
Most of The Disciples Were Teenagers
Did you know that most of the disciples were teenagers? In Matthew 17:24-27 we read, After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”
“Yes, he does,” he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak, “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?”
“From others,” Peter answered. “Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”
According to Jewish law, any and every male over twenty years of age was required to pay an offering of one-half shekel when visiting God’s temple. The equivalent of one shekel was one four-drachma coin as recorded in Exodus 30:13-15 Why is this important? Because if Jesus could empower a group of teens to love, follow, and obey Him to help lead a movement still impacting the world two thousand years later, He can do the same today. Think about it, he used a youth group to change the world.
We want teens to know that following Jesus wholeheartedly allows them to embark on an adventure of a lifetime. My prayer is that the Prayer Covenant resources will help you minister to your teens, inviting them re-focus their priorities from the temporal–the here-and-now to the eternal–what awaits them and is yet unseen.
