COMMUNICATING WITH YOUTH TODAY

Youth today are highly educated and if we are to reach them we must learn to go

to them, to where they are and communicate on terms they understand and reason

with them from the superiority of the Bible, with the insights they have been taught.

 

Example, many young people have taken psychology courses and have been taught

how the human mind works. One such teaching comes from Abraham Maslow

entitled the Hierarchy of Human Needs. This is an interesting pyramid chart and

my outline will start from the bottom and work upwards as I explain his chart.

 

 

1. Physiological Needs - basic requirements in life, water, food, clothing,

 

2. Safety Needs - security of the body, work, family, one's health etc.

 

3. Love/Belonging - friendships, achievements, intimacy,

 

4. Esteem Needs - self-esteem, confidence, respect for others,

 

5. Self-actualization - morality, creativity, problem solving, lack of prejudice etc.

                                 

Self actualization is the top of the list but one has to over come the needs

of other levels starting from the bottom and working your way to the top.

Maslow believes only 2% of the population can reachvthis level because

the worries and concerns of the other levels are too hard to overcome.

except by the fortunate, and money does really help.

 

Christ satisfies the needs of the people, thus setting them free as Jn.8:32

states, Abide in My Word and you shall know the Truth and the Truth shall

make you free. Truth does not set us free but makes us free ie Paul in Philippi

jail was free as he sang hymns and gave thanks to God, amazing the prisoners.

 

Maslow was on track in the pyramid of human needs and we need to confirm

with the youth their psychology courses are correct in identifying how mankind

thinks and what needs they must meet to achieve all they can be.

You cannot deny the truth Maslow has discovered but as all psychologists, they find

the problem but they have no true, long lasting, solutions, as we see the Bible has.

 

 

1. Physiological Needs Are met by Christ, not on a physical plain but spiritual,

                       Mt.6:25-33; Do not worry about what you shall eat, drink or wear,

                       God will provide. Be content with what you have, 1Tim.6:8;

 

2. Safety Needs;    Do not fear those who can kill the body but fear Him fear God.

                       Mt.10:28-31; Die today and your in heaven, Php.1:21-24; God calls

                       for the spiritually minded. Believing in God, one believes in life after

                       death, freeing yourself from the safey concerns in this life.

 

3. Love/Belonging;    Who are My mother, brother and sisters, he who does the

                       will of My father. Mt.12:46-50; Do we not belong to the family of God

                      and are called sons of God, Gal.3:26;

 

4. Esteem -    Everyone who confesses Me before men I will confess him

                      before My Father who is in heaven, Mt.10:32-33; We have a personal

                      relationship with the creator of the universe. Ro.8:35-39;

 

5. Self-actualization -  Go make disciples, baptizing... Mt.28:19,20 we know our

                     salvation is secure,  1Jn.5:13; so get out of self and strive to help others.

 

 

Was Maslow right? Absolutely! Does his chart make sense? Completely

But it is almost impossible to get to the top unless one is blessed to be born into money,

for those struggling to find work, no hope, let alone born into a third world country.

But Jesus came for all, so we introduce the teachings of Christ, one level at a time,

showing we all have a God who cares for us and meets all our spiritual needs and

sets us free from physical thinking into the world of spiritual freedom. And the gospel

is for the poor as well as the rich. When it is understood on the spiritual level for it

meets Maslov's pyramid needs chart.

 

 

As a Christian you are part of the 2% who are capable of the self-actualization level

unless of course your faith wavers and you do not strive to be all you can be,

2Pe.1:1-11; for he who lacks these qualities is blind because he is short sighted,

having forgotten his purification from his former sins.

 

 

This is what I mean about talking at their level, they know this stuff, its taught to

them but are we teaching them how relevant the Bible is to today's thinking?

Do we teach the Bible is only a historical record or do we teach it as it is,

the living and active Word of God Heb.4:12;

 

Congregation not growing? Maybe because our understanding of the Word

is not growing, we can't grow if we stagnate in our personal study and we can't

help others grow if we don't struggle to speak to them on their level of understanding.

 

The Bible has the answers, but do we know them. are we looking for them?