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Help Teenagers Live Out Their Christian Faith

It’s one thing to say you believe in Jesus yet quite another to reflect that faith in your everyday life. Teenagers may have been raised as Christians and readily claim that title. But, according to a recent survey by Group Magazine, a big chunk of Christian teenagers switch back and forth between several identities, depending on their particular environment.

When Group surveyed almost 30,000 Christian teenagers this summer, almost half (46%) said their definition of success doesn’t match God’s definition. And when asked about specific life choices, kids admitted that when others aren’t looking, they engage in many behaviors that don’t honor Christ. For example, 71% of respondents disagreed with this statement: “I mostly read magazines or go to Web sites that honor or support my relationship with Christ.”

Being a Christian is more than an identity; it’s a relationship that needs to be nurtured, applied, and lived. Knowing biblical facts and names is good, but it isn’t enough. Teenagers need to hear that Christ wants to be at the center of their lives—and reflected in everything they think, say, and do. As kids (and adults) get to know Jesus better, they’ll also discover more about themselves and their God-given purpose.

This newsletter explores some ways to show your teenagers that true faith is meant to be owned and experienced. As you read the material, consider your own faith and how you, too, can live it out loud. Then sit down with your kids to find out how they feel about this important topic.

Try these ideas that will start growing some “legs” on your teenagers’ faith:

Remind kids of their key role. Let them know that they have the privilege—and responsibility—of offering other people a taste of Jesus.

Help kids “own” their faith. Talk about your faith often, using conversations, not lectures. Apply what you hear in church by building bridges between teachings and kids’ real lives.

Use teenagers’ culture to spark talks about how to live as a Christian. Become familiar with who and what your kids like. Then get kids thinking critically about all these outside influences.

Share faith stories within your family. Give people each an opportunity to talk for five minutes about their life with Christ and what it means to them.

Walk the walk. Set an example by living out your faith each day. Model service—and give kids opportunities to serve, too

PRAY THAT:

God will become real to your teenagers and nurture their faith, making it active, alive, and real.

Your teenagers will desire a strong relationship with Jesus and will take steps to get to know him—and, therefore, themselves—better.

Your teenagers won’t be ashamed of the Gospel message or of their identity as Christians.

Your teenagers will become lifelong disciples of Jesus, reflecting him in all they do.

Verse of the month
“What good is it…if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? …. Faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” (James 2:14, 17)

With faith, the “proof is in the pudding”—or rather, in the living. God wants our belief in him to be not just a statement or proclamation but something that’s visibly evident to everyone around us. Faith that’s buried and bottled up, whether out of fear or apathy, is lifeless. Instead, God calls us to make our faith and our actions interchangeable.