Evangelism can be an ambiguous word. We know it is something we probably should be doing, but…
Part of the reason the “E” word can seem confusing is because it is often misunderstood and this gets us off track and into trouble.
What is our mission in the context of Jesus’ teaching? Only when we have a correct understanding of what Jesus taught can we look forward to engaging our youth group in living out the Christian faith.
Who Are the Evangelists?
Let me explain what I mean about the misunderstanding of evangelism. The word evangelism has tripped up some Christians for many reasons. Here are two:
Some may have read
Others may have tried to be an evangelist and convert their friends but failed. These are situations which lead to ineffective Christians or, worse, doing things in our own strength, which can damage the reputation of Christ.
I prefer to say that as Christians we are Christ’s witnesses—a natural result of our walk with Him. Or as Oswald Chambers said, “The natural consequence of Christian character is not good doing, but God-likeness.”
The Bible teaches that it is our job to get as close to Jesus as possible—love the Lord your God with all your heart—so His Holy Spirit can work though us to reveal Jesus to others. In
Go Fish
Being Christ’s witness is a way of life. Witnessing is not just for those who have a gift of preaching or a seminary degree; it’s a Christian’s calling. Jesus said, “If you follow Me, I will make you fishers of men.” A Christian is a Christ-follower. We all should be learning how to fish for people! When Jesus sent His disciples into the world, He commissioned them to share the good news of the Kingdom of God.
Well, what are the basic principles we are sharing? 1) God loves people. He cares and is interested in them. 2) Through Jesus and the work of the cross, forgiveness is available for all. 3) God wants to be everyone’s personal friend and help them through life.
I’m privileged to support teen leaders and youth pastors who run Youth Alpha courses. Sharing these three principles is central to the success of each. Former National Director of Youth for Christ/UK, Roy Crowne said, “Youth Alpha exists to see teenagers all over the world meet Jesus, and…is one of the best resources of its kind that we’ve ever seen.” Youth Alpha is simply one approach that allows God’s Holy Spirit to touch teenagers’ lives and introduce them to Christ. Here are some applications of these Youth Alpha principles that can be applied to any approach.
Pray
Our battle takes place in the heavenly realm. Through prayer we seek God’s heart, wisdom and direction. Jon Paul has run Youth Alpha at Free Christian Church in Andover, Mass., for four years. He acknowledges that, “Success of Youth Alpha courses hinges on prayer and inviting, one fueling the other. We spend a lot of time praying with our student leaders. When students prayerfully invite their non-Christian friends to the course, we know we are in good shape. A lack of prayer-fueled inviting can lead to a tough course (and we’ve been there).”
At Union Chapel Ministries in Muncie, Ind., the youth group prayed for 40 days over lists of the top 10 people they wanted to see come to know Christ. At the end of their course last spring, half of the 35 baptisms were teenagers.
Build Relationships
Be intentional about going into the community and building authentic relationships with young people. Jesus said, “As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you.” Our job is to bring Jesus’ love into teenagers’ lives. Having socials, playing sports, simply doing life and showing interest in others is an important step to allowing God’s Spirit to work through us.
Share Jesus
Our aim is to introduce young people to Jesus. In Youth Alpha, each session has a live talk peppered with video illustrations, object lessons and personal stories to highlight biblical truths of what Jesus did and taught. Topics include, “Is there more to life than this?” “Who is Jesus?” and “Why did Jesus die?” As we share with care, we are confident of Jesus’ promise in
Ask Questions
Discover people’s opinions and show interest. Jesus was an expert at asking questions during His ministry as He probed people’s hearts. We ask questions and facilitate discussion in Youth Alpha. “What did you think of the talk this evening?” “That’s an interesting point, Johnny. What do the others think?” At times, this can feel like we are not in control, which is true—we’re not! God is, and we’re simply letting His Spirit work.
Listen
We have been asked to be “all things to all men” so God may save some by grace through faith and the work of His Holy Spirit. Listening and respecting opinions of the guests at Youth Alpha is important, even if we disagree. Our job is not to judge but to love. Let God It has been said that the job of Youth Alpha leaders is to light fires, not fill buckets. Perhaps this can be applied to youth workers in general. Only God knows what is truly going on in people’s hearts, and part of our job is to spark interest. There are times when we need great patience. While exercising the first characteristic of love, we believe God’s Spirit will convict of sin and guide guests into “all truth” (
Being a witness of God’s love through our work with teenagers is a lifestyle. It requires building a close relationship with God so His Spirit can work through us and draw people to Jesus, who is living and active within us. It’s not about one course, camp, style or approach but about sharing Christ’s love by building relationships and creating opportunities for God’s Spirit to work in hearts.
Alpha works through the local church to introduce people to Jesus Christ. Alpha has been translated into more than 100 languages, and more than 13 million people in 163 countries have attended a course. The Barna Group found that 50 percent of course attendees make a first-time or recommitment to Jesus Christ. In addition to Youth Alpha, courses are run in churches, homes, workplaces, military bases, universities, prisons and for ESOL. Alpha is endorsed by all major Christian denominations. A past guest and Alpha advocate is Bear Grylls (host of “Man vs. Wild,” The Discovery Channel). Thankfully we don’t serve his menu during Alpha!!
Photo by Ryan Stewart. Used with permission from Adventures in Missions.
