I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      In many congregations of the Lord’s people, there is an absence of young people.  What has happened?

                                                             1.      Social and cultural issues, such as the rise of ungodliness in our schools, our media, and our communities, certainly have a significant influence on children and young people.

                                                             2.      Family issues, such as the failure of parents to properly train their children, the problem of divorce, and the plague of materialism, are causing tremendous damage to children and young people within their own homes.

                                                             3.      Church issues, such as the failure to preach and teach fundamental Christianity, the prominence of division and error, and weakness in general, have left some young people ignorant, uncommitted, and indifferent to the Lord’s church.

B.      While it is obvious that there are many problems in need of solutions, we must not use the lack of young people as an excuse for our problems or as a reason to compromise the truth.

                                                             1.      Understand that the lack of young people is not the cause of our problems, but rather it is a symptom.  As with anything, when you treat the symptom instead of the cause, the problem will not be solved.

                                                             2.      Therefore, let us consider some of the symptom-centered excuses that are commonly made because of the lack of young people in some congregations.

                                                             3.      Let us also consider what place of children within the assembly of the church really should be.

II.      EXCUSES ABOUT YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE CHURCH

A.      Excuse: Young people will not attend the assemblies of the church because there are no other young people attending.

                                                             1.      With this reasoning, some members of the church excuse teenagers and young-adults from their failure to participate in the body of Christ.

a.       Their lack of interest in the church is attributed to a lack of peers in their age group.

b.       However, the real reason is the lack of peers in their level of spirituality.  They are carnally-minded, and a congregation of spiritually-minded people has no appeal to them.

                                                             2.      Let us recognize that socializing young people together is not the purpose of the church.

a.       The church is not a social organization.  Congregations are not built on the basis of having the same age, the same background, the same race, or any other social consideration.  They are built on the basis of a common foundation – Christ Jesus.

b.       Consider Galatians 3:28 – "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  Could we not also say, "There is neither young nor old”?

B.      Excuse: The church cannot grow because it lacks young people.

                                                             1.      It would be convenient for members of a congregation to excuse themselves from making efforts to grow because they lack young families.

a.       They could then view themselves as lacking the resources and the substance needed to appeal to sinners.

b.       With this reasoning, they could cease all efforts to grow the church, but this is wrong.

                                                             2.      Remember, Christians are charged with the work of evangelism, which is the spreading of the gospel of Christ (Matt. 28:18-20; 2Tim. 2:2).

a.       Christians are not striving to convert sinners to the local congregation, but to Christ.

b.       The church will grow because it is preaching Christ, not because it has accumulated a demographic of young families.

C.      Excuse: The church needs to become more contemporary in order to attract young people.

                                                             1.      This excuse has been used to justify everything from weak, worldly preaching and instrumental music to gymnasiums and fellowship halls.

                                                             2.      The truth is that there are many things that will succeed in attracting young people to a congregation, but only one thing will attract them to Christ, and that is the preaching of the gospel (Rom. 10:17; 1Cor. 1:18; 2:2).  Once we compromise the gospel, we cannot save anybody regardless of how many we may draw into our number.

D.      Be assured that compromise and error are not the way to address the problems with the current generation.

                                                             1.      If we lose (or have lost) a generation, then let it not be because of hollow excuses, weak effort, and worldly ways.  Let it be because we stood for the truth while the young people fell for the world.

                                                             2.      Nevertheless, may we never give up on this generation or any other, but rather let us increase our efforts and our awareness to save as many as possible.

III.   THE PLACE OF CHILDREN IN THE ASSEMBLY

A.      There is a fairly common practice in the denominations of something known as "children’s church.”

                                                             1.      The idea is that the children of a congregation are separated from the main body during worship.  The children are assembled separately for their own worship, study, or playtime, while the adults are left to carry on their worship without the disturbances of children crying, fidgeting, or talking.

                                                             2.      While few within the churches of Christ practice "children’s church,” the same mentality is often present among our members.

a.       It is apparent that many Christians do not consider that children can be or should be engaged in the worship assemblies of the church.

b.       Instead, the children are provided with ways to occupy and entertain themselves that have nothing to do with the worship that is going on around them.  There is no expectation for the children to participate with the church in singing, praying, or learning from the word of God.  The main concern is that the children are not loud or distracting for anyone else.

B.      The truth is that the worship assemblies of the church are as important for our children and young people as they are for the rest of us.

                                                             1.      Children need to worship God in the assembly just as adults do.  Even though they may not have the capacity to understand all that is said or done, they can understand the simplicity of loving God and expressing that love in worship with others who love God.

                                                             2.      Yet we deny them the opportunity when we provide them with entertaining distractions rather than encouraging instructions.

C.      Children have always been a part of the worship that God’s people have collectively offered.

                                                             1.      In ancient Israel, when the people assembled for the giving of the covenant, the reading of the Law, or the worship of God, their children were present.

                                                             2.      Notice these passages from the Old Testament: Deut. 29:11-15; 31:11-13; Josh. 8:33-35; 2Chron. 20:4, 13; Ezra 10:1; Joel 2:15-17.  These Scriptures demonstrate the constant presence of children of all ages in these assemblies.  There were "nursing infants” (Joel 2:16).  There were also "little ones” (Josh. 8:35; 2Chron. 20:13), a term which is translated from the Hebrew word taph, which was derived from the tripping, short steps of small children (we would call them "toddlers”).  No one was excluded from these assemblies regardless of age.

D.      Consider the Lord’s attitude toward children.

                                                             1.      When the people were bringing children to Him (even babies, Luke 18:15), the disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, "Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Matt. 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-15; Luke 18:15-17).  Apparently, the disciples did not feel that Jesus should be bothered with small children, but the Lord felt otherwise.

                                                             2.      When Jesus cleansed the temple, the chief priests and the scribes were irritated by the praiseful shouts of the children, but Jesus said, "Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babes Thou hast prepared praise for Thyself?’” (Matt. 21:12-16).

                                                             3.      When the disciples argued over which of them was the greatest, Jesus took a child and said, "Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me” (Mark 9:33-37).

                                                             4.      If the Lord has such regard for children, how dare we deny them from being part of His church.

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      The essential lesson for children and young people to learn about the assembly is the importance and purpose of what is being done, and for that they must be present and engaged.

                                                             1.      Parents may miss part of a song or a sermon as they struggle to train their children in the assembly, but that is part of their God-given duty.  The personal sacrifice that parents give and the investment they make in their children will pay dividends for eternity.

                                                             2.      Young people may not have many of their own age group in the assembly, but they need to realize that the assembly is the place of God’s people, which makes it the place for them.

B.      Let us understand that if we want the children to be the "church of tomorrow,” they must also be part of the church of today.  The children’s church is Christ’s church, the assembly of the children of God.