In Theology I Bible classes, we are studying the book of Hebrews. The author of Hebrews exhorted his audience to reject local Jewish false teachings, such as, the worship of angels. (This is why the entire first chapter is about Jesus being superior to angels.) To help my students make modern day application, I wanted them to think about current false teachings they need to reject. I asked them, as high school students, to imagine they were parents of present day teenagers. Their prompt for discussion was this question – What current false teachings would you want your children to reject? Students are the most aware of what is trending, so I figured they would have the best advice. Here are just some of the current trending false teachings they would want their children to reject:
Drinking, smoking, and vaping to be accepted as cool, cheating on assessments and people, having to please everyone, meeting the standard of beauty and/or strength, do what the majority of people are doing, be superstitious, manifesting (where you write something over and over again so it will come to pass), shifting (into a different reality), astrology (your sign, etc.), crystals, have a social status, gossiping, sex is not a big deal, relationships are casual, your social profile matters, be successful, defending your faith in Jesus is weird, let emotions control your actions, you have to always be doing something, always eat clean, post your highlight reel, you cannot miss out on anything, having more followers will make you happy
Their advice broke my heart because it made me realize how much they, as the ones living in this time, have to face. Some of these trends have existed for high school students regardless of their generation. The other unfamiliar trends are nothing more than repackaged false teachings from another time period. What angers me for current students is how many false, unenduring trends they face all at once. I’m in my forties and only recognize a handful of these current trends from my high school days. Students today are bombarded with even more mess than I had to face, and it has left them a generation in unrest. They are restless because they are constantly being told there is more to be, do, experience, and post.
One student recently told me “TikTok has ruined our generation.” Though I see younger generations phone stoned and want to place the blame on technology, I’m becoming more convinced that what students need are adults who are worthy of looking up to, adults who give them hope when they think of the future life they want, adults who live humbly and boldly for Jesus, adults who live by the standard of God’s Word and under his good and rightful authority, adults who are themselves restful. Could it possibly be that the older generations (myself included) have allowed the younger generations to come to ruin?
God has breathed out in his Word these commands of teaching the next generations:
- Declare my statutes to your children and your children’s children, teaching them to fear me all the days they live on the earth (Deuteronomy 4:5-10)
- As my words are on our hearts, you should then diligently teach them to our children. Talk with the younger generations about the God of the Bible, the One and Only true God when we sit, walk, whether tired or just waking up (Deuteronomy 6:4-7, 11:18-21 and my paraphrasing)
- Pass on to your children my teachings that were passed on to you. Do not hide from them my glorious deeds, my might, or the wonders I have done so that they can set their hope in me (Psalm 78:4-8)
- Proclaim Christ so that future generations yet born may praise me (Psalm 102:18-22)
- Commend my works to the next generations. Declare my greatness! (Psalm 145:4-6)
- Make my faithfulness known to your children (Isaiah 38:19)
- Bring up your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4)
Believers are called to investing in the younger generations so that they in turn will proclaim Christ and Christ crucified to the generations behind them and so on and so on until that glorious day when the trumpet sounds and our Bridegroom returns for us, his bride!
I daily see the false teachings and agendas being sold to students causing them to live restlessly as they chase dead ends. I urge you to find a way to invest in the younger generations, declaring to them what is true – Christ has come, Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ has ascended, Christ is coming again.
If you get a chance, read through Hebrews chapters 3 and 4. (Just for context, chapter 4 speaks about two kinds of rest for the believer – the coming eternal rest and Sabbath rest.) Let Hebrews 4:11 encourage you. In this verse, the author makes a play on words exhorting us to strive to enter rest so we do not fall into the same disobedience of the first generation of Israelites. We have to fight to rest! It takes effort to rest, to reject false teachings, and to make God’s instructions, glory, greatness, and faithfulness known to the next generations. Be bold. Declare truth. Work to experience the rest only Christ provides and to make his rest known to the next generations!
(The featured image is my grandfather holding and kissing me as an infant. He is one adult who gave me hope as he lived out his faith in front of me.)