When Jesus had called the Twelve together, He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and He sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: ‘Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.’ So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the Good News and healing people everywhere (Luke 9:1–6). In this passage from Luke, we see Jesus sending His closest disciples out to care for people and proclaim the Good News. In the same way, any adult with influence over teenagers can look to this “sending” as an excellent example of how to reach upcoming generations.
Our best strategic bet for outreach is to empower teens to share with their peers, as they are in the best position to reach those in their own generation. However, we must also consider Jesus’ preparation leading up to this mission: Day in and day out, He was personally caring for people and sharing the Good News with them while the disciples observed His example.
If we are going to encourage teenagers to share the gospel with their friends, we must first model what that looks like in our own lives. If we are not consistently sharing our faith, we cannot expect those we lead to do so. Whether you are a mom, a dad, or a youth leader, your personal commitment to evangelism serves as the primary blueprint for the next generation.
If we’re going to encourage teens to share the gospel with their peers, we must first show them what that looks like. If we’re not consistently sharing our faith, then how can we expect those we lead to do so?
Moms, dads, youth pastors, children’s pastors, and lead pastors, I encourage you to set the example for your own kids, as well as for the children and teenagers in your church.
I challenge you with Paul’s command to the far-more-timid Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 4:5). Even if you’re not an evangelist by gifting or office, you’re still called to evangelize (Matt. 28:19).
As someone once said, it’s called “the Great Commission,” not “the good suggestion.”
Raising Teens With Evangelism
We’re just completing a research project at Dare 2 Share, and one of the biggest takeaways is that teenagers who actively share the Gospel have adults in their lives who consistently model evangelism.
That doesn’t mean these adults are perfect—or perfect at evangelism. It means they set the pace for evangelism. The teenagers in their lives see their boldness and follow in their footsteps.
Jesus told his disciples:
“Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people.” (Matt. 4:19).
Here Jesus forever connects evangelism and discipleship. He gives us the pathway to impacting the next generation of disciples.
What’s the pathway? Modeling evangelism (“Come, follow me.”) and equipping those who follow you in evangelism (“I will show you how to fish for people.”).
A Challenge to Share the Gospel Regularly
Share the Gospel with someone this week. Then inspire the young people in your life by telling them the story of what you said and how it stretched your faith.
I personally believe that if every serious Christian made it their goal to have at least one Gospel conversation every week, it would make a massive difference for the Kingdom. And it would set the pace for the next generation.
Lead by example. Then equip young people to share this life-giving, destiny-changing message with all their friends.
Let’s all be radical like Jesus!
This article originally appeared on gregstier.org and is reposted here by permission.