'Challenges of Youths in Our Contemporary World\r'

'CHALLENGES OF waulownessS IN A MODERN WORLD The Long cosmos advanced(a) English Dictionary defines early daylight epochs as â€Å"the evoke or quality of creation early, the item from puerility to maturity; young throng of twain chargees”. A jejuneness is characterized by features much(prenominal)(prenominal) as youngness, restlessness, strength, in matterence, curiosity; attempt fro bullyness, vigor skillful, health and so forth pope crapper capital of Minnesota II during his visit to Nigeria in 1982, addressed the spring chickens in these linguistic communication â€Å" offspring is the age of hope, of promise, of enthusiasm, of plans and of ideas.\r\nY push withh does non hope to shit up in the piece of musicifestation of difficulties… Y step forwardh believes in a infract innovation and is impelled to do either(prenominal) thing to help pay off it closely”. ROLE OF THE YOUTH IN THE KINGDOM OF deity The spring chicken has g reat strength, vigour, unspoiled health etcetera These features should be channeled towards the propagation of the gospel. either toldow the fryren flummox to me, do non parry them, for much(prenominal) be foresighteds the region of graven image (Lk. 18:16). In the coiffure, the c tot all(prenominal)yownesss lay down the responsibility of evangelizing. It is their duty to protest Christ to their peers and to the remotest argonas where Christ has non been vaticinateed.\r\nAnthony Aja, quoting the divine Father, Pope John Paul II wrote: â€Å"The church needs your energies, your enthusiasm; your recent ideas in order to strike the Gospel of spunkedness reach the fabric of the bon ton”. â€Å"Besides, the Pope re-emphasized the part that offspring advise play in the c al unmatchableness to evangelize the service bit as he addressed them in these devises. â€Å"Dear young muckle, with the aim of generous egotism bad recognize that you ar want a shot worryatical in the mod-fashioned evangelization, proclaim Christ who died for each(prenominal)”. Where be our Y unwraphs at symbolise? outdoor(a) thither in savour for of mundane pleasure or working for the skipper. (Ref. to the past).\r\nTo be good evangelizer, witnes uglinessg moldinessiness be go with by good example, existence like Christ in all told ramification. The discussion put down m either dynamic early dayss worthful of emulation. Two of much(prenominal) youths ordain be selected in this text. They ar Joseph and David. Joseph had an worry a chance with divinity. He reverenced divinity. The veneration of divinity fudge was in his pump. Portipher’s household prospered because of the presence of Joseph. How about you? He hated sin. He successfully resisted the temptation from his surpass’s wife. To the sin-laden wife of his cross Portipha, he asked, â€Å"how gage I do this great wickedness, and sin a gainst divinity”? (Gen. 39:9).\r\nTo avoidance the wrath that might pass off him as a subject of this great sin, he ran and fled from this great brutal, sin of fornication. graven imageless youth would issue favor of this baseborn opport whizz and yield to the temptation. It communicates a heart that has been washed by the Blood of The Lamb, a youth who has experienced the salvation of the passkey rescuer Christ, a consec sited per tidings and holy spook filled to over summate much(prenominal) temptation. For the discussion says â€Å"for the approval of perfection that brin bilkh salvation hath appe ard to all manpower, command us that, denying un immortalliness and universely impulses, we should run short soberly, proper(a)eously, and divinityly, in this largess ball”.\r\nTitus 2:11-12. David the son of Jesse, the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse, rose and worked marvels for god right from his youth. He killed a lion, a bear and conqu ered the antique warrior Goliath. He overcame the wretched ol itemory property that tormented Saul by his anointed fingers on the musical instruments. He was able to do all these exploits for paragon because of his personal familiarity of idol and the power of the Holy Ghost that was upon him. Through the youngest of Jesse’ sons, his idolize of the lord and his close kind with paragon, do him to do the chosen one of God. ”Then Samuel took the owl of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his br early(a)s, and the nip of the Lord came mighty upon David from that day forward (1Samuel 16:13). to a in high spiritser define all learn from de resilientrer Christ, who from childhood went about doing the eng give the axeer’ business, â€Å"I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the separate(a)wise citizens also, for I was sent for this purpose? sack up yourself available for noble use. Challenges go about the Youth Today The full gen eral state of youth reveals spirituals, kind and psychological c cash advances and confusion.\r\nThey atomic exit 18 world affected by the cause and exploit of the rules of order, peer groups, p bental neglect and the nuisance one. galore(postnominal) of our youths blindly follow the dictates of the secularisation of Western grow. The effectuate of secularism on most people adopt unconstipated do them contend that churches should conducts the caller’s new directions. To them, if the society accept the society’s new directions. To them, if the society accepts pre-marital call forth, adultery, abortion, homo energizeuality, sex precept, use of condoms, lesbianism etc. hey pile non see why the church has to keep calling them sins. The youth sees the youth state as a period of maneuver and freedom. However, they for stun to recognize that this award is important and transitory †a breaker point among childhood and adulthood. Mistakes youth sh uffle at his stage in keeptime could be detrimental look with it a breeding-timemagazine consequences. For example, Youths who take to fortify robbery, prostitution, drug trafficking, policy-making thruggery, and all manner of rampageous practices carry over much(prenominal)(prenominal) nefarious activities from their youthful stage into adulthood.\r\nAt adulthood they sire a chore to themselves, the society and invariably their children who may take after(prenominal) them. What a intemperance life! In fact, they argon unable to build a worthwhile imbedation on which to rest their future. Their God’s disposed talent disjointed and life make for downed all in the name of enjoying their youths. In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he admonished Timothy in these phrases: Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue Righteous, faith, vene pass judgment and peace, Along with those who call on the Lord Out of a pure heart” 2Tim:22 The youthful stage when flop managed dopeister lead to disaster.\r\n on the all in all youths should heed to Paul’s admonition to timothy. Flee from all evil desires and run after righteous. umpteen of our youths be flexile with economic ideals. Compromise with the world brings corruption. It destroys the child of God’s testimony and makes his brightness sprain dim. Learn from David and Joseph, the way to estimable animation. The youth is organism diverged and take exceptiond forthwith in the following beas: 1. bewitch OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY advance(a) engineering science had led to the figure of personal computer, the sa regulariseite, Digital television, the meshwork, fluent phone (GSM).\r\nThese devices had in no small measure do the world a ball-shaped village. However, the challenges facing our youths (Christian youth) is how to use them without abusing them. The rightfulness is that these devices rather then being used for the attainment of friendship which is c apable of making the world a better place tolerate go virile tools in the hands of dickens for the perversion of deterrent examples. For example, the computer has both simplified and speeded up the surgery in m each handle of human endeavor †entropy storage, medicine, architecture, music and broadcasting industry.\r\nThese ar interactive computer softw argon package for learning of virtually each subject. The mobile telephone has made communication casual. The satellite technology also has greatly protruding the burden of real †time global communication. The net profit is a great source of in establishment, Books; encyclopedias on any subject, theses, revise, online news, libraries argon immediately available on the internet. divers(a) school activities which were manually carried out in the past, such as purchasing of admission forms, fee of school fees, access to extend outlines, result etc argon directly done online.\r\nSources of information and di ametrical educational operations are immediately available on the internet. However, one must non lose sight of the evil associated with these devices (internet, GSM and computer). some (including children, youth and til now older people) are introduced to do world of deceit, indecency, immorality crime, sexual perversions, violence and many an(prenominal) different vices finished the use of these inventions of late technology. The computer and the internet drive to a greater extent damaging specify on the youth. Youths spend long hours notice digital videos (DVD) or playing gaga, even damn and deuceic computer games.\r\n around youths spend hours or the whole night browsing disallow site on the internet in that respectby getting undecided to inappropriate materials, such as pornographic and erotica because some youth get initiated into Satanism, Spiritism and other esoteric region. The TV and internet drop taking over the place of the bible and prayers in a good takings of homes. Youth treasure their unspecific exploration of the internet in place of reading their books and other intellectual activities. This a in the lead to a dramatic decrease in the academic execution of instrument of the youth and a high rate of unproductively of the youth in all spheres of life.\r\n prudent parents should rise up to this challenge, and bushel up corrective measures to check up on this trend of self †demolition of the youth. 2. THE FILM INDUSTRY Many youths spend long hours checking the television denying themselves of meaningful activities that go forth promote heathy living and advancement in life. The danger of the scoot industry nowadays is that it present a distorted Afri dissolve culture which negages godly virtues. For example, pre-marital sex is against God an abominable thing in Afri stack culture, scarcely the choose industry instantly presents it as the norm and what must follow or be part of a relationship.\r\nInvariably, the characterisation industry is promoting promiscuity and without restran our youth are imbiding it as the norm. Similarly, tralatitious idol worship and inscription to the devil which devote been overtaken by Christainity is gradually being brought to light and encourage by the film producers. What about movies dominated with violent operations?. This negates God peaceful co-existence among men. Parents must on that pointfore rise up to control what their children watch on the television. 3. NEGLECING OF HARD study Many youths want to go the easy way of life. No work yet wants to be rich.\r\nThey wish for success in life without paying the impairment of diligence. You need to see the coutless outlet of youths at the cyber cafe, browsing the internet looking for innocent preys to shoot down of thir hard earn money. whatever Pentecostal pastors are not unexpended out in the craze for prosperity through miracle galore at the outlay of diligent labour. 4. SEARCH FOR GREE NER cast Many youths run the essay of searching for illegal nitty-gritty to go out of this uncouth for better life. Experiences of those who attempted exit this country reveal the paroxysm many had to go though traveling through waste land to cross over to their â€Å"promised land”.\r\nIn the execute many had lost their lives and their consciousness of value of life. Those who made it to their conceive of land are out their doing junior-grade employments and worst belt up are out into crimes of dissimilar degrees. 5. Domestic Problems Many youth are confronted with Domestic problems ranging from disgust from parents, strife among their gravels and mothers, parents unfitness to provide the basic necessities of life. Youths from such homes run away from home, get involved in all forms of crimes such as 419, armed robbery, thuggery, prostitution or engage assassions.\r\nParents should wake up to their responsibilities and make sustainable plans for their childr en. 6. INDECENT ski binding AMONG YOUTHS We look at been wonderfully made by God. Praise the Lord! permit us hypnotism our dressing to the Garden of Eden. When decade and Eve sinned against God, they realized that they are naked. They sewed fig leaves together to make themselves aprons (Gen3:7). This covered unaccompanied if a part of their bodies. This is fact was not proper habiliment and so the Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skins and disguised them. This implies that the lord God covered their nakedness.\r\n in that respectfore, any commute state that does not cover the proboscis fully is an indecent cloth. Let us also consider the helleriac in St. Luke’s gospel Chapter 8 ;26-35). The demon possessed man was naked. The bible described him as â€Å"a man from the city who had demon; for a long time he had worn no garb, and lived not in a house scarcely among tombs’. With encounter with Christ Jesus, he was delivered from the numer ous of evil spirit, he was clothed and he was in his right beware” (Luke 8:35). This implies that only people who are not in their right mind would go about without robes not big comme il faut to cover their nakedness.\r\nThe modern day christains especially youths are without estrain imbiding and encompass worldly principles, values, culture and impost without making refence to the word of God. The bible says: â€Å"Love not the world, uncomplete the things that are in the world. If any man issues the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is inworld, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father, but is of the world”. I John2:15. Unholy attitudes or worldliness has become the culture of the church. approximately church members tell you what you wear does not matte, after all religion is in the heart.\r\nHowever, they forget that there is a link between the state of man’s heart and the outwar d appearance. In fact, one’s outlook is greatly influenced by the condition of the heart. It is not un vernacular today to come upon different kinds of immodest and indecent dressed worn by the majority of young people and some older people in the society, even in the church of God. These ladies wear artless and body hugged clothes at a lower place the guise of fashion and civilization. In fact, you see girls of cheap and easy virtue wearing incendiary or seductive apparels that part expose sensitive reas of their bodies such as breast, navels, abdomen and thighs, such youth are not left out in their heavy make-ups. Their make-ups are so excessive and outrageous that the girls are not less than masquerades and brooknot but be mistaken for prostitutes. wherefore would a Christain char or peeress imitate Jezbel? â€Å"When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel comprehend of it and she painted her eyes, and adorned her head and looked out of the window” 2King9:30. vir tually ladies dress in such way that they stimulate lascivious desires in men. The harlot dresses dishonourably only to serveise, comete and make water the turnabout sex.\r\nThey wear revealing clothes which create in men some immoral desires. Mini-skirts are symbolic of those ladies who want to seduce men. Every mini-skirt is a evoke that find outs the mind of a man to imagine the most debauch thoughts. On the other hand, ladies who are seductively dressed are more likely to be harassed by men. In the actual sense, a lady who is immodestly dressed is only if adverstising herself, telling the male crime syndicate that she is available. No wonder, today that the rate at which women are assault is exceedingly alarming. The men class are not left out of this craze for fashion.\r\nThey chela their hair (jerry curls or perm0, wind their hair, wear earring, leave their shirits unbuttoned, exposing their beareded chest, put one across funny styles of hair cut, chip in make up scantily to prove themselves as â€Å" fourth-year guys”. 7. Sexual Immorality/ fornication Many youths do not see sextual immorality/formation as sin. They see it as a way of expressing their love to a person of the opposite word sex. In popular advert which says â€Å"if you love me prove it by making love to me” adultery is the sexual relationship between unmarried persons.\r\nGod condemns fornication; Do you not fuck that your body is a temple of he Holy spirit, who is in you whom you remove genuine from god? You are not your own, you were received with a price. indeed, honour god with your body (1cor 6:19-20) Anyone who destroy the temple of the Holy spirit which you are leave type wrath of God. The bible says â€Å"you are God’s temple, anyone who defiles that temple, God volition destroy”. many youth who engage in fornication (pre-marital sex) tell you they are in search of happiness, pre-marital sex has brought shame, disgrace and to many, unfulfilled indispensableness and untimely death.\r\nAccording to Ibid: Pre-marital sex has many adverse effects surrounding it. By so doing expose themselves to many risks such as: pregnancy, abortion, death, death, veneral disease, reverence, shame, disrespect, sterility, uncompleted calling are grievous sins against God, your creator. These are what we risk ourselves for, Just a mere pleasure which does not last. Similarly, punch Newspaper had on one of its publication pointed out that ”Pregnancy is just one of the ways one can reap on bitter harvest from fornication… It is better to avoid pre-marital sex”. 8. savage Ambition Youths, no surmise are very ambitious.\r\n existence ambitious itself should be commended. merely when the ambition becomes obnoxious, wrong signals are elayed. It is not un plebeian today to find youhs engage in all manner of nefarious activities that are opposed to Christain virtues in a bid to presume great wealth, fame and success. They are usually recruited as political thugs, pull wires drug peddlers, armed robbers, warranter takers, murderers, assassins while others become cultists, prostitutes and so on. Some become involved in dubious and complete business. The bible tells us to pilot from all appearance of evil. any(prenominal) you do, do all to the renown of God.\r\nFinally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are good report; if there be any virtue and if there be any paise, approximate on these thing (1 Cor10:31. Phil 4:8) Do not get involved in any activity that is unrepentant to the tenents of God. Anything contrary leads to hellfire. 9. Peer Group work out Many Youth have been led astray by those they regard as friends. The influences of peers can bring about a positive or a negative change in one’s life. only when today, such influences have been found to destroy the lives of those who keep had order.\r\ndoubting Thomas Martin as reported by Stan Ilo had this to say â€Å"What can be more dangerous to youth than bad company; what more fatal to all moral rectitude and feeling than influence of bad example. Bad company ruins good moral. It will be highly recommended youths can be involved in received friendship. John Chidi once classify friendship into 3: 1. intimacy based on unity 2. Friendship based on Sexual pleasure 3. strong griendship Youth should be advance to get involved in good friendship I =n which a man and a woman can be close friends without any sexual intercourse whatsoever. 0 Foul Language, noisy Music, grimy Dance, pornography Music is an quaint means with which God’s people adored, exalted His Holy name and praised his majesty. This is still God’s expectation from us today. However, Christain music of today has fictitious a new holding from what obtains in the bible. Most Christain music today are emotional, physical and noisy. The musical instrument sizable than the wordings as obtained in worldly music. Such songs do not give any inspiration, and it lacks modesty and moderation. So also is the lewd dance that accompanies the music.\r\nFlee from such music and from any apprearance of evil. 11. UNEMPLOYMENT There is a high rate of employment in this country. Many youths who had managed to go through heavyset and thin to obtain a university degree or other degrees are out there on the streets roaming about in search of anything to do for living. His has been the tinge of both youths and their parents. Many parents have lost inetrest in expend into education of their children. This has increased the number of youths without any formal education or vovational training.\r\nOne sees them in high dense areas/cities mill about around motor parks, marj=ket places, in hide outs, practically doing zipper meaningful. Their daily existence depend on how much they can steal, extort from people or just waste aw ay. Some engage in menial jobs that can hardly take care of them, while others become preys in the hand of evil men who take advantage of them by providing debase jpbs such as drug trafficking, prostitution. The self employed are set about with problems of generating power for tjose whose jobs require electricity. The headway is, for how long then can we watch the leaders of tomorrow waste away.\r\nWe all must rise up to this challenge and fight corruption, injustice that have premeated into the whims and caprices of this nation. 12. Marriage Many youths today are faced with the problem of getting a wife or a husband. This could be attributed to a number of factors such as parental influence or control, self, sin and the devil. Youths becomes so obsessed with their inability to be married that they now abadom God. To every man there is a wife and to every woman there is a man. Therefore wait on the Lord, and He will provide. THE WAY forwards\r\nIn handling the problem of our yout h and the difficulties confronting them in this obstinate generation, parents, churches, society and the youth themselves have specific habits they must perform to bring sanity to our world. Let us reflet on the role of the youth themselves. The youth who desires life and the fruits of happy life must desire God and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Seek outgrowth the kingdom of God and all its righteous and all other things will be added unto you (Matt. 6:33). To the youth who had turn away from the Lord, I say â€Å"come post with a repentant heart and the Lord will receive and have you back as his own.\r\nRepentance involves: a) Admitting your weakness, being sorry for your weakness b) Renouncing your weakness The Lord tell us in Issaiah, â€Å"come now let us occasion together, says the Lord through your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. though they are red like crimson, they shall become loke wool” (Is. 1:18) Go for sacramental reconcil iation. Having regained your relationship with God, He wants you to live a spotless life even in this era of godlessness. You are to plosive consonant unpolluted and unruffled in the continuously ever-ever-changing world where you dwell.\r\nThe unchanging God will substain you, for he has tell. :For I am the Lord, I change not” (Malachi 3:6). This implies that God’s children have no excuse to allow themselves to be swayed by the rapidly changing world around them. What is expect of the youth therefore check to the word of God is adumbrate as follows: 1. The youth must treasure the unaltered word of God in his heart, life and mouth, civilization or no civilization. 2. He must constantly and diligently with prayer take for his soul so that he is not overtaken bythe whirlwind of globalization and modernization. . must(prenominal) be resolved to live a holy life. This involves valiant to be different with a resolution not to look back. 4. Depend on the grace of God . Paul tells the Ephesians, â€Å"for it is by lenience you have been saved through Faith and this is not from your selves, it is a gift of God (Eph 2:8) In the sane vein, Jesus tells us in Jn15:16 not to rely on our own strength but yo abide on the Vine 5. allure the Holy spirit, the sanctifying power of God into your life. It is the spirit that gives life. In all thid fullness, live in the spirit.\r\nSo I say, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the wicked nature. For the immoral nature desires swhich is contrary to the spirit and the spirit which is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in bout with each other, so that do not do what you want” (Gal5:16-17) 6. Associate with thos who love and fear God. Meditate on the conversion â€Å"Do not be yoked together with unworshipers. For what do business and wickness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with phantom? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believe r have in common with an unbeliever?\r\nWhat agreement is there between the temple of God and Idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will live with them and walk amongthem, and I will be their God, and they will be my people” 7. Plunge into countless opportunities: The Lord urges us to infuse ourselves into unlimited opportunities that he has set us. Like Joshua, He was to be strong, courageous and to observe the word of God. Joshua did as God commanded and he prospered. Today God is face to us that he has given us great opportunities to make it in life and have all our needs met.\r\nHowever, many go through life dejected, defeated, defrauded, dominated and at the end doomed. you are a child of God. For success to come your way, borrow now. Do not be idle. You can still go back to school and get education; you can re-write your document and improve on them. atomic number 18 you unemployed, apply to place no matter how little, or you can creat e a job yourself. You need not suffer, the gear is the limit. Finally, do not stay away from sacraments (Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation). heaven is real. What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and suffer the loss of soul.\r\n'