Relentlessly pursuing Christ and His Cause
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Check this podcast out. It’s on Jonathan McKee’s excellent youth leader centric website. We recorded it while sitting in a car (closest thing we could find to a soundbooth) in Sacramento at Youth Specialties.
The subject: Is Evangelism being replace with Social Justice in the average youth group?
The answer? Yes!
Click here to listen.
Excellent! I really enjoyed the podcast and agree with what you said. It’s where I’m trying to focus our TIMS program at CRC. For years the TIMS program (a work camp) has focused on the physical labor (building houses, yard work, etc.) and the spiritual work (evangelism and discipleship) took a backseat. Before I took on the position as TIMS program director I had spent two summers as a speaker for the camp. I remember one day while visiting a job site I over heard a youth leader get upset with two of his students because they were spending more time talking (they were sharing their faith) with the old widow of the home instead of working. I remember telling him that his students were doing exactly what God wanted them to do…tell the old widow about Jesus.
Here’s the thing and I don’t mean to sound rude in my bold comment, frankly anyone can build a house, paint a fence or deliver food. But it takes believers with a real desire to see people put their faith in Christ to go out and TELL someone (using words and the Gospel) about Christ. As far as the physical work…I see it as a tool to reach our bigger objective.
I recently was talking with a youth worker at NYWC in Pitt about our TIMS program and told him that we can hand out mountains of food and build 100′s of houses but in the end it won’t amount to anything if people are not being added to the Kingdom. I’m not against social justice. But if evangelism and discipleship are not at the core then all our labor is in vain. At the TIMS program we say; “The work is secondary to the work of the gospel.”
I just wanted to share my thoughts. Now…I hope my thoughts don’t get me into trouble. Praying for you as always. Keep it up.
I think people forget or don’t realize that the fruit of a Christian/Disciple… is more Christians/Disciples. We are to reproduce. Like all things, we produce after our own kind. The only way to reproduce is to witness and share the gospel.
The Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering… etc… And we are to WALK in the Spirit so that we do not do… The works of the Flesh. But the fruits of the Spirit is NOT the fruit of a Christian.
The fruit of a Christian is other Christians/Disciples. We are to witness and reproduce.
Too many Christians claim the Fruit of the Spirit as their own and hide the fact that their tree is completely barren and without any fruit (reproduced Christians/Disciples).
Satan loves it when Christians walk in the Spirit but do not produce any fruit of a Christian. Everyone is nicer and gets along… but we’re not reproducing any more Christians. It’s like genocide with a smile.
I listened to it, I’m 15, and I agree with everything you said! It’s crazy how much students today really do not want to share the gospel with friends. Thing is, WE NEED TO! Cause if we dont, then our loved ones are going to go to Hell. I really think students today need to be more on fire for sharing the gospel. And I feel as if I’m the only one in my youth group thats really on fire for witnessing. I’ll take any chance I get! But I agree with everything you said!
Greg – I just listened to the TSFYM podcast and then right after it I followed it with the last NPR This American Life Episode: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1273. “Heratics – The story of Reverend Carlton Pearson, a renowned evangelical pastor in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who cast aside the idea of Hell, and with it everything he’d worked for over his entire life.” I found it so interesting the juxtaposition of Greg’s preach hell suggestions and Carlton’s rejection of hell altogether. It really was a weird ride into work! I gotta say I agree with Greg — hell is a real place, the devil is real and we need to be sharing the gospel. Check out how the mainstream media portrays the church over all. Not too good.
I thought the podcast was great and the truth is the truth. Sometimes the candycoating just has to be taken off. Great sound studio too!
Greg,
Loved the podcast, Love you, Love D2s, as you know, but want to challenge you as well. I disagreed with one statement about “rewards in the Kingdom or some crap. I’m sorry to all you homeschoolers for using the word crap…” (2:25). I’m not against the word “crap,” of course, i use it all the time…that’s not my issue…but if you go back and listen to it, I think you might agree that something Jesus gives us, being rewards in the Kingdom, might be something we ought to not joke about. Take it or leave it bro, again, I love you.
< Justin H.
