Greg Stier, President of Dare 2 Share, a man for whom I have great respect, is branded “an evangelist.”  While I have no doubt he has this gift, one of the things I really appreciate about him, as I have watched him over the last few years, is that He has a great love for the Word, the Church and ALL People.  In Christendom we often see those who are more drawn to Discipleship and others who are more drawn to Evangelism.  Where did this gap come from and why does this separation exist?  It shouldn’t!

Greg, on his blog posted about this same subject. Check that out here.

After I read it, my blood was flowing a little faster, so I commented.  My comments are posted here as a stand-alone blog (slightly edited so as to be a post, rather than a comment).

My hope and prayer is that each Youth Leader (and student) will truly understand that Evangelism and Discipleship are not meant to be divorced.  For years many have separated something that has never been separated in Scripture! As we fall in love with the lost (evangelism) we need and fall deeper in love with the church (and discipleship). Youth Leaders (and unfortunately those who influence them) emphasize more Bible Study, better fellowship, longer worship and further-out missions and then wonder why these very students walk away from the church after high school.

Students who fall in love with the lost during middle-school and high school will carry that love onto their college campus or into their careers. If our emphasis continues to be to get Christian students to programs instead of to people, the trend will continue! The natural outflow of discipleship is living/sharing/breathing The Great Commission (THE Cause, as Greg and Dare 2 Share are rebranding it).

Youth Leaders (and I’d add Parents, Adults, Students) start modeling it! Not by just preaching about it, but by doing it yourself. If you don’t have non-Christian friends (your own age) that you are loving and sharing with, why do you expect your Christian students to fall in love with something you don’t even love? Talk about your failures (missed opportunities), praise God in your successes (the times you were faithful in sharing, leaving the results to the Spirit). Deeper love for the lost leads to deeper love and reliance upon Christ (and vice-versa!).

So, what do you think?

What do you want to do differently in your Discipleship/Evengelism?

Why do you think the gap has been created or exists?

I’d love to hear your rant!

Grace,
Brian

Heard something recently that caused me to think about my job and why I love it.

I love my job because it causes me to rely upon the Lord.

Seriously, the ups and downs of having a business/ministry has been a unique challenge and one that I embrace in a new and different way than I did at this time last week.  Our society teaches us to be self-reliant; to do what makes us happy and to do whatever it takes to get to where you want to be.

Don’t get me wrong, I want to be happy.  I want Youthmark to be very successful.  But success in my eyes and the success the Lord has in mind may not always be alignment (as we know it’s not God who needs to adjust).

As you may have read a few weeks ago on my blog, I spent a couple days recruiting prayer partners for my three week blitz of writing. I am so thankful for those who signed up and have been faithful in praying for me.  I have done an okay job of getting reports out to those folk, as I have seriously counted on them to pray for me as I spent time writing the 2010 mission prep workbook.  I’ll be honest, the writing was a total struggle thus far.  I found myself wondering how much my friends really were praying?

All of a sudden on Saturday night or Sunday morning, I found myself looking in the spiritual mirror.  What I saw looking back at me was me.

I’ve done a great job of asking people to pray for me, but I have not bathed the writing in prayer.  Others have.  I have not.

I don’t believe prayer to be a magic rabbit foot.  However, I do believe prayer works. So, as I stare at the spiritual mirror and desire more and more to see the reflection of Jesus, I will start with prayer.  Not for the sake of writing, rather reliance.  I love my job because it causes me to rely upon God; exactly where He wants me to be.

Grace,
Brian