Forward Point: A Church For Everyone

Devotional

Day 1: When Disciples Shoo Kids Away, Jesus Flips Tables

Parents brought children to Jesus, but the disciples rebuffed them—a scene mirroring our culture’s dismissal of youth. Jesus insists the kingdom belongs to the childlike, those unburdened by performative faith. In Syracuse, where poverty and abortion rates scream neglect, the church’s passive stance becomes complicity. To value the next generation means fighting systemic apathy, whether through foster care, youth ministry, or simply remembering names. Jesus’ rebuke of the disciples is a call to dismantle barriers blocking kids from encountering radical grace. [23:08]

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you seen “shooing away” happen in your community—subtle or overt? What one action could dismantle a barrier between a young person and Jesus today?

Day 2: Running Before We Crawl in Harvest Fields

Launching youth ministry without perfect readiness mirrors Jesus’ urgency to sow in ripe fields. The story of Orianna—a sexually assaulted teen living blocks from the church—exposes the cost of waiting. Like Peter casting nets for the temple-tax fish, obedience often precedes clarity. Syracuse’s foster crisis and lead-contaminated homes demand action, not committees. Faithfulness means showing up to nine-square games, concerts, and tearful interviews before feeling “qualified.” [15:34]

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” (Proverbs 16:3, ESV)

Reflection: What “unprepared” step is God asking you to take toward a young person this week? How does perfectionism hinder your obedience?

Day 3: Scars on Arms Three Blocks from the Sanctuary

Orianna’s sisters arrived with visible wounds—self-harm scars etched near the church’s doors. Paul’s charge to Timothy (“set an example in speech, conduct, love”) becomes visceral when teens bear trauma. The disciples’ dismissal contrasts Jesus’ tears over Jerusalem. Investing in youth isn’t about cool programs but entering stories of abuse, poverty, and doubt. Every ignored teen is a millstone warning; every engaged heart, a kingdom investment. [32:32]

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12, ESV)

Reflection: Whose hidden scars might God be asking you to acknowledge? How can your presence “set an example” without needing words?

Day 4: Jesus Paid the Temple Tax for Teenage Disciples

Only those over 20 paid the temple tax—meaning most disciples were teens. Jesus’ three years with them wasn’t a side mission but a blueprint. The coin-in-the-fish miracle underscores provision for those society discounts. Like the immigrant father drowning for his son’s future, Jesus drowns apathy to resurrect hope. Volunteering isn’t about age gaps but joining the Rabbi who chose unpolished fishermen to change history. [34:24]

“But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.” (Matthew 17:27, ESV)

Reflection: How does Jesus’ choice of teenage disciples challenge your view of youth? What “coin” (resource, skill, story) has God placed in you to invest in them?

Day 5: Childlike Faith Isn’t a Phase—It’s the Standard

Toddlers dancing freely during worship embody Jesus’ kingdom metric: unselfconscious trust. The world tells teens to outgrow “childish” faith, but Paul says they’re to lead in purity and love. Abortion’s convenience and Syracuse’s foster surge reveal our failure to protect this standard. Like the father who crossed borders for his son’s future, the church must fight for a generation’s right to wonder, question, and flail in authentic faith. [29:24]

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3–4, ESV)

Reflection: When did you last express faith with “uncool” abandon? How can you create spaces where teens—and you—are free to worship without self-consciousness?

Sermon Summary

The Great Commission sends disciples out, and that sending names a next generation right in front of the church. Jesus’ command does not stop at conversion, since a disciple is only a disciple when another disciple is being formed through that life, who then turns and disciples someone else. Paul’s own posture clarifies the cost of that calling, since the price someone is willing to pay reveals the value they actually place on people, and he calls himself a slave so that more might be reached. That same cruciform posture sets the tone for a church that decides to run before it crawls, to start before it feels ready, because the harvest is sitting a few blocks away.

Matthew shows Jesus receiving children while the disciples shoo them off. Parents bring kids to be blessed, and the disciples treat them like a disruption. Jesus flips the script with a simple command, let the little children come, then adds the why, since God’s kingdom is made of people like these. Childlike faith is not a phase, but an example, not a cute season to get through, but a template for free, unembarrassed trust that does not perform for the crowd.

Paul’s charge to Timothy lands here too. Youth are not a problem to manage, they are called to set the example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. The warning is just as sharp, since whoever causes one of these little ones to stumble invites a millstone judgment. That indictment stings in a city where the womb is the most dangerous place, poverty presses hard, foster numbers climb, and lead paint keeps homes closed. Shooing kids away can be active or passive, loud or quiet.

Jesus even builds with teenagers, since the temple tax scene implies a crew mostly under twenty, and he spends three years with them until they turn the world upside down. So the gospel that is for everyone must look like a church for everyone, which requires everyone. The work looks ordinary and slow, learning names, inviting again, giving up naps, opening homes, showing up on Sunday nights, choosing presence over polish. Every Orianna on the block, every scarred arm, is a future world changer in the making, and the call is to be hands and feet, flesh and blood, until disciples are making disciples who are making disciples.

Key Takeaways

1. Childlike faith sets the pattern Childlike trust is not a cute stage to age out of, it is the working model of kingdom life. Jesus points to kids as the template, not the exception, so grown-up dignity cannot be an excuse for spiritual distance. Freedom from self-consciousness makes room for a fuller obedience. God’s kingdom looks like hands-up, eyes-open dependence. [29:24]
2. Real disciples make more disciples A Christian identity without downstream investment is incomplete. The call is not just to believe but to give a life away so another life can carry the flame and pass it on. Multiplication, not maintenance, marks the difference between spectators and students of Jesus. Definition shapes direction. [17:22]
3. Cost reveals value for youth What someone sacrifices shows what they truly prize. Paul chooses slavery language to reach more people, which exposes any preference for comfort over calling. Trading naps, schedules, and convenience for presence with students turns theory into love. Price tags preach louder than slogans. [18:42]
4. Passivity hurts the little ones The disciples’ shooing shows how easy it is to become a barrier while imagining helpfulness. Jesus’ millstone warning names the stakes, since negligence can wound as surely as malice. In cities ground down by poverty and trauma, the church’s silence still speaks, and kids hear it. Urgency is mercy. [28:34]
5. Everyone shares the next-gen load NextGen is not a niche for a few extroverts, it is an all hands mission. Some will teach, some will drive, some will open homes, all can learn names and keep showing up. A church for everyone only becomes visible when everyone takes a share of the weight. Anything less shrinks the gospel. [37:02]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[14:29] - Youth night and nine square
[15:34] - Running before crawling
[16:24] - NextGen is all hands
[17:22] - Disciples make disciples
[18:42] - Jesus and the children
[21:24] - Live what parents say
[23:58] - Young believers set the example
[26:36] - Poverty and foster care reality
[28:34] - Millstone warning and urgency
[29:24] - Childlike faith is the template
[30:25] - Orianna, harvest on the block
[33:57] - Jesus and the temple tax
[35:52] - Start before feeling ready
[37:02] - Gospel for everyone, act now

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 19:14 (ESV)
But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

1 Timothy 4:12 (ESV)
Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

Matthew 17:24-27 (ESV)
[Summary: Jesus instructs Peter to pay the temple tax with a coin found in a fish’s mouth, highlighting that the tax applied only to those 20+ years old, implying most disciples were teenagers.]

Observation Questions

In Matthew 19:14, how did the disciples initially respond to parents bringing children to Jesus, and how did Jesus correct them?
What specific areas does Paul tell Timothy to “set an example” in for other believers (1 Timothy 4:12)? [23:58]
According to the temple tax story (Matthew 17:24-27), what does Jesus’ interaction with His disciples imply about their ages? [34:24]
What practical examples were given in the sermon about “shooing kids away” in modern contexts? [23:33]

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus use children as the template for kingdom faith instead of a temporary phase to outgrow? [29:24]
Paul calls himself a “slave” to reach others (1 Corinthians 9:19). How does this language challenge modern assumptions about comfort and calling? [17:52]
Jesus warns about causing “little ones to stumble” (Matthew 18:6). What forms could this “stumbling” take in a community facing poverty and trauma? [28:34]
The sermon says discipleship is “ordinary and slow.” How do small, consistent actions (like learning names) align with Jesus’ method of building His church? [36:30]

Application Questions

What is one tangible way you could prioritize “childlike faith” this week—praying openly, worshiping freely, or asking God for help without self-consciousness?
The sermon warns against “passive shooing” of youth. Where have you seen yourself or others unintentionally exclude young people? What’s one step to shift from passive to intentional? [27:16]
Paul’s “slave” posture meant sacrificing comfort. What personal convenience (time, energy, routine) could you trade this month to invest in someone younger? [18:42]
The story of Orianna [30:25] shows harvest is “a few blocks away.” How could you intentionally build relationships with youth in your neighborhood, workplace, or church?
Jesus spent three years with teenagers who “turned the world upside down.” If you’re not a parent or teacher, what role could you play in mentoring or supporting young believers?
The millstone warning [28:34] highlights urgency. What systemic issue affecting youth (foster care, poverty, abortion) could you advocate for or serve in locally?

Sermon Clips

49s

#InvestInYouth

“Jesus decided to come and spend three years with this group of teenagers who would go on to turn the world upside down. So what does that look like for you? It doesn't mean you have to be here on Sunday nights, but maybe you do need to be here on Sunday nights. It doesn't mean you need to volunteer on Sunday mornings, but maybe you do need to volunteer on Sunday mornings. I don't know what it looks like for you, but it has to look like something if you come here this morning and just leave without any kind of sense of I am part of this all hands on deck mission, then you're missing out on a huge chunk of what Jesus calls us as disciples.”

46s

#ChildlikeFaith

“We talk about all the time not just getting to heaven, but how do we bring heaven down to earth? Not just getting to the kingdom, but how do we bring the kingdom of God down here to earth? And Jesus says, the kingdom of heaven looks a lot more like the childlike faith than anything else. Because four point, childlike faith is not a phase, but an example. Right? When we have these little people up here and they're just dancing away and they're just mindlessly just doing whatever comes naturally, that's the kind of expression of faith relationship that Jesus wants us to have with him, not where we're wondering what the person next to us is thinking or whether or not I'm gonna wake up with a sore back.”

51s

#BuildLocalRelationships

“Just within blocks of where we're sitting, there is a huge need. So we're gonna run before we crawl. We're just gonna start building relationship because making headway with this particular generation and age group requires time, just relationship over time, just remembering names, just continuing to invite. In the course of the week after week where we're gonna be praying for opportunities to to hear their story and to speak into their life, But that only happens if we all collectively catch a vision that God has called you to so much more than just sitting in these chairs every week.”

46s

#ProtectTheLittleOnes

“And at the same time, we have a world that is constantly telling them all these ways to live and to think that are contrary to the way that Jesus has called us to be his disciples. And there there is a price. There's a price that is paid when we abdicate our responsibility. There's a price to be paid when when someone causes one of these little ones, Jesus says, to stumble, to to to hinder them. He says it would be better for you if you're part of that problem that you would have a millstone tied around your neck and you'd be thrown into the water. That's not a very pretty picture, but that's the price.”

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Forward Point: A Church For Everyone

Devotional

Day 1: When Disciples Shoo Kids Away, Jesus Flips Tables

Day 2: Running Before We Crawl in Harvest Fields

Day 3: Scars on Arms Three Blocks from the Sanctuary

Day 4: Jesus Paid the Temple Tax for Teenage Disciples

Day 5: Childlike Faith Isn’t a Phase—It’s the Standard

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Forward Point: A Church For Everyone

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