We're
Not Going to Lose Them Anymore
"I was raised in the church, but there are just so many things about the
Christian faith I find so unbelievable. How could a loving God send people to
hell? Why does he allow so much pain on earth? There are millions of Muslims in
the Middle East who believe in Allah with all their hearts. Are you going to
tell me that they're all wrong?"
So many of the young adults in our youth groups return from their first year in
the "real" world downcast and doubting. Ask anyone you know who grew
up in the church and has fallen away from the Christian faith why he or she
doesn't trust and believe in Jesus Christ. The person will either point to the
behavior of Christians or to one of the questions found in this book. Is the
message of the gospel so illogical? Is Christian morality and truth so stale
and easily forgotten? Why are we losing the ones we have worked so hard to
bring to Jesus?
Whether you're a youth pastor or volunteer youth worker, your group must prepare
for the philosophical onslaught that is soon to come. This book offers the
opportunity to help your students grapple with the big questions of
Christianity in a safe Christian environment. Christianity is not illogical,
irrelevant, or untrue. The discussions in this book will help your group see
how rational and vitally important Christianity is today. Use this book to
prepare your group. We're not going to lose them anymore.
How to Use This Book
Before each meeting, photocopy the Christian perspective, the "Faith
Challenge" page, and the "My Response" page for each person.
This book is designed to provide the "substance" of your meetings.
You may want to begin your meeting with food, drinks, and fellowship. For the
last ten minutes of the food time, have group members read the Christian
perspective of the lesson and complete the journaling section that follows. If
you don't have time to do this during the meeting, have group members complete
the reading and journaling before the meeting. You might also want to suggest
that everyone in your group memorize the Scripture following the journaling
section before the meeting. But if you have time, have group members memorize
the Scripture during the meeting. Test each other on the Scripture throughout
the meeting time.
Then use the rest of the lesson to lead discussion. Before you start
discussion, you may want to set down some rules. You can come up with these as
a group or use the following suggestions.
Before the discussion, pray that God will help you understand and find his truth.
Ask God to take your group where he wants it to go.
During your discussions, you may encounter difficult questions that no one in
your group can answer. When this happens, encourage your students to
investigate the questions through outside reading, prayer, studying Scripture,
discussion with their pastor, discussion with their parents, or discussion with
respected adults in your church. Make sure you follow up on the question the
following week. It's OK to have questions about faith, but it's foolish to let
the questions linger without a sincere attempt at finding accurate answers.
But sometimes it takes a considerable amount of time and study before you
arrive at an answer that satisfies the question. As your students search and
wait, help them remember the prayer that one man said to Jesus, "I do
believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24).