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I tire of people saying how difficult it is to reach today’s youth with the truth of the gospel.
Such statements limit God, and put too much emphasis on “us” in this amazing work of salvation.
As Jonah discovered in the belly of the great fish, “Salvation is of the Lord.” (Jonah 2.9) The God who “so loved” that “He gave His only” empowers His Word and His gospel to penetrate lives, minds, and hearts.
To be sure, the world of teenagers is different than it was five, ten, twenty years ago. But God’s Word remains “sharper than a two-edged sword” and is able to “penetrate,” “convict,” and “draw.”
To listen to some, God must be wringing His hands and moaning, “Oh, what do I do now to reach these poor students?”
Heresy!
God is sovereign in the affairs of man, and though God chooses to use weak vessels to accomplish His will, it is still His Spirit who does the convicting, convincing, and drawing.
Does it take more “work” to present the gospel in what some call as “post-Christian” world? Certainly! Those who “brag on Jesus” need to be careful to define terms, explain terms, and never “assume” that someone knows anything about the true God, Jesus, or the gospel.
But the impact of God’s Word projected is not negated. It is always relative, and the One who desires to relate to those outside His family remains omnipotent!
The job of the apprentice of Jesus Christ is to serve Him, to live for Him, to brag on Him, and to breath and share the gospel. Since “no one can come to the Son except the Father draws him,” our job is not to do the drawing, but rather the pointing (or, if it makes you more comfortable, “leading”).
Yes, the days are dark, and today’s teenagers are bombarded by negative influences of every stripe…but the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is more-than-able to overcome the darkness as the Body of Christ attacks in faith.