TREVOR MAHER & ERIC MARSHALL

The theme for this special issue is taken from the words of Ecclesiastes 12:1: “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them”.

In youth we have the physical and mental ability to serve God, and the wise man reminds us that the days will come when our minds and bodies have deteriorated, and our service to God will, therefore, also suffer.

The objective of the articles in this special issue is to encourage young brethren and sisters, particularly those in the sixteen- to twenty-five-year age range, into active, enthusiastic discipleship, both within the ecclesia and household of faith and in their daily life in the world. We also hope that it will encourage those who have ‘set their hands to the plough’ to go forward with the confidence that, whether brother or sister, their youthful energy could have no better outlet than in the service of the living God.

Standards of conduct in society have fallen very far, very rapidly, in the last twenty-five years.

This trend reminds us all, so clearly, that these are the times spoken of by Jesus when he said that life on this earth, prior to his return, would be “as it was in the days of Noe”, and “as it was in the days of Lot” (Lk. 17:26,28). Young brethren and sisters, however, have not known any other world. Older brethren and sisters, involved in a routine of ecclesial and family life, may not always comprehend the forms taken by some of the pressures which confront young people today. Indeed, it is possible to isolate the young by following practices, or maintaining attitudes, which have more foundation in tradition and one’s own experiences than present-day needs or the teaching of Scripture require.

Having said that, it must also be acknowledged that the Scriptures teach us that there is “no new thing under the sun”, and that the weaknesses of human nature have been with us since Eden. Allowing our teaching and presentations of Scriptural principles and truths to be moulded by the changing fashions of human preferences and philosophies in the 50s, 60s and 70s may well have weakened the grasp that subsequent generations have of the Truth. The Bible presents its teaching clearly and boldly: light or dark, good or evil, righteousness or wickedness, life or death. Our discipleship calls us to separateness, demanding a high level of awareness and commitment from young and old alike.

The thinking of the flesh—the ‘mind of the flesh’—is manifest in humanism, materialism, evolution, and religious teaching, which denies the true God and His purpose. It is found all around us in family life, education, leisure pursuits and business affairs. If we are not careful, it is taken into the disciple’s family and ecclesial life without thinking, because it is so common in everything around us. Ultimately, unless guarded against, this must affect the “form of sound words” (2 Tim. 1:13) handed on to the next generation.

There was a rich young man whom Jesus loved. He sought eternal life and came to the Master for guidance. The laws affecting his relationships with other men and women were laws of which he could say, “All these have I kept from my youth up” (Lk. 18:21), except one law, which was, “Thou shalt not covet . . .”, which Jesus had omitted, obviously on purpose. Jesus then expressed it in the words, “go and sell all that thou hast, and give to the poor” (Mt. 19:21), which gave the young man no room for manoeuvre or self-justification. This instruction caused great sorrow, for he had great possessions. Perfection—or completeness, as the word means—requires constant attention to all aspects of discipleship to ensure that the ‘mind of the flesh’ does not overcome the “mind of Christ” in any aspect of our life. His trust was in his wealth; what is our trust built on? A wrong attitude or practice in one part of our life may well have—no, will almost certainly have, a detrimental effect on other aspects of our life. Would to God that it could be said of any of us that only “one thing thou lackest” (Mk. 10:21)!

Consider the world we live in. The pressures on young people are enormous. Society defines morality in a way which justifies its actions. It is the age of Minimal Self-Denial and Maximum Self-indulgence. The principles of God’s Word count for nothing, if they conflict with human feelings.

We are becoming desensitised to the evil and wickedness in the world, by its shameless promotion of wrong living as right. Restraints upon language and descriptions of sexual activities are now virtually eliminated. The most lewd activities are taken into the home through videos, cable TV, telephone and even computer links, as well as printed materials flaunted in public. Add to this the violence, both real and portrayed, the problem of drugs, the fear of unemployment and consequent pressure to succeed in examinations, the materialism and greed which is considered normal, and we can see how the words of Christ have come true. It is no good thinking that, because we are not ‘as bad as them’, we are living acceptably in God’s sight. As the world’s standards sink lower, the gulf between its thinking, attitudes and actions and the disciples should be growing wider by the day.

The Bible presents us with narratives of young men and women who were bold and steadfast in God’s service; young people who refused to allow the world to influence their critical decisions, and who lived ‘separate’ lives and became a great example to others. The mind was, and still is, the battleground. The world seeks to influence our minds, especially those of the young. We may not be able to control who knocks on the door of our mind; but we can decide whom we let in! The psalmist gives guidance with the words: “How can a young man [or woman] keep his [or her] way pure? By living according to Your words” (Ps. 119:9, NIV). When we stand before the judgement seat, the only opinion of our faith and conduct that will count is that of our heavenly Father as exercised through Christ. Why, then, should we let the opinions and attitudes of the world influence us in our discipleship now? It is to the Word of God that we turn, to learn the principles of eternal life, and to see examples of young people who put them into practice.

We hope that the material written and compiled for this issue will help and support both younger and older brethren and sisters, but particularly the young, in practical and spiritual ways, that we may be a true family of Christ as we await his coming.