Over at the DG Blog, they are beginning to blog about an interview Abraham Piper and Tyler Kennedy had with Paul Tripp. An early question had to do with the differences seen in ministering to youth versus ministering to adults. I LOVE Tripp’s answer:
There are ways in which there’s no difference. There’s only one gospel, not a different one for children, young people, and adults.
And there’s a way the struggles of the heart are the same. These struggles play out differently depending on our stage in life, but when it comes down to it, we all want to be sovereign over our own lives.
If you understand that about your heart, and you’re humble about it, you’ll get what a kid or teenager is going through. You’ll understand that it isn’t first a problem of misbehavior; it’s first a problem in the heart.
There is also an audio of this interview and probably more posts coming.
I learned this lesson on aiming at the heart a few years back and it has revolutionized my entire approach to ministry in the local church.