Listed below are eleven incredible resources for any Christian teenager who is serious about pursuing Christ and growing in their relationship with Him. Perfect for birthday, Christmas, or graduation gifts, hopefully these books will enable you to give gospel-centered, Christ-focused resources to young believers you know!
With heart-probing questions, gospel-centered exhortations, and practical examples, author C. J. Mahaney asks the reader to examine what their life is truly established on. Is it Christ and Christ alone, or merely legalistic habits and the waves of emotionalism?
An absolutely incredible read, every believer should have a copy of The Cross-Centered Life readily accessible. A Christian teenager living a cross-centered life will look different than the unsaved friends around them. And Mahaney provides clear examples of what that will look like, who the believer should be imitating, and how this will affect their entire life.
In a world of “follow your heart”, a teenager is easily susceptible to the lies that demand them to be true to themselves. Pastor and speaker, Kevin DeYoung, writes in an engaging and encouraging way, providing Christian teenagers with countercultural words that will affect the rest of their life. This book is a great birthday gift or graduation gift, encouraging teenagers to keep Christ at the center of their decisions and lives.
Humility and pride cannot coexist. In a culture that prizes individualism, power, and prestige, humility is the last thing that society encourages its teenagers to possess. But it’s the first thing that a follower of Christ should be striving for, and a worthy attribute every Christian should pursue.
Humility, True Greatness is a book that should be on every believer’s shelf. For Christian teenagers especially, the message and themes conveyed will be starkly countercultural and faithfully rewarding.
What does it mean, as a Christian teenager, to live life in light of a God who calls you to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever? John Piper’s book, Don’t Waste Your Life is a powerful read for any teenager who wants to pursue a Christ-centered, gospel-driven, eternally-focused life without regrets, hesitation, or confusion.
Our culture has a shrunken view of God. Whether in the way we talk about Him, pray to Him, sing in church on Sunday, or worship with other believers, are we living in light of a God who really is the sovereign Lord of the world?
Author Orlando Saer explores this topic in an engaging and interesting way, encouraging believers to start living their lives with a correct and powerful view of the eternal God of the universe. For Christian teenagers, his book will help them correct the often flawed, weak, and helpless image of God that many churches and communities have established.
If your view of God is small, it’s possible that you’re no longer worshipping God.
Pastor Brad Bigney shows the reader that idols have not vanished with modernity. Instead, they are concealed in forms that culture has learned to embrace and disguise. If you find your heart growing cold for God, it’s possible that something else has replaced Him on the throne of your heart. And for a Christian teenager, Bigney’s words will provide heart-probing and heart-examining questions to see whether another idol is stealing your attentions.
For Christian teenagers facing major life decisions, trying to understand God’s seemingly mysterious and elusive will can be discouraging and disheartening. Or… is God’s will all that secretive?
In his book, Just Do Something, A Liberating Approach To Finding God’s Will, Kevin DeYoung explores what it means to make decisions and live life under God’s authority and within His will. When God has gifted Christians with His Word, prayer, and other Christian friends, finding God’s will shouldn’t be as hard as many believers make it out to be. DeYoung’s book is encouraging and empowering for Christian teenagers who are trying to figure out life-plans that honor God and just logically make sense.
The subtitle for this book is Resisting The Seduction Of A Fallen World. And teenagers today are no exception to these seductions. When asking questions like whether it’s wrong to wear the latest trends, be popular at school or among your friend group, and enjoy listening to modern music, Christian teenagers can find themselves overwhelmed by trying to be “in the world, but not of the world”.
This book, written by five godly pastors and teachers, explores how to pursue Christ in four distinct areas of everyday life. For Christian teenagers, learning how to live a life eternally-minded can sound vague and mysterious. Worldliness will provide teenagers with a clear outline of how believers should act in a world that, though it is now tainted by sin, was originally made beautiful.
Our culture loves to devalue the past and focus on the here and the now. Newer is better, the slogans argue. But the study of church history is something that every believer should undertake, and a valuable lessen for any Christian teenager trying to walk the path of other faithful pilgrims before them.
There are many incredible church-history books available on the market, but this book by Earl M. Blackburn breaks 50 events over 1900 years into easy-to-read chapters that are perfect for a quick, daily read!
Much of our culture is obsessed with the need for individual success and individual control. The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan is a powerful reminder to Christian teenagers of the thousands of faithful believers who have gone on before them.
Of course, the original book by Bunyan is incredible! But if a teenager is struggling with the older English, the retelling by Cheryl V. Ford is extremely well-done and very close to the original story.
“Young people, you must pray, for your passions are strong, and your wisdom is little.” – C. H. Spurgeon
The Valley of Vision is a collection of Puritan prayers that has been gathered into a volume designed to guide a Christian’s personal prayer time. A beautiful gift for any occasion, Christian teenagers will find their souls enriched by the prayers of faithful pilgrims of centuries past.
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