Is it really a youth group if it doesn’t have 1 Timothy 4:12 somewhere on the wall? 1 Timothy 4:12 is the life verse for many teenagers. It has within it all that is right about being a teenager. Allow me to interpret for you:
Let no one despise you for your youth…”take that you old codgers”
but set the believers an example…”with your youthful vigor wake up those old coots and show them what authentic Christian faith is supposed to look like”
in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity…”hey look a PS4…”
Far too often 1 Timothy 4:12 becomes a rallying cry for teens who feel disrespected. Why aren’t they given leadership roles in the church? Why aren’t they allowed to preach on a Sunday morning or lead a Sunday school class or lead the church in worship?
Never mind that if “youthful” Timothy showed up in your youth group you’d wonder who this thirty-year-old creeper is hanging out with teens instead of joining the adult Bible study. Timothy has probably known Paul for awhile by the time he receives 1 Timothy. So, he’s hardly the poster boy for Teen magazine.
But even if Timothy were a teenager I believe 1 Timothy 4:15 might be a better verse for todays teenagers.
The Case for 1 Timothy 4:15
When Paul tells Timothy to “let no one despise you” what he is saying is preach and teach in such a way that people cannot dismiss you without consequence. Positively set an example in the way you live your life. (It’s most certainly not saying boisterously make sure people listen to your ideas).
Paul then outlines what such a ministry will look like. It is a ministry that is devoted to the Word, “to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching”. Timothy, had been called to be a proclaimer of God’s Word and he must continue on this path.
And then you have verse 15: “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress”.
The idea here is that Timothy has room to grow. As a young minister he is going to blow it, but the more he practices exhorting people with the Word and living a holy life the better he is going to get, especially if he immerses himself in “these things”.
I’d prefer this to be on the walls of youth groups because it reminds teenagers that they have a ton of growing yet to do.
It is also saturated with grace. It encourages churches to view the trajectory of teenagers instead of grumbling about their immaturity. Sure the junior high kid stumbles through the public reading of the Word—but he’s gotten better since the last time he did it.
If you work with teens I urge you to take a posture with them more akin to that of 1 Timothy 4:15 and not the mistakenly militant posture of 1 Timothy 4:12.
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photo credit: MTSOfan via photopin cc
