What J12 does...
J12 sounds a wake up call
“Thank you America for letting us raise your kids.”
— MTV
J12 is a wake up call for
tweens and parents, exposing the battleground
we didn’t even realize was there.
We, as the Church, cannot passively sit
by and watch this young generation be saturated
with a culture that will kill them. America’s
battles are on the grounds of apathy and
negative affects of affluence. However,
the battlegrounds in other countries are
survival, child prostitution and child soldiering.
The world is becoming very small, very quickly.
Some Muslim countries are teaching their
children, at the age of three, how to kill
Christians and Jews.
As you can see, the battles our children face right now are
going to change rapidly. The responsibility
of preparing this young generation for what
lies ahead rests on us, all of us.
As a culture, we have facilitated early development in every
area other than spiritual. Our kids have
accelerated in their growth, physically,
educationally, emotionally, developmentally
but have lagged sadly behind spiritually.
We must wake up and help the next generation
become strong, fervent and determined Christians,
full of the Spirit of the Lord and ready
to assume an offensive position instead
of our current spiritual defensive stance.
The Muslim population in France could grow from 8% —
5 million of France's 60 million people
— to a majority in 25 years,
according to demographic experts.
— USA Today
The notion of the death of France is not, by any means, an
absurd notion. To the contrary: it
is an increasingly plausible possibility
- or a reality occurring right before
our eyes, according to some. The presence
of a huge and growing Muslim population
in France has fundamentally altered
the identity of the nation. Anti-Americanism
and anti-Semitism have become endemic,
as France chooses Islamicization and
friendship with Arab dictators over
friendship with America and Israel.
By Jamie Glazov
FrontPageMagazine.com
J12 provokes
action
Barna says, We retain, 10% of what we hear,
30% of what we see, 60% of what we do.
Why does children’s
ministry consist mostly of telling and hearing?
It is too critical at this time in history
to allow the few moments we have with kids
every week to be a 10% retention factor,
or even 30%.
J12 is a ‘get in the action’ model of ministry
that compels young lives to live boldly
for the cause of Christ at 12 not 21. Just
like Jesus, we expect our kids to be hidden
in the house, found in the temple, listening
and asking questions and walking in uncommon
revelation.
This vision is amazing! It makes so much sense. It’s
like, why didn’t I think of
this. It’s so simple and yet
I had completely missed it.
— a children’s
pastor Not only do we expect them to learn and grasp spiritual truths
BUT we fully expect them and give them the
opportunity to walk them out in their daily
lives. J12 equals action. Faith is great,
but faith without works is dead. Young people
need the opportunity to try their gifts,
learn more about them, step out in faith-filled
prayer so that God can respond to this faith
in action. These experiences at a young
age leave an indelible imprint young lives
and though they will most likely go through
the questioning transition of making their
parents faith their own, they will know
that they have experienced God for themselves
and no matter what contradicting or confusing
messages they face, they can’t deny
it.
learn more about the local
church >
J12 connects
generations
J12 is not only about ‘getting in the action,’
it’s about getting all the generations
involved. Adults have the wisdom, experience
and abilities that can help a young person
discover and begin reaching their dreams.
J12 creates an environment
This thing
is huge! J12 is going to be
to the church like Starbuck’s
is to coffee drinkers.
— a pastor where the young are connected with the older in their area
of gifting so that the young can glean and
the older can give of what they have learned.
For decades the church has separated the
ages and generations. It is time for them
to come back together. The younger must
receive from the older.
At this age, parents are
still the dominant influence in a young
persons life. Parents must facilitate their
own kids into action for the cause of Christ.
Gone are the days of sending kids to church
to be given “spirituality”.
Parents are being stirred to regain the relinquished mantle
of training the lives they have been given
stewardship over.
J12 also models right of
passage. When a child is ready, they pass
from being a child to an adult and choosing
to be a leader and an example to the younger
ones concerning Godliness and righteousness.
This is a powerful time of father’s
and mother’s, both spiritual and biological,
ushering a young person into manhood or
womanhood.
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