When I was given the responsibility of being the youth leader of my church I did not know what to do. I did not feel ready to be a youth teacher. I wasn’t even ready to be a youth leader. I wasn’t youth and I was not a leader. I sought the opinions of a lot many people on how to conduct a youth class, never having participated in one myself. However I know the youth of today by virtue of my experience as a teacher. Using that as my background I chalked up my own lesson plan which I believe would be beneficial to guide the youth faced with the present Socio Political conditions prevalent in in my country and in the world.
In my field of work I am noticed that adolescent children do not respond well to being treated as children. The ideal way to reach them is presume that they are adults in the making and that in a few years they will have to make adult decisions, lead an adult life. Instead of sliding their daily lives if we can enrich them with perspective and responsibility then they can show the potential that they have to be honorable citizens of this world and the next.
Something that I try with every lesson that I impart is the concept of application. Learning is pointless if we cannot apply to our lives. The same concept goes for youth lessons arranged for young Christian believers in a church. On Sundays they are coming to church with their parents but on every other day they have a life outside the church where we have to interact with people who are not condescending or accepting of their faith. You never know how much young believer needs to undermine or defend his faith in his day to day life. The application of the youth lesson is aimed to help these youth to face the greater world and the yet greater God both at the same time.
Something the youth are made to verify at a very young age is the question what would Jesus do. Iis a futile question in the present world because of numerous reasons. Jesus was a Jew born among Jews who had to defend his interpretation of the scripture that others failed to understand. The average youth is not part of a group that is well acquainted with the Jewish scriptures. Someone rightly said that you may be the only Gospel that your friends get to hear; so make it a good one. A far better concept than what would Jesus do is to think what would Jesus want you to do. The concept of discipleship is pivoted on that concept of obedience. Jesus never asked you to be encapsulated within rigid boundaries of faith. Who we are is defined by the friends we keep. We do not essentially become them but our interaction with them define us. Jesus was often accused as being the friends of the tax collectors and sinners. He died for the sinners. So he will not judge your friends till the last day but he will question what you are doing with your friends today, everyday. He will look at your actions and your intentions. Partaking youth education should prepare you for the judgement not today not tomorrow but at the moment when you stand before the Throne of Jesus at a Second Coming.
Something else which I was aware of at the beginning of my youth lesson was that these young men and women hail from families that believe but they themselves may not. Then the lessons would need to educate as much as enable the believers the development of the Christian faith. Faith holds a close relationship with the stages of moral development. Morality develops with age and maturity and it grows from something that believes in a well defined right and wrong bound by rules of punishment and reward towards a deep seated conscience which in Christianity is accredited to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The youth need to be aware of the action of the Holy Spirit in their lives and the significance of the Holy Spirit existing in the world.
The youth that I deal with are going out into a world that may or may not know Jesus so evangelism is an integral part of youth education. How do you tell your non-believer friend that there are enough rooms in your Saviour’s Father's house to give him or her a shelter? How do you prove that to your non believer friend who believes in a different God in a different faith system that your God Is the only way the truth and the life? That is a big question.
Another part is apologetics. When I start with my youth lessons I cannot deny that I am teaching a group of Indian teenagers who have friends belonging to different religious groups and they need to reconcile the beliefs of each group to their own faith. Jesus is the only way the salvation and idols are blind and helpless creations of mankind but your friend may not like that idea that his god is a blind. How do you react to your friend’s version of your gospel also needs to be a part of of youth education
And lastly youth need to know the possibility of straying and the fact that god has open arms for his prodigal son. I think these facts are essential for any youth education to take place, I have tried to incorporate them in my lessons to some extent. I only hope that I am successful. Deo volente