“Let no one despise your youth; instead, you should be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”
1 Timothy 4:12
“What I want for you is that you seek the Lord and that you trust Him even if means you are standing alone. . . . You got me?”
—Adam Mitchell to his teenage son Dylan, Courageous
Before becoming a pastor, I was a youth minister for fifteen years. I was blessed to come along when the emphasis on discipleship was beginning. I was never cut out to be a “cookies and Kool-Aid” youth minister. I wasn’t interested in babysitting students because I believed (and still believe) they needed—and wanted—to be challenged.
I wanted my students to be courageous on their school campuses. Today dozens of men and women who came through our ministry are serving the Lord. I regularly get a text, e-mail, or tweet from one of them telling me what God is doing in their lives.
We often hear that Jesus’ disciples could have been teenagers. If Jesus entrusted His message to teenagers then, why would He do anything less now? He believed you could handle truth and a worldwide ministry, and I am here to issue that same calling.
My expectations are high for this generation. We can’t change the culture and reach the nations without you. International evangelist Sammy Tippitt shared the following story with me:
Before the collapse of Communism and the fall of the Berlin Wall, Germany was a divided nation. West Germans lived in freedom, while East Germans lived under the strict ideology of Communism. Berlin was one of the most unique cities in the world, divided by the Berlin Wall. East German soldiers stood in towers on the east side of the wall, poised to shoot and kill fellow countrymen who tried to escape to the West.
Christians were especially targeted with persecution. Huge cathedrals were virtually empty due to pressure from the Communists. A young person had to make a decision at the age of fourteen whether to be a part of the Free German Youth (Communist youth organization) or a member of the church. If they chose the church, they were limited in their educational opportunities. Consequently, young people left the church en masse.
In that context I (Sammy) ministered to the youth of East Germany, even though it was illegal for them to meet with me. I once met secretly with a group of young people in the basement of an old castle. I encouraged them to follow Jesus fully. At the close of the Bible study, one young person with tears in her eyes told me, “I am a new believer. But I have sin in my life, and I don’t know what to do.”
She began weeping, confessing, and repenting of sin and asked God to enable her to serve Him completely. She cried to God, “I am willing to serve You and follow You.” Then she added a phrase, “No matter what it costs.” The rest of the young people went to their knees, crying out to God with the same surrendered heart and concluded with the same phrase, “No matter what it costs.”
Two friends and I had gone to East Germany to minister to those young people. But the truth is that they ministered to us. They taught us the meaning of true courage. They faced the loss of education, the possibility of poverty, and a future filled with difficulties. Yet they prayed, “No matter what the cost.” They drew courage from the cross.
What did it produce? A spirit of revival gripped the youth of East Germany. Within two years of that meeting, I again spoke to the youth of their city, Dresden. This time more than 2,000 filled the service. Several years later the wall came down. I feel certain that the courage of those East German youth played a role in freedom coming to the nation. It was the power of their prayer, “No matter what the cost.”
I’m asking God to raise up young men and women in this land who will pray for God to use them no matter what the cost. Thom and Jess Rainer in their book The Millennials make the point that for many Millennials (those born from 1980 to 2000), Christianity is a family heirloom rather than a faith commitment. Their research discovered that only 13 percent of Millennials mention religion, faith, or spirituality as an important part of life. Only 65 percent of Millennials were willing to call themselves Christian in even the broadest sense of the word.
Millennials’ most common belief about life after death is “no one really knows” (34 percent). Thom and Jess Rainer’s research analysis reveals that 67 percent of Millennials say they rarely or never “read the Bible, Torah, Koran, or other sacred writings. Only 46 percent agree strongly that God is a real being, not just a concept. Four in ten agree strongly or somewhat that Satan is not a real being but just a symbol of evil. Half of Millennials believe that when Jesus walked this earth He sinned like other people, and only half agree that Jesus is the only way to heaven.1
The simple fact that you’re reading this book—I hope—means that most of these statistics don’t apply to you. But, friends, you’ve got your work cut out for you. Of course, pastors like myself are doing our best to lead you and train your parents (trust me, we parents don’t have it all figured out either), but you are the one poised to make the greatest impact. You are the one there fighting in the trenches of the spiritual battle evidenced by the numbers above. We’re behind you, we’re here to guide you and teach you, but the fact remains: we need you.
We need God to move on the hearts of this generation like He did in the 1940s during the days of Youth for Christ. We need another Jesus Movement. We need another college revival like the one at Asbury College. These movements changed lives, impacted a generation, and shook the church. Out of these movements came some of today’s great Christian leaders. Are you willing to step up and change your generation?
Did you know the term teenager is a relatively new one? In their book Do Hard Things, Alex and Brett Harris note that the first documented use of the word teenager occurred in an issue of Reader’s Digest in 1941, less than seventy-five years ago.2 It’s an age that marketers look at, study, and target. Today your age group sets the trends, chooses the music, watches the movies, and buys the clothes. Yet before the mid-twentieth century your demographic was pretty much, in a sense, nonexistent. In the time preceding adulthood, you either went to school, worked the farm, or learned a trade. There was little time for extracurricular activities. In reality the clothing was not that different from what adults wore.
Things have changed a little bit, wouldn’t you say?
As much as things have changed, one thing is constant: the period of time between childhood and maturity is difficult. It’s tough being a teenager. And I know—even as I say it—that I don’t fully comprehend the pressures you face today. But I also know that we need you to overcome. We need you rise up as a courageous generation who will take your place and embrace your responsibilities.
Together, we can turn the tide.
Because of the decay of the home and the influence of media and entertainment, so many students are languishing in a cesspool of uncertainty. They don’t know who they are or why they are here. They don’t understand absolutes. If they have a belief system, they may not be able to define it or even articulate it. And they are biblically illiterate. They need radical change.
They need you.
They need someone in the trenches with them to show them the way. They need someone to model courage, to face criticism and persecution, to maintain faith and to have the biblical knowledge to back it up. They need you.
We need you.
The graying church is leading us into a cemetery. Everywhere I go, I challenge pastors and churches to reach the next generation. I have challenged my church to be the church where all generations are wanted. A place that an alienated kid can call home. A hotbed for raising up the next generation of preachers and missionaries.
I am grateful for the adults who served in the children’s and youth ministries while my girls were growing up. I’m grateful for leaders like Jay Strack, founder and president of Student Leadership University, who believed we needed to start investing in students as leaders. By the grace of God both our girls have chosen to serve the Lord. Erin uses her gifts in the world of entertainment, and Hayley is a gifted writer and photographer with a heart for missions and orphans.
Terri and I have enjoyed watching our children grow in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We never expected our girls to be good just because I was a pastor. We expected them to have a healthy fear of God. By His grace we never experienced the ugly years of rebellion and resentment. We taught our girls that rebellion was never against our opinions but against God’s authority.
In the movie Courageous, Adam, one of the fathers, has a struggle with his son Dylan, a fifteen-year-old. Dylan feels his dad loves his younger sister more than him. Dylan needs to respect his dad, and Adam needs to learn to communicate with his son. It’s a genuine picture that even in a Christian family, life is not perfect, and it takes work to build character and trust. I would never say there aren’t issues and challenges, but these years don’t have to be lethal and gut-wrenching for you and your parents. Allow your parents to be involved. Heed their advice. Seek their approval. Follow their example. But let that be just the starting point. Let that just be the foundation on which you build a courageous life.
I love to think of Daniel when I think of a young person who made a difference. He’s a great example to follow. Nebuchadnezzar wanted some of the young Israelite men in his court. Rather than killing everyone, he asked his right-hand man to find some young men who had their act together. The king ordered him to look for the men who stood head and shoulders above their peers, young men with potential that he could put through a crash course in Chaldean culture (see Dan. 1:1–4).
Many scholars believe these young men were between the ages of thirteen and sixteen. They were brought in to be brainwashed in the godless culture of Babylon. Everything they believed would be challenged, and they would face intense peer pressure. But note the words of Scripture regarding Daniel: “Daniel determined that he would not defile himself” (1:8). Daniel made a covenant in his heart that he would not cave in to the culture.
Among the thousands of young men brought into the land, two stand out: Ezekiel and Daniel. Both were godly young men. Daniel displayed the one quality necessary for a person to soar spiritually: courage. He dared to stand up for what he believed. His courage wasn’t just for a moment; it was a way of life.
I’m calling you now to rise up with the mind-set of Daniel, Amos, Ezekiel, and John the Baptist. We need a generation that fears God more than men. We need you.
Daniel was tested at the king’s table in Babylon (Dan. 1:8ff). As a young man with great faith, his heart and mind were in tune with Jehovah. Although he was just a teenager when snatched out of his home, separated from his parents, and thrown into a strange environment, he stood for what he believed. Even when faced with enormous pressure and potentially deadly consequences, he never wavered. The early test defined him.
Daniel’s resolve was the launching pad for all the decisions made throughout the rest of his life. He knew what he believed and why he believed. He learned to live according to God’s Word. As someone once said about the Scriptures, “Know it in the head, stow it in the heart, show it in the life, sow it in the world.”
Eating the king’s meat and drinking from his wine cellar would have been a violation of Jewish law. Daniel knew to partake would have been viewed as a sign of compromise and even approval. Therefore Daniel purposed and resolved not to partake. Imagine passing up food fit for kings in order to honor the unseen God. Daniel was convinced and convicted that it was the right thing to do. He stood his ground, and his decision was vindicated (see Dan. 1:12–19). Even the king had to admit that Daniel was head and shoulders above all others.
It’s never right to do wrong; it’s always right to do right. Just because everyone else is doing it, doesn’t mean you should. Most individuals would have caved in and compromised. They would have argued to eat and live another day, saying, “What’s the harm in a few ribs? Nobody back home will ever know. Our parents aren’t here to check on us.” That line of reasoning has led more than one prodigal into the pigpen of a distant land.
In Courageous we meet a young man searching for love and acceptance who turns to gang activity and violence in his quest for a sense of family and belonging. The gang leader tells him, “We’re family now,” after he is initiated into the group by means of a harsh beating. So many your age are looking for a place to fit in, a place to be accepted and loved. Unfortunately most do not have the courage or the encouragement to stand against societal pressures and make wise decisions in the face of evil. They need you to pull them in, to show them the acceptance of the family of God, and to lead them toward the life God has in store for them.
Daniel lived a purposeful life. He didn’t make rash decisions. His faith was not hit or miss. His appetite for the things of God gave him no appetite for worldly things. Daniel refrained from revelry, although the Babylonians were known for their physical excesses. Before Paul wrote, “Do not be conformed to this age” (Rom. 12:2), Daniel lived it.
Yet Daniel maintained a gracious spirit. Being courageous doesn’t mean you can be unkind. The fruit of the Spirit is not eliminated by boldness. Daniel simply lived what he believed with the perfect balance of boldness and gentleness.
Spiritual warfare is a battle of the mind. Daniel faced a trial of the mind when the king demanded that the wise men interpret his dream. If they failed, they would die. They tried to bargain for time with the king but got nowhere (see Dan. 2:10–11). Then the king ordered the wise men to be killed. When Daniel learned of the situation, he asked for an audience with the king and told Nebuchadnezzar he would interpret his dream. Then Daniel gathered his three friends for a prayer meeting.
Talk about courage. They were looking for Daniel to kill him, and he asked for an appointment with the king. It took courage to pass this test. Daniel was wise enough to call in his prayer partners. God gave Daniel a vision of what had happened in the dream. What he delivered to the king was not good news, but it was the truth. While the magicians lost their nerve, Daniel faced the situation head on. He didn’t waver, even while delivering news of judgment and doom and the demise of the Babylonian Empire.
Daniel’s honesty and truthfulness turned the heart of the king. “Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell down, paid homage to Daniel, and gave orders to present an offering and incense to him” (Dan. 2:46–48). If you want to be courageous, get alone with God and ask Him to make you bold. God will use you publicly if you allow Him to tutor you privately.
In the third trial we find Daniel in the lions’ den. His faith led him there. Daniel served the Lord faithfully, but faithful service does not make one immune from tests. King Darius was on the verge of making Daniel the prime minister of the nation. Out of jealousy and envy, his peers set a trap for him. They couldn’t question Daniel’s integrity or character, so they devised a plan of attack (see Dan. 6:4–10).
Daniel didn’t compartmentalize his faith; it defined who he was at the core of his being. His faith didn’t stem from convenience but conviction. While Daniel’s enemies played on the king’s ego, Daniel did what he had always done. He went home, threw open his windows, and prayed toward Jerusalem. He never forgot his roots, and he never compromised his character.
The person of courage is willing to face the consequences of his decisions. We may stand alone physically, but we are never alone spiritually. It never entered Daniel’s mind to compromise. Not one time did he consider being politically correct. Although he was in the lions’ den, the only person who lost sleep that night was the king. Daniel slept like a baby while the king tossed and turned wondering what happened to the man of God.
Daniel was a young man who became an old man and lived a consistent life. He remains one of the most powerful examples and influential leaders in all of human history. While living in a pagan culture, here was a young man who proved that you can stand for God.
One of the great regrets of my life is that I spent my high school years playing games and playing church instead of living for God. I wasted those years trying to please people who have never cared a thing about me. The truth is, most of the folks you strive to impress won’t ever talk to you again after graduation. The reality is that I worried about what they thought of me, and they weren’t even thinking of me! They were too absorbed in thinking about themselves.
This generation is living in a postmodern world. The day of the Judeo-Christian ethic is largely over in America. We are a chameleon culture, blending in so we don’t stand out. In this environment we need Millennials who will have the courage to define the culture, not let the culture define them.
Some folks think if they are going to live for God, they have to be nerds or outcasts. They respond with a legalistic approach to life rather than with an understanding of balance and order. Daniel stood head and shoulders above his peers. But he wasn’t weird; he was wise.
The courageous need godly wisdom.
Proverbs 1:7 reminds us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.” If you want to be a game changer, you will have to learn to listen and be wise. John Calvin said, “This is our wisdom, to be learners to the end.”3 Wisdom is not just acquiring information or filling in the blanks in a notebook. When people possess true wisdom, they don’t have to apologize for their actions. My mentor Vance Havner used to tell me, “If you lack knowledge, go to school. If you lack wisdom, get on your knees!”4
Studies show that in grades seven through twelve, the average person listens to eleven thousand hours of music, yet they are in school only seven thousand hours. If you were in church every time the doors opened, it wouldn’t even touch the hours of influence from the world. Jim Elliot, a missionary who was martyred in Ecuador, wrote out Psalm 119:37 in his diary: “Turn my eyes from looking at what is worthless; give me life in Your ways.” Following the entry he wrote of “the decentralizing effect (of television) on the mind and affections. It quickens me in ways not of God, defeating the purpose of prayer to be quickened in ways Divine.”
As a youth minister I shared two rules: (1) When in doubt, don’t. (2) Be where you are supposed to be, when you are supposed to be there, doing what you are supposed to be doing. Those two pretty much cover every life situation. Your choices determine your legacy.
Billy Graham said, “Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.”5 Here’s my bottom line as a pastor and father: I want the next generation to take back the land we’ve squandered in my generation. We need a generation to rise up who will stand for Jesus no matter the cost. The New Rebellion Handbook defines courage as a “willingness to go the distance when the vision has faded, when you’re weary, when no one is there to cheer you on. Courage is an enduring commitment to be your true self when no one is looking and you’re facing intimidation. . . . Courage has many faces. Is yours one of them?”6
I pray that you will be the new face of courage in our land. In years past we’ve seen God do incredible things through young men and women who were willing to be used by Him. I’m praying, “Lord, do it again.”
There have been seasons in the past when God raised up a young generation to become spiritual giants. My friend Warren Wiersbe tells the story of one such movement, Youth for Christ.
Youth for Christ was a ministry of faith, bathed in prayer, that resulted in sacrifice and service. The compelling vision was to reach lost teens and get them into churches where they could grow. Like Abraham, we went out not sure where we were going, but the Lord directed us. Bob Cook used to remind us, “If you can explain what is going on, God didn’t do it.”
The official motto was, “Geared to the times, anchored to the Rock,” and this meant we felt free to use any legitimate means to spread the gospel: music, books, quizzes, skits, singspirations, rallies, holiday conferences, etc. It was remarkable the way pastors, missionaries, businessmen, senior adults, and teens rallied together, prayed together, and worked together. Local YFC ministries sprang up seemingly spontaneously in the United States and Great Britain and then almost worldwide. YFC Magazine began early in the movement, now known as Campus Life.
Apart from the Lord’s blessing, why did it succeed so amazingly? Partly because after World War II, teenagers finally became a recognized part of society. They were spending lots of money and creating lots of problems. Before YFC, very few local churches had youth pastors; today almost every church has a youth ministry. YFC also sent many teens to Christian colleges, and many new schools sprouted up.
There was a wonderful unity among the workers. I don’t recall any denominational squabbles. Our statement of faith was evangelical, so we were united in Christ and the gospel. Had we focused on denominational distinctive, we would have grieved the Lord and probably wrecked the ministry. Ted Engstrom used to say, “YFC is grounded in the Word, founded on the Word, and bounded by the Word.”
The Christian teens themselves were at the heart of the harvest. They prayed, took their Bibles to school, witnessed, invited their friends to the YFC clubs and rallies, and maintained a good reputation at school and church. Many of them are today ministering as pastors, teachers, missionaries, and faithful Christians in many areas of life.
We were severely criticized by some famous Christian leaders, but the Lord took care of that. Our policy was to love them all, pray for them, and avoid public debates that could only multiply the problems. Time has vindicated YFC. I wish I had a list of the “famous” people (so called) who came to Christ through YFC. Ravi Zacharias comes to mind. Billy Graham was a vice president of YFC for many years and used his influence to strengthen and expand it.
It happened then, and I know it can happen now.
It begins with courage.
It starts with you.