By: Aaron Wilson
Hundreds of years ago, Christians were an awful group of people.
No, I don’t mean they were terrible or mean-spirited, even though they certainly battled indwelling sin like we do today. Instead, the word awful originally meant “filled with awe.” Ironically, a term that used to describe an experience worthy of worship changed over time to mean the exact opposite. Today, no one wants to go to an awful church service!
Languages evolve, and words change their meaning—sometimes from just one generation to the next. It’s worth investigating, then, how today’s younger generations understand some of the most important words in our biblical vocabulary, such as the word Paul considered “most important” in 1 Corinthians 15:3—the gospel.
What makes for good news?
Gospel means “good news.” Scripture is certainly filled with different categories of good news. The fact that we are made in the image of God, for example, is good news. However, in the context of the entire Bible, the gospel specifically refers to what Christ accomplished through His incarnation, death, and resurrection. The good news of the gospel is God’s response to the bad news of sin and the fall.
Here’s how Paul summarized it: “Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel … For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” – 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
The counterfeit gospel of Generations Z and Alpha
Sadly, today’s younger generations aren’t primed for the gospel because most kids and students are not ingrained with an understanding of the authority of God, the reality of sin, or the need for forgiveness. The good news, as their generations have come to define it, is expressive individualism—the idea that fulfillment comes with finding your true self and following your heart.
This is why it’s so important we regularly preach the biblical gospel to kids, which can be summarized by phrases such as: God rules, we sinned, God provided, Jesus gives, and we respond. Reducing the gospel to true-but-non-salvific phrases like, “God wants to be your friend,” does our kids a disservice if that’s all we tell them because, from the perspective of expressive individualism, being God’s friend may be a nice tack-on to personal fulfillment, but it’s not essential.
We must go deeper. We must teach kids the necessary, life-altering, full message of the gospel—the subject Paul considered most important.
Eyes on the cross
As you prepare to lead kids each week, do a mental check of what good news they’ve already embraced and what you hope to impart as the best message they can receive. What good news do you want kids to walk away with after their time spent with you? What words of hope will they bring back to their families for home discipleship?
The Bible contains a lot of good news, but none of it applies or makes sense detached from the gospel. Likewise, there’s a lot to focus on in Kids Ministry, but only one thing is essential. As we strive to be faithful leaders, let’s keep our eyes on the cross and remember the most important message we can impart to the younger generation: Jesus’ gospel of salvation.
The Importance of Biblical Literacy
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