Answers

Q:

Our teenager asked us the other day who we thought is more influential—Jesus or the latest pop star. We told him Jesus, but he said we're just out of touch because almost no one his age pays attention to Jesus. Is he right?


A:

He may be right when he says most people his age are influenced more by the latest pop star than by Jesus—but of course that isn’t the whole story.

After all, pop stars come and go, and what was popular last year is outdated this year. But Jesus never changes, and that’s why it’s far better to build our lives on Him instead of on the shifting sands of the latest fad. As the Bible says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). And in my experience, many young people today are discovering this and committing their lives to Jesus.

I hope you’ll also remind your son who Jesus really is. He is the Son of God, the One God sent from heaven to save us from our sins. No one else can do this for us; in fact, the latest pop craze is likely to turn us away from God, or even mock Him and His will for our lives. But when we know Christ, we know where we came from, and why we are here, and where we are going when we die. He also guides and helps us as we face life’s decisions.

Pray for your son, and encourage him to commit his life to Christ and learn to follow Him instead of the crowd. Jesus warned, “Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it” (Matthew 7:13). May neither you nor your son make that mistake, but may you put your faith in Christ and learn to follow Him every day.