Introduction

One of my guilty pleasures in life is gummy candy. Sour Patch Kids, Gummy Worms, Gummy Bears, Sour Punch Straw…you name it, I’ve probably tried it, and I probably liked it. I could eat candy at most any time of day. I’m sure when I was a child I asked my parents to eat candy, or ice cream for breakfast. And I’m sure, like mature adults, they told me no. Candy for breakfast, or any meal for that matter, would be very bad for your body. As I have grown up, not only am I thankful that I was never allowed to get into the habit of eating candy for breakfast, I now understand it is neither good, nor right to eat candy for breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it necessary that we eat a good breakfast that will give our bodies the fuel to carry on the day. 

Candy Group

    Sometimes though, you have a little candy. Perhaps for dessert, on a car ride, or on a “cheat day,” we will allow ourselves and our kids to have some of that guilty pleasure. I’m sure you, the parent reading this, knows that you must teach your kids that candy is a once-in-a-while treat, and not the regular source of nutrients. So we should be teaching our children, and our teenagers about Children’s and Youth Group church. 

    As a Youth Pastor, I thoroughly enjoyed getting the chance to lead Youth Bible studies and worship services that speak directly to the heart of issues students are facing, and can be packaged in a way that is appealing to teens and their friends. These special bibles studies are some of the best times to build relationships with students, and prepare them for living the Christian life. There is a good way, and a bad way to do “Youth Group Church,” but perhaps more on that another day. Yes, “Youth Group Church” is like candy. It is a treat that should not be the regular expectation of our children, or else they will grow up expecting the Sunday Morning gathering to taste just the same way. 

A Hardy Meal   

    The Sunday Morning gathering of the Saints needs to be the hardy meal that will give you the nutrients and strength to take on the week. That’s kind of the whole point. We gather on the Lord’s Day, the first day of week, to set the tone of rest in the gospel and strength in Christ, for the rest of week. We do this by singing theologically rich songs, praying together, seeing each other’s faces, encouraging one another, and hearing God’s Word proclaimed through the Preacher. This is the Eggs, Bacon, and toast of breakfast. This is not the time to eat Gummy Worms. This is not the time to eat candy or ice cream. This is the time to eat that which will give you strength, not flatter your taste buds (flatter: to lavish insincere praise and compliments). Eggs and bacon are delicious in their own right. They do not taste like gummy candy, but they give us strength that candy certainly cannot. 

A Bunch of Grown Up Kids

    We, the American church, are raising a bunch of grown up kids. A bunch of little boys that can shave, and little girls that can get pregnant. Filling churches these days are those who have developed physically, but never developed mentally, emotionally, or SPIRITUALLY. Grown ups who have the mental and spiritual wherewithal of their children. They attended Youth Group church as kids, but their parents failed to teach them the difference between candy and breakfast. Therefore, they grew up thinking they could eat candy for their most important meal. They sit in pews and chairs expecting to be tantalized and entertained as they were in Youth Group church. They expect the sermon to be much lower and “more down to earth,” which truly means they desire a Youth-Pastor-type to dumb things down for them. They want candy for breakfast, and what they need is a hardy meal. John MacArthur once said, “we are living in the age of ‘Junior Church.’ We Used to have ‘Junior Church’ for the 4th and 5th graders, now ‘Junior Church’ is in the Sanctuary.” 

Is This You? 

    Perhaps you attend church and wish that certain songs were sang instead of others. Maybe you wish the music was a little more contemporary. Maybe you feel most comfortable in jeans and nice shirt, rather than a suit. There are many ways in which church differences can be chalked up to differently calibrated consciences. But, there are many ways in which they cannot. Perhaps you wish your church would only sings songs that you like, preach sermons that are stand-up comedy routines and motivational speeches. Perhaps you are the kind of person that wishes church would look and feel like the Youth Group church you went to as a teen. 

    If this is you, please understand that I don’t want you to feel ashamed. I want you to understand that the Lord has a much better plan for you. The Holy and perfect God of the universe desires you to experience true church, and eat those eggs and bacon that will give you strength. The Lord wants you to come into the fullness of relationship with Him, and one way He accomplished this is not just by you attending a church, but being truly filled when you gather with the saints. 

To The Parent

    Perhaps you have grown out of the Youth Group church mindset, and you want your kids to experience the fullness of church when they grow up. START NOW. Disciple them now, and help them begin understanding that the Sunday Morning gathering is the most important thing the church does. Help them understand that Children’s church, or Youth Group church is a treat (dessert), and they should expect to grow up and experience God’s great plan (the hardy meal). 

For His Glory,

Alan

Bible Passages That Inspired This Article

1 Corinthians 13:11 “11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” 

2 Timothy 4:1-4 “1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”