gregstier.org

Right now I’m sitting at the airport exhausted and exhilarated. Although I only got five hours of sleep last night my spirits are in the trim. Why? Because of all of the life-changing decisions and kingdom-advancing training that took place this weekend.

Although the snow did impact our attendance somewhat we had several groups travel in from Canada, Pennsylvania, Baltimore, upstate New York, Kentucky and several other states. Although it was cold outside it was on fire inside!

Pray for all the teenagers who were trained this weekend and for their youth leaders as well. May they rock THE Cause in unbelievable ways. To see photos and hear testimonies go to http://www.facebook.com/livethecause.

Sounds like a goofy movie, but instead it is a goofy, fun, thought-provoking, youth leader-provoking, theological, philosophical podcast that you must check out. If you’ve ever wondered about just what THE Cause is or why it is vital to the future of youth ministry (or if you haven’t) go to Jonathan’s most excellent website (thesource4ym.com) and listen. Look for “Episode 34: The Greg Stier podcast.”

Get ready to laugh. Get ready to think. Get ready to change.

If you are a youth leader and have not signed up your youth group to participate in the Online Missions Trip then I am asking you to do it. Talk about a GREAT way to advance THE Cause! Tim Schmoyer’s brilliant idea and east-to-navigate site will help you get your teens started reaching their online friends starting on January 31st. It’s not too late. Go there now and join.

Click here to start your mission trip.

During his earthly ministry Jesus was driven by an almost fanatical commitment to reach those who were lost. He pursued those who were broken, reached out to those who were hurting and transformed those who were willing. Instead of hanging out at the temple with the other rabbis Jesus hung out in the streets with tax collectors, prostitutes and sinners. According to Jesus’ own words his driving cause was to “seek and save what was lost” Luke 19:10.

Not only did he spend his three and a half years of earthly ministry on a gritty search and rescue mission for lost souls, he also invited twelve young disciples to join him in his holy quest. Before Jesus ascended into heaven he called them to finish what he had started by taking the good news of the gospel to the ends of the earth. The disciples died trying to complete the mission that Jesus had left for them.

The same fanatical focus that drove Jesus, his disciples and the early church should drive our ministry efforts as well. But, more often than not, youth leaders are not engaging their young followers with THE Cause that drove Jesus. Many youth leaders have been distracted from the original call of Christ to reach the lost by making disciples who make disciples. As a result youth ministry in the typical church is failing to gain ground on the kingdom of darkness and is succumbing to a model that is, at best, ineffective.

To regain our kingdom edge and ministry effectiveness we need to, in the words of my friend Derwin Gray, “marinate” on Luke 19:10 for a bit, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

This short verse tells us in graphic terms who Jesus truly was and why he really came. In this verse Jesus calls himself “the Son of Man.” That may sound harmless enough but it was inflammatory at the least and considered to be blasphemous by most people who were listening to them that day. Because that term “Son of Man” refers back to Daniel 7:9-14. Check out the words of the prophet concerning the true identity of the Son of Man,

“As I looked, ‘thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened….In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

Jesus was claiming to be that same Son of Man in the book of Daniel and the crowds knew it. He was claiming to be the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He was calling Himself the one who received total dominion over the entire universe from the Ancient of Days. But, even though Jesus held the highest heavenly title, he had a very earthy goal “to seek and to save what was lost.” I’m sure that, as the ruler of the universe, Jesus had other important things to do, but saving souls was his highest priority.

How does this tie in to you, me and youth ministry? Well, we may think that we are too busy and that we have too much to do as youth leaders to worry about evangelism. Or we may think that we have gotten to the point in ministry where we shouldn’t have to stoop to get our hands dirty doing the gritty work of evangelizing. But if the Son of God, the Supreme One of the universe, had as the highest goal of His earthly ministry to seek and to save what was lost, then how much more should we. If you’re too busy then cut something else out. If you think you’re too important then think again. If Jesus made this his number one priority then it must be our highest priority as well! If we claim to be Christ followers then we must follow Him on His biggest mission.

You want to be like Jesus? You want your teenagers to be like Jesus? We are nothing like Jesus if we aren’t on a constant search and rescue mission for the lost and calling our teenagers to do the same.

What drove Jesus was a full on search and rescue mission to save lost sinners. This singular cause drove everything about the ministry of Christ when He walked the earth.

It drove the perspective He had of the lost (Matthew 9:36.) His heart broke for them because they “were harrassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus was so driven by his compassion for the lost that he calls His disciples to pray that the Lord would send out rescuers into the world to save as many as possible.

It drove the process He used for discipleship. We get a glimpse of this dangerous process in Matthew 10:1-7 when he deployed His freshly appointed disciples to go an an evangelism campaign throughout the towns of Israel. In the rest of this chapter Jesus told them to expect persecution, problems and pushback. But, as a result of all of it they would grow deeper in their surrender to Him and their dependency on the Holy Spirit.

It drove the plans He made for ministry. Acts 1:8 busts out the strategic plan Jesus left for His disciples to follow…to start in Jerusalem and then take the gospel to the ends of the earth.

If we really want to be like Jesus then what drove him should drive us and all of our ministry efforts. The question is whether or not we willing to pay the price to follow after Jesus. The answer to this question will drive our ministry efforts toward THE Cause of Christ or to something else. Before you answer read Luke 19:10 once again…

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

You may think that I’m going to go off on the upcoming To Save a Life movie as one of those Christian movies whose budget, cinematography standards, plot and acting have been, well, left behind. But I’m not.

Whatever giants the makers of this movie may have beem facing this movie is totally fireproof when it comes to the cheese factor. Put simply, it’s good. I really enjoyed it and would STRONGLY encourage you to go to it and take your teenagers with you. It was beautifully filmed, had strong acting and a pretty good plot. The movie touches on almost every struggle a teenager can face (cutting, suicide, school shootings, broken family, depression, etc.) Put simply it is very relevant for a postmodern generation of confused and abused teenagers.

As a matter of fact this excellent movie may have tried to tackle too many issues. Perhaps the makers should have taken a rifle verses shotgun approach. One powerful “issue bullet” may have hit the target more effectively than ten “issue pellets”. But, on the other hand, a shotgun makes a pretty good impact too.

Probably the only real criticism I have of this movie is that the makers of To Save a Life had a tremendous opportunity to give the gospel but they didn’t take it. I talked to the writer about this (a GREAT guy and a youth leader, so I love him by default) and he told me that he didn’t want to make an “altar call type of movie“, but one that shows the impact of the gospel to change a life. I told him that, while I understood his point, he could have given the gospel easily in this film without it coming off like a “come forward and touch the movie screen if you’re trusting Jesus” movie going experience. I believe that if this film would have given the gospel in an clear and compelling way it would be much easier for teenagers to talk to their friends about the gospel afterward. Heck, the movie is called “To Save a Life” so why would you not give the gospel? In my opinion it’s like setting up a joke and not giving the punchline.

But in spite of philosophical differences on this point I still think that this is a must see movie for your youth group. It presents a tremendous opportunity for teenagers to invite their unreached friends out to the movie and to follow it up with raw conversations about the gospel afterward.

With this in mind, I challenge youth leaders to get your kids excited about this movie, train them to share their faith and then invite them to invite ALL of their unreached friends out to see it. For help getting them prepared to use this movie to share Christ with their friends check out this week’s edition on Soul Fuel and send them here to learn how to share their faith (aka “shred the gnar”)

Maybe To Save a Life will mark the death of cheesy Christian movies by raising the bar when it comes to quality movie making. My prayer is that it does and that tens of thousands of teenagers are introduced to Jesus Christ as a result!

This is our promo video for this year at The Blaze Tour. It’s only a few minutes long. Check it out. We are just three weeks out from hitting the road hard for this exciting tour. Hope you plan on being there. I do!

Just a few days ago a catastrophic earthquake hit Haiti. Tens of thousands are feared dead. The total devastation will take weeks if not months to realize. The official death toll continues to rise as bodies are discovered in the rubble of the aftermath.

My heart broke, along with yours, as I watched report after report of this devastating earthquake. It seemed like every station from Fox to CNN to MSNBC to local news stations were on a constant disaster watch, every report seeming to uncover more horrific levels of absolute devastation.

On a nature level, it seems like catastrophes are back. It wasn’t all that long ago that New Orleans was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. And I’m sure we all remember the shock of the tsunami in Indonesia.

On December 26th, 2004 the world was shook by the most devastating earthquake in four decades on this planet. Massive waves destroyed entire villages and swept away hundreds of thousands of people from India to Indonesia. I wept with the rest of the world as I watched replay after replay of the absolute and total devastation that took so many lives that day just five years ago.

When something like a tsunami, a hurricane or the most recent earthquake in Haiti unexpectantly unleashes devastation on unsuspecting people the most fundamental question of the jumps to the forefront of our minds…

Why?

Why did some live while others died?

Why did children have to be a part of the casualty count?

And the most disturbing question of all, why did God let this happen?

There is no easy answer and I don’t propose to give one here. As the Apostle Paul said, “Who can know the mind of God?” Not me or my puny brain, that’s for sure.

But there are some raw realities that can help us hope and cope in the aftermath of such a horrific human disaster. Here are a few:

God doesn’t view tragedy like we do.

While we tend to see death as a tragedy, God sees it as transition. The loss of life at the powerful hands of an earthquake wasn’t the end but the beginning, the dawn of a new existence, the start of a new journey. Those Christians who died that day may have left this earth with a scream but they entered the gates of heaven with a song. Theirs was a triumphant transition into the very presence of God. For the children of God who went home to their Daddy they wouldn’t come back to earth if they could.

The real catastrophe was for those who died without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. From the divine perspective this was the tragedy behind the tragedy. Those in Haiti who didn’t know Jesus were catapulted from an earthly catastrophe into an eternal one.

In the aftermath of the worst devastation God often does his biggest miracles.

We have already heard some of the amazing stories of people who saved lives at the risk of their own, of separated families who were reunited and of a toddler who survived for days under the rubble without food or water before being rescued. We are witnessing the miraculous outpouring of prayer and provisions from people all across America.

Throughout the pages of Scripture human tragedy is almost always followed by divine miracles. Consider the story of the world-wide flood. When the planet and everyone on it was destroyed by a flood God, brought about a new existence for mankind through Noah and his family. He wiped the slate clean through destruction and gave mankind a fresh start. Every rainbow is a reminder of this. While this may be the biggest example of God’s miracles following human tragedy there are many more in the Bible…

After the ten plagues in Egypt God delivered his people from slavery

After the destruction of Jericho came the birth of a new nation in a promised land

After the death of Christ came salvation for all mankind

After the horrific judgments in Revelation will come the eternal kingdom

But perhaps the biggest truth to ponder during these times of tragedies is the simple reality that, ultimately, this earthquake is my fault and yours.

At first this premise may sound preposterous to you. But when you stop and think Biblically you begin to realize that every natural disaster started with a supernatural tragedy, the fall of mankind. When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden he opened the door to catastrophes, to hurricanes, to tornadoes, to tsunamis and to death. The Bible says in Romans 5:12, “When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned” Romans 5:12.

Think about that last phrase, “death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.” The real catastrophe is the chain reaction of transgression that Adam and Eve unleashed on this planet when they ate of the fruit in the Garden of Eden. Up until then there was no death on the earth. The first and most devastating disaster took place when the first man and woman disobeyed God. And when we sin we continue that legacy of destruction. It is the original sin of Adam that rocks the ground under our feet, shaking our lives, cities and planet into rubble.

But there’s some good news in all of this. Someday God will completely triumph over evil. On that day, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” Revelation 21:4. For those who are God’s children through faith in Christ there will be no more natural disasters, earthquakes, tsunamis or sin. For those who are not it will be an eternal catastrophe.

So in light of all of these realities, what can we do now?

First and foremost we can help the victims of this earthquake through our financial gifts and our fervent prayers. Secondly we can share the good news of Jesus with everyone we meet before the earthquake of eternity crushes them forever. And, finally, we can continue to embrace a God who we may not understand but always can trust. Why can we trust him? Because this same one who allowed this catstrophe in Haiti just a few days ago also allowed his Son to be crushed for our sins 2,000 years ago. Jesus endured the ultimate tragedy so that we wouldn’t have to.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5

I hesitated putting this clip up because this group is obviously taking shots at those who evangelize. But I decided to go ahead because I think it gives a glimpse into how Christians who are relentless (full of bad segues spilling over into forced presentations as opposed to full of the Holy Spirit spilling over into real conversations) are viewed by those who don’t know Jesus. It’s funny on one hand and not very funny on the other.

Colossians 4:5-6 reminds us to “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

In other words let’s hold the cheese as we evangelize and, instead, speak the truth in love.

Evangelism is often looked at as the red headed step child (apologies to any reading this right now) of the youth ministry world. We deal with it because we are legally required to in the by-laws of the Bible but, down deep in our hearts, we are more passionate about discipleship than evangelism.

But this is where our thinking is wrong. Evangelism and discipleship are like Nitrogen and Gylcerin, they must be blended for maximum effect. Teens who are growing in Christ will share their faith and teens who are sharing their faith in the power of the Spirit will grow in Christ.

I am convinced that if teenagers fall in love with sharing their faith they will fizzle out, but if they fall in love with Jesus they’ll always evangelize. Because of this, our first and foremost goal is to get teenagers fully surrendered to Christ. If they offer their lives as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1), I believe they will passionately share their faith out of the overflow of their love for God!

At Dare 2 Share we refuse to divorce evangelism from discipleship. In fact, I believe they are intrinsically united. My firm belief is that evangelism accelerates the discipleship process like no Bible study class ever could. When teenagers begin to share their faith, they have a new thirst to study God’s Word, pray, and depend on the Holy Spirit.

For instance, at our training conferences this year we deal with conquering sin through applying the power of the cross (aka “sanctification”) because, and here’s the direct connect with evangelism, if teenagers are living a godless life none of their friends will take them seriously when they are sharing the gospel. So we teach key truths that deal directly with essential “deep” theology (”the inerrancy of God’s Word, the Trinity, prayer, worship, the exchanged life, etc) but they ALL make a direct connect to sharing your faith.

Emphasizing evangelism opens up the opportunity for risk and persecution (1 Tim 3:12) and helps teenagers download theology quicker and more effectively. It provides a context that is more like the 1st century Church rather than the 21st century Church. It gives them a bold cause (THE Cause) that is urgent, exciting and life-changing. Teenagers pay attention and are hungry to learn theology because they are being sent into battle for the souls of their friends.

Calibrating theology in light of evangelism “missionizes” theology and takes it out of the clincial into the practical. Jesus equipped his disciples in the context of mission. First, He called them in Matthew 4:19, “Follow me and I’ll make you fishers of men.” Then, He officially appointed them as His apostles in Matthew 10 and immediately unleashed them for an evangelistic campaign. Up until His final words to them in Acts 1:8, Jesus equipped His disciples with the core truths of the faith in the context of mission. By focusing on evangelism we are able to more effectively disciple teenagers because we add danger and risk to the scenario.

Youth leaders play a key role in maintaining a youth ministry environment that emphasizes this philosophy and keeps THE Cause as the center of their strategy for spiritual growth in their teenagers. The “Deep and Wide Youth Ministry” strategy, along with the sharing of best practices from other youth leaders, is essential to helping them sustain this paradigm shifting model.

Shoud we focus on evangelism or discipleship in youth ministry? The answer is both/and not either/or.

Brit Hume, Fox News correspondent, boldly called Tiger Woods to put his faith in Christ on television. Watch the whole interview if you can. It is powerful!

Thanks to Gene Willey for sharing this with me.