Tag: christianity

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The Resurrection Compels Me to Evangelize

I first published this article at The Focused Pastor, a ministry of Focus on the Family.

I am a pastor. And I do not have the gift of evangelism.

However, I do want to be obedient to Jesus. I believe that all need to hear the Gospel. Because of this, I evangelize and continually want to grow in leading my church in corporate and personal evangelism.

I have embraced the idea that not all are “naturally gifted evangelists.” Not all pastors have the gifting of Billy Graham, Ray Comfort, or Greg Laurie. The gifts God seems to have given me are encouragement, preaching, and teaching. But embracing how God has “wired me” for the places He has called me to serve does not mean I forget about other clear commands.

I may not have the “gift” of giving (Romans 12:6-8), but it would be sinful not to give to my local church. I would also miss out on being a part of how God provides for our ministries, the joy of sacrificing for the Kingdom, and the wonder of seeing God supply every need.

Similarly, I may not have a natural bent toward evangelism, but as I have leaned into God’s heart for those who don’t know him, I have grown in my passion and practice of evangelism. I have a burning desire to “compel people to come in” (Luke 14:23), even if I sometimes need to rekindle that desire. No blazing biblical truth has compelled my evangelism more than the resurrection of Jesus. Here are five reasons the resurrection compels me to evangelize.

1. The resurrection means that I am a co-worker with Jesus in evangelism

In the first verse of the book of Acts, Luke the Physician says that in his Gospel, he wrote about “all that Jesus began to do and teach…” The implication at the start of the Bible book that details the spread of the Gospel around the world after the resurrection is that Jesus was starting to build his church (Matthew 16:18). He is continuing to save today.

When we share the Gospel, we are co-workers with the living and reigning Christ. What a privilege!

2. The resurrection means every person in our community needs to hear the Gospel

Jesus said that one day, every person you drive past in your community, every person you see in the grocery store, every person who walks into your church, and every person who never steps foot in a church—will one day hear his voice. “…an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29)

C.S. Lewis famously explained this in The Weight of Glory: “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.”

There are no ordinary people. Every person you meet in your community will one day be eternally in heaven or hell. When I read the Bible, I am amazed at how straightforward it presents this reality, when even in the church, sometimes we are more reserved about this truth than we should be. The facts of judgment and salvation, the facts of resurrection to life or resurrection to judgment, bring a weight to our task and a purpose to our church and ministry. Until we are in heaven and can no longer evangelize, the resurrection means we must.

3. The resurrection means there is a never-empty well of passion for evangelism

Sometimes, I get tired of resistance to the Gospel and give up for a while. Sometimes, I don’t feel the weight of eternity. Sometimes, I am scared of what others will think of me. But believing in the resurrection means I can always find the passion for evangelism again.

We see Peter go from being the timid man cowering at a servant girl’s accusation on the night of Jesus’ arrest to the bold apostle preaching to thousands after Jesus rose from the dead. I have seen fear turn into love and boldness in my heart when given an opportunity to share the Gospel if I remember that Jesus is alive.

4. The resurrection means I want to do outreach and evangelism privately and with my church family

I labor to explain at least the basics of the Gospel at some point in each sermon. I do this to train my congregation week after week in the different ways they can explain the Gospel. But I also do it because I never know who will be there on a Sunday or where they are with the Lord. Even if no visitors attend on a given Sunday, there may be unbelieving church regulars, teens, or children who will be saved that morning. The fact that the church service is primarily for building up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12) does not mean evangelism is not also a primary purpose.

But the resurrection also means we don’t just wait for people to come to us. I love reaching out to anyone in our community we can touch base with through sports camp outreaches, kids’ Christmas parties, block parties, or by hosting a tent in our community StreetFest. While there is a distinction between outreach (letting people know you are there and that you care) and evangelism (sharing the Gospel through a verbal or written presentation), outreach often opens doors to evangelism in our culture today.

The fact that your church exists in your community expresses the love of Christ for your community. They have the Gospel available because God has seen fit to have your church’s gospel presence embedded in the community. Sometimes, the Gospel will advance through shared ministry; other times, church members go out to their spheres of influence with the good news.

5. The resurrection means that our work of evangelism is never in vain

The longest chapter in the Bible on the resurrection ends with an astounding promise. 1 Corinthians 15:58 comes after proving, defending, and applying the truth of the resurrection. In light of this, the Apostle Paul encourages us, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” So, we continue to plant seeds.

Years ago, our church hired a contractor who was not attending church. Several people in our church knew him, and they encouraged us to pray for him at our Prayer Meeting. I, and others, invited him to church, but he never came. Until last month. At the end of our worship services, I always invite people to talk with us after the service if they want to know more about the Gospel or set up a time with us if they are not ready that morning. Last Sunday, he approached me to set up a time to talk more about Jesus.

These amazing opportunities used to intimidate me. I was eager but scared. As my convictions about the resurrection of Christ have deepened, so has my love for evangelism. I can’t wait to see what Jesus will do in our community member’s life.

Keep sharing the Gospel. Because of the resurrection, “your labor is not in vain.”

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Why I Still Believe in Youth Ministry

I first published this article at The Focused Pastor, a ministry of Focus on the Family.

I first met Matt* when he was 15. I was the new Youth Pastor and his single mom brought him to church. She was excited that we were beginning a youth ministry, and to my surprise, Matt was too. He was quirky and a bit of an outsider among the teens in the church, but I loved his honest questions about God and how he was not afraid to be different. Matt came every Wednesday evening when our youth ministry met, and I saw him grow by leaps and bounds.

At one point, I started to pick up Matt and another teen from school a few times a month for a snack and Bible study. We would get some Subway, read the Gospel of John together, talk about Jesus and life, and I would pray for them. After about a year, Matt shared with me that he knew he believed in Jesus. When I asked him how he knew he was saved, he said that it was affecting his life. He didn’t want to sin. He loved Jesus and wanted to follow him. A few months later, Matt was baptized. The last I heard about Matt, he was a video game developer serving in his local church, still following Jesus.

I’ve pastored full-time for almost two decades, and during my first eight years of vocational ministry I was a youth pastor. I am in my mid-40s now and pastoring in a rural church in New England, but I still believe in youth ministry. Matt is one reason. Now my own kids are new reasons I still believe in youth ministry.

I have noticed a change from when I first began leading youth ministry. Decades ago, it was often the parents who wanted their teens to attend more than the teens necessarily did. I knew parents who brought their teens to youth ministry events and told them they needed to be a part of it—that it was good for them. Now I have noticed that it is more often the teens who take the initiative to get themselves there. The same parents who will drive them anywhere six days a week for sports don’t always see the value in driving them to church one night a week for Bible study and fellowship with other believers their age. Should churches still value youth ministry? Here are three reasons I still believe in youth ministry.

Christian Friendship & Fellowship

It has been well-documented that today’s teens are struggling with loneliness and anxiety.1 The Surgeon General has even discussed this and some studies show that the number of youth who face loneliness regularly is about double the number that seniors report.2 Offering gospel- centered opportunities for youth to develop friendships with others their age is one way the church can help with this crisis.

One teenage girl told me she looks forward to attending our youth ministry every week because she has no Christian friends at her public school. She needs the encouragement of Christian friends to help her grow in her personal walk with Jesus and to continue to be a strong light for Christ in her school. Her closest friends are believers partly because of opportunities for fellowship in our youth ministry. Homeschoolers have often told me that they look forward to youth group every week because it is a safe place for them to grow without always having their parents with them. No matter what their schooling or home situation is like, youth ministry can be a place for teens to know that they are not alone in the world, either as a person or as a Jesus-follower.

Evangelism

Matt might have believed in Jesus and been baptized simply by attending our church. Since he attended both, our church and our youth ministry complemented each other in his spiritual journey and his eventual belief in Christ. But he was not comfortable meeting with our pastor like he was discussing faith or reading the Gospel of John with me. The fact that our church had a youth ministry and that it supported me in leading the youth ministry gave Matt an opportunity for one-on-one evangelism and later discipleship that he would not have had otherwise.

An unbelieving friend might be willing to come to youth group or a youth ministry event when they might not be ready to come to church yet. In time, as they learn more about Jesus through the youth ministry, I have seen teens eventually come to church regularly.

I still believe in youth ministry because so many teens in our culture only know the name of Jesus as a swear word. Just the other day, a public-school history teacher was telling me that in the last few decades he has seen a difference in the background knowledge that youth now have about the Bible. When he first started teaching, they had a basic knowledge of Christianity and Judaism. Now they hardly ever have any Bible background. Youth ministry is a place for teens to begin to understand the storyline of the Bible so they can begin to understand the gospel.

Teens in the Church Need to Know They Matter

Many teens over the years have told me they appreciate our youth ministry because it shows them that the church cares about them. They have shared that Bible study with other teens has helped prepare them for church involvement as adults. While they have attended some adult Bible studies—which is good and healthy—they have told me they are usually too intimidated to share much. They know that the problems and questions they face are different than other generations in the church, and they appreciate having a place to discuss them. With the foundation of the entire church worshiping and learning together on Sunday morning, I have been happy to be able to provide that safe place for teens to grow and learn.

Sometimes people ask me why we have a youth ministry, since Scripture doesn’t require it. But the same could be said for why many churches have a seniors ministry. Just as older believers enjoy the fellowship they share with other people in their age range who are experiencing many of the same problems and joys, so do youth. I am not an advocate of separating generations for every church event. For example, I have seen great benefits in having even middle schoolers come to our Men’s Bible Study (Men’s and Women’s Ministries are another choice the Bible allows but does not require). Yet, that doesn’t mean there is no benefit in also giving opportunities for youth or others to fellowship and learn by age.

Today’s teens and families have a lot on their plates. There are lots of opportunities. But since I want my teens and the teens in my church to be life-long followers of Jesus, I want to put them in front of God’s Word and provide Christian fellowship as much as I can. I still believe in youth ministry.

* For privacy, his name has been changed.

  1. https://www.rootedministry.com/loneliness-and-gen-z-hungering-for-true-community/
  2. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/05/01/loneliness-poor-health-reported-far-more-among-young-people-than-even-those-over-72/559961002/
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Four Blessings to Ask God For in 2025

This article first appeared at Small Town Summits Articles.

Father, as we sail out upon the unknown waters of 2025, we are reminded of past years that held joys and trials and we are a bit weary. It could be a year of smooth sailing and joy that easily points us to you, the giver of all good things (James 1:17). But life in this fallen world is so uncertain. What life-changing squalls could hit with hardly a moment’s notice?

Jesus, we know that you are our captain and that you are Lord over the storms. So, with you in our boat, we cry out to you, asking you to work in our lives, our church and our family in 2025.

We ask these things with boldness, knowing that the same Jesus who heard the cries of the disciples and asked where their faith is hears us today (Romans 8:34). Jesus, we believe—help our unbelief (Mark 9:24)! We serve you in faith, believing that you not only exist, but that you reward those who earnestly seek you (Hebrews 11:6). Lord, may you be our reward as we seek you today and look ahead to 2025.

We ask for four blessings from your hand in 2025—hope, peace, joy, and to see Jesus’s glory.

Give Us Hope

Give us hope that you are working all things for our good (Romans 8:28). Give us hope that you are forming us to look more like Jesus even though we get so impatient with our progress in sanctification sometimes (Romans 8:29).

Give us hope that the Word is doing its work in other church member’s lives and that you are at work in our community even when we can’t see it (Mark 4:26-29). Give us hope that you will never abandon your church (Matthew 16:18) and that you will use us, but that gospel ministry is not reliant upon us (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Give us hope that you are cheering my spouse and I on each time that we move towards each other (Song of Solomon 5:1b). Give us hope that you are working in my spouse’s heart and life and that you are forming his or her character into a beautiful work of art that belongs to you (Ephesians 2:10). Give us hope that you hold each of my children in your hands and that no one can snatch them out of your hands (John 10:28-29).

Give us hope that you can do more than we can ask for or imagine in our walk with you, in our church, and in our family in 2025 (Ephesians 3:20-21)!

Give Us Peace

Give us peace, knowing that we can sleep because you never sleep, always watching your own (Psalm 121:3-4). Give us peace as we navigate our own doubts and fears (Matthew 10:31). Give us peace that can only be found in knowing you personally, as we pursue you even more than we have in past years (Psalm 119:10).

Give our church peace in conflict that may arise in 2025, and give us a heart to seek the unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3). Give us peace as we navigate the complexity of being believers in today’s world (2 Corinthians 11:28). Give our church a greater measure of the peace that comes from resting in Jesus (John 14:27).

Give my spouse and I peace if financial or health or extended family situations arise this year that add stress to our marriage (Isaiah 26:3). Give our home peace and may our children and grandchildren grow in enjoying their relationships with each other (Psalm 133:1). Give our children your spiritual protection from the evil one, so that they can experience the peace that comes from walking with you in a tumultuous world (John 17:15).

Give Us Joy

Give us joy, knowing that joy is always available in Jesus regardless of what circumstances may come in 2025 (John 15:11, 16:20). Give us your joy in the happy days, and the eyes to see the world as a place where your beauty and power are constantly on display (Psalm 24:1). Give us joy in trials, knowing that you have not abandoned us and are producing Christ-like character in us (James 1:2-3, Romans 5:3-5).

Give our church joy so that when unbelievers visit, they will want this joy that the world cannot offer (Luke 2:10). Give our church joy that is not surface-deep but rather that is deep like a glacier, because it is joy in God (2 Corinthians 1:24). Give our church joy that is Spirit-produced as we worship the living God on Sunday mornings together (Psalms 4:7).

Give us joy in our marriages, as we seek to enjoy life with the spouse you have given us (Ecclesiastes 9:9). Give our spouses joy in their day-to-day responsibilities and in their ministry opportunities (Romans 15:13). Give our children joy through spiritual tastebuds that savor Jesus rather than sin (Psalm 16:11).

Give Us Jesus’s Glory

In the same way that Moses did not want to move into the Promised Land without viewing your glory (Exodus 33:14-18), we don’t want to move into 2025 without a fresh view of Jesus’s glory!

Give us Jesus’s glory in our times of Bible reading and prayer in 2025, so that we can take a spiritual drink and be satisfied (John 7:37-39). Give us Jesus’s glory through seeing your salvation in our personal witnessing with friends and community members (Luke 5:25).

Give our church a view of Jesus’s glory that is so breathtaking that they will want to run from sin (1 Peter 1:13-16). Give our church the focus that church is about Jesus’s glory, not their preferences or ease (1 Thessalonians 5:14). Give our church such a sense of Jesus’s glory on Sunday mornings that they will long for the next time of worship together (2 John 1:12).

Give our families a view of Jesus’s glory that comes from having a privileged front-row seat to your work in so many lives (Acts 2:43). Give our children Jesus’s glory so that they have mountain-top spiritual experiences, but also we ask that when they come down from them that they will have eyes for Jesus only (Matthew 17:8).

Father, we recognize that we don’t deserve any blessing from you. But we also know that you love to give good gifts to your children (Matthew 7:11). So, we are asking you today to give us, our family, and our church four things in 2025: give us hope, give us peace, give us joy, and give us Jesus’s glory!

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