THE BEST BURGERS IN TOWN
The Best Burgers in Town
Adapted from an article by Bill Jackson
Jesus taught, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Those words establish the proper order for every part of the Christian life. Elders must not allow buildings, budgets, and business to overshadow the responsibility of shepherding souls. Preachers must not become so consumed with programs and administration that they neglect prayer, study, and teaching. Every Christian must guard against allowing the pressures of daily life to crowd out worship, service, and spiritual growth. That same balance is especially important as we consider the spiritual formation of our children and young people.
Congregations rightly want young people to enjoy being together, and meals, devotionals, trips, games, and other activities can provide wholesome fellowship while helping meaningful relationships grow. Our young people need Christian friends, godly mentors, and opportunities to spend time with the congregation outside the formal hours of worship. However, while fellowship can encourage faith and create opportunities for spiritual influence, it cannot create faith or take the place of deliberate biblical instruction.
Years ago, Bill Jackson made this point with a memorable observation. “No adult has ever said that he believes the Bible is the inspired Word of God because his childhood congregation served the best hamburgers in town.” No one develops an unshakable conviction about Christ, salvation, worship, or the church merely because the youth calendar remained full. A young person may enjoy every activity we provide and still enter adulthood without understanding how the Bible fits together, why Jesus is Lord, what the gospel demands, or how to defend the faith when it is challenged. If that happens, we may have entertained the young person without forming the disciple.
Jesus once warned those who followed Him, “You seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled” (John 6:26). They appreciated what Jesus provided, but they had not yet understood who He was. That same danger remains whenever we confuse attracting young people to an activity with leading them into a lasting relationship with Christ. Attendance is not necessarily discipleship, enjoyment is not conviction, and a young person’s comfort around the church does not automatically mean that faith has taken root within the heart.
The answer is not to eliminate fellowship or programs but to make certain that fellowship serves the greater purpose of spiritual formation. Our meals should strengthen relationships through which faith can be encouraged. Our activities should reinforce, rather than replace, the work of parents, teachers, elders, and the entire congregation. Most importantly, our young people must be taught Scripture deeply enough to know what they believe, why they believe it, and how the gospel gives meaning and direction to their lives.
Solomon wrote, “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). That requires more than keeping young people busy. It requires faithful homes, serious Bible teaching, godly examples, personal relationships, and a congregation committed to helping each generation find its place within the story of the gospel. Let us provide warm fellowship, meaningful activities, and perhaps even the best hamburgers in Ruston, but let us never forget that hamburgers cannot produce faith. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).
~ Casey Clement