Love Sacrifices
Preface
Love Sacrifices
He established a testimony in Jacob
and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments.
Psalm 78:5–7
As I (J. Warner) stepped lightly into the row of seats, I could feel the floor sticking to my shoes. The sound of laughter filled the theater as children hurried to find their place. My kids were also eager to take their seats in the middle of the row. I nestled in next to my daughter and prepared for yet another animated, G-rated movie. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen anything other than a children’s film. I looked across the span of our four children and caught my wife sending me a knowing smile. Oh well, here we go again.
If you’ve raised kids, you probably remember that season of parenting in which you intentionally limited your choices. What movies did you watch as a family? Probably not murder mysteries or romantic comedies, right? Where did you go for dinner? Not expensive French bistros, we suspect. What kind of vacations did you take? We’re guessing that Disney World was more likely the destination than the romantic island resort you had in mind as a couple.
Why do we, as parents, make these kinds of choices (and indeed sacrifices) during the parenting years? Here’s why: when it comes to raising our kids, we’re willing to defer our desires to do what’s best for our children, even if it’s not what we want at the time. We understand our parental duty, and we willingly make our kids our priority, so the next generation will proudly (and successfully) continue the family name.
Our extended Christian family is no different. Young believers may not be our biological kids, but they’re ours, all the same. Together, as brothers and sisters who share the same heavenly Father, we have a duty to make kids our priority, so the next generation will proudly (and successfully) continue the family name.
Prioritizing young people will require us to defer our desires and do what’s best for them, even if it might be inconvenient for us at the time.
As authors and public speakers, we’ve had the distinct privilege and opportunity to teach the church about the truth of Christianity and the nature of the Christian worldview. We’ve done this at Christian camps, conferences, and churches, and the vast majority of our audiences are junior high and high school students. We’ve also parented teenagers, pastored this age group, and taught them in the Christian high school setting. Here’s what we’ve learned: if you’re someone who loves young Christians, either as a parent, youth worker, educator, or fellow member of the Christian family, now is the time to refocus.
Jesus said that there is no greater love than laying down one’s life for a friend (John 15:13). Our sacrifices reveal our priorities. If we truly love the next generation, we’ll do whatever it takes to make sure they know and embrace the truth. After all, isn’t that what previous generations did for each of us? Whether it was a mentor, parent, youth pastor, teacher, or coach—someone helped us come to know the Lord. Someone sacrificed for each of us. If we care about young people, we’ll sacrifice for them because we love them.
I (Sean) sat in the local coffee shop with one of my young children. The fifty-plus-year-old man sitting next to me leaned over and interrupted our conversation. As best as I can remember, he said, “Good for you for spending time with your kids. My kids are out of the house now, but when they were younger, I made them a priority.” He paused as he shifted back into his chair. Then he turned toward us again and said these last words, “Ultimately, it cost me a ton of money in my business to spend time with my kids. But I don’t regret it for a second. It is one of the best decisions I ever made. After all, what’s more important than investing in the next generation?” I was encouraged but also mildly convicted—was I really as committed to the next generation as this man assumed I was?
The reality is, we don’t parent our kids for long, and we only get one chance to guide them through their elementary, junior high, and high school years. This season passes quickly, and it requires intentionality. While true for our biological children, it’s also true for the young people in our church family. The next generation of Christians faces spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and moral challenges like no prior group of believers. And much of this is because of the ubiquity of technology. Members of Generation Z face more challenges just one click away than previous generations did when they would look for it.
That’s why we wrote this book.
We’ve written many books that make the case for God and Christianity. Those books describe what is true and why we should believe it.
This book is different.
We wrote it for a very practical reason: to show you how to teach the truth of Christianity to the next generation, given the special challenges they face and their unique identity. In essence, this is not a “what is true” book; it’s a “how to explain what is true” book. We’ve tried to write it with four groups in mind: parents, youth workers, Christian educators, and people who love young people and recognize the challenges they are facing. You probably fit into one of these four categories, and this book will give you practical advice for effectively communicating truth to this new generation of young people.
Time is short, the challenges are pressing, and the need is great. Now, more than ever, we must embrace strategies that will help young people set their hope in God, remember the works of God, and keep the commands of God—so that the next generation will know.