Philippians 2:1-11

In this passage of Scripture, Paul writes to the Philippians about imitating the humility of Christ. He says that if anyone finds blessings of various sorts in being united with Christ, to then be united with their fellow Christians. If there is one lesson that Christians in today’s world must learn and put into practice, it is that we must be united in pursuing those who are lost. We must be united in all things or we will not be able to accomplish anything for the Kingdom of Heaven.

In putting this passage into practice in the context of youth ministry, the applications are numerous. One such lesson to be learned here is that when ministering to the youth, we must act in humility. We cannot give off the appearance of being “holier than thou.” If the youth sense anything close to this, they will run the other direction. Jesus acted in humility constantly and therefore was able to reach far more than had He not practiced this.

We must also be united in our goals and desires for the youth. We must spread the joy we found in Christ in such a way that it is infectious to the youth. One of the best ways to lead is by example. If the youth see us genuinely following Jesus and the joy we have because of Him, they will be much more inclined to follow Him as well. Jesus was constantly in tune with the Father. This came across in ways that allowed Him to reach people that otherwise would not have responded. If we follow this example, we will be able to reach youth that may not otherwise make a decision for Christ.

The key to practicing these, as well as the other lessons in this scripture, is to do it in incarnational ministry. In other words, we must surround ourselves with those we want to reach, in this case youth, and practice these lessons genuinely. The youth can tell when an adult is not being real and thus will trust them even less. But as they see us being real, both with Jesus subsequently with them, they will open up more and begin to let us in and show them the example of Jesus.