So, how does this scripture relate to a New Testament context, and how is it applicable to discipling teenagers? We are not leading people to the Promised Land, or taking Moses’ place, but we see a principle here that is carried over to the New Testament. That principle is that when God calls us to do something, He will be with us and He will equip us to do it (Heb. 13:5, 20-21). With this calling comes the expectation of obedience, in which we will prosper and be successful spiritually. As it relates to discipling teenagers, this is something that parents are called of God to do. This means that God will be with you and that He will equip to for the challenge. What he expects from you is to teach His word, meditate on His word, and do His word. I want to focus on two principles from Joshua 1:8 and then look at how they apply in discipling teenagers.
1. Talk about the Word- God expects us parents to talk with our kids about Him. We see that this principle is also mentioned in Deut 6. As a parent of teenagers, you need to make God a natural part of your daily conversations. Obviously, you don’t need to try and force it, but it should flow out naturally, as a response to God’s love and rule in your life. Parents should be so filled with the Spirit, that the things of God naturally overflow in conversation. When this is the attitude of mom and dad, and when this type of dialogue flows from the home, teenagers will notice.
2. Study and Obey the Word- The other half of this verse emphasizes the meditation and obedience of God’s word. Parents should display their faith and authentic love for God in all they do. We must realize that teenagers are not looking for perfection, but authenticity. They will notice parents who have an authentic relationship with God.
One way you can apply these two principles in the disciplishp of teenagers is by understanding both modern culture and the Bible. In today’s culture, teenagers are used to having variety. There are millions of internet sites to choose from, hundreds of channels to browse through, along with rows of restaurants and shopping malls to pick from. Variety is common place; the same with religion. Our teenagers are exposed to numerous spiritual beliefs, and it is considered socially acceptable to consider all these religions as equally viable options (all but Christianity, that is). In this postmodern society, the newest craze is to have some sort of “spiritual” belief that works for you. This means that teenagers are going to encounter many different beliefs and systems of beliefs that will seem quite appealing. The push from our culture of pluralism, diversity, and tolerance has bred an atmosphere in which all spiritual beliefs are not mutually exclusive. Our culture deems it wise to even combine elements of each belief system to come up with something that “works for you.” No mindset could be further from the truth. The fact is that biblical Christianity (and biblical salvation) is mutually exclusive. Families and teenagers are led astray by this type of thinking that is promoted in our culture through the schools and media, because they don’t have a firm grasp on theology and what the bible teaches.
It is of the utmost importance that parents be grounded in scripture and understand the basic theological concepts such as God, faith, grace, sin, justification, etc. To plead ignorance in these things or to dismiss them as the subjects or know-it-all seminary students and teachers is foolishness at its finest. More people’s faith is capsized because of their unwillingness to actually think deeply and critically about God. Despite the banner that is waved by most believers, Christianity is deep, and requires hard thinking and much meditation. The days of the ignorant Christian must die, and the creed of “Just love Jesus” can no more save a faith that is crashing than a fly does when it runs into a 747 Boeing. Parents not only need to understand the culture, but also biblical truths, and how those truths can combat the ideology of 21st century postmodernism. Let’s now turn our attention to these two elements: being a student of culture and being a student of scripture.
1. Study the culture- In order to disciple their teenagers, parents need to be immersed in teenage culture and what shapes their thinking. This means knowing the words they use, the movies they watch, the music that is popular, the latest tv shows, the latest fashions, the most popular video games, and the pop icons. In other words, parents need to be involved. This means know where they are going, what they are watching, and how they are spending money. Also, parents shouldn’t try to fit in with this culture. They shouldn’t try to use the same words, wear the same cloths, etc, but rather, they should understand them. All of the things I listed are influences on the life of a teenager, and the parents need to not only be aware of these influences, but understand them as well. When parents are educated about these things, it helps them know how to relate to these things on a spiritual level. Parents must know the culture of their teenagers in order to apply biblical truth to their context.
2. Study the bible- This seems obvious, but is often neglected. Many parents don’t know how, and this is a failure on the part of the modern church. Failing to teach people how to study the bible is akin to starvation by neglect. One of the key aspects of discipleship is teaching others how to understand God’s word. You don’t have to have a seminary degree to understand theology. You just need to be a disciple. One of the best resources I would recommend to someone who has never studied theology before is Mark Driscoll’s book, Doctrine. If you want to go a little deeper, pick up Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology. At some point in the near future, I will be devoting a series of blogs on certain theological topics. For now, be intentional and pick up one of these books and equip yourself.
Now, let’s bring the two together. After parents have acclimated themselves to teenage culture and basic theology, the task is now interweaving the two. Use things in the culture to start conversation about values, ethics, and spirituality. God has laid out for us parents the perfect formula for talking about these things. Deuteronomy 6 tells us to discuss the things of God as we sit, walk, when we get up, and when we go to bed. This means that even during the craziness of life, parents can have discussions with their children about God. This also affords the opportunity to address things in the culture that your children are facing that day. The good thing is that you don’t have to look very far to find a topic to discuss!
The goal then, is to show your teen how the meta-narrative of scripture fits into what they see and experience on a daily basis. Theology is not a merely a mental exercise, but a way of viewing God, humanity, and life. Theology is practical in the sense that it shows us why things are the way they are, what God is like, and how He interacts with His creation. As a parent, you need to ask God to give you the wisdom to address the culture of teenagers with biblical truths. This is one of the most fundamental steps in discipling teenagers, and it helps them to see how the bible fits into their daily life.