Video Transcript: Preparing Christian Youth for Outreach
All right, Lecture 12: Preparing Christian Youth for Outreach.
Preparing Christian youth for outreach—remember, I said that in some ways, you're trying to help young people discover who God made them to be. You do that by helping them get closer to God and closer to one another. They share the load, discovering things in community. But ultimately, they must share beyond themselves, and it's really when they start sharing that they finally understand what they actually have in the first place. You don’t know what you have until you start giving it away.
A Walk with God
Where do you start? I think I mentioned it in another lecture—you start with leadership. But sharing starts with this too. It starts with a walk with God. If you don't have a walk with God, you have nothing to share. You’re not just sharing knowledge, concepts, principles, morality, a way of life, or a community—you are sharing a walk with God. That’s what you have. You don’t have a sermon, you don’t have a choir, you don’t have a book—what you have is a relationship with God.
Like any relationship, a walk with God takes talking and listening, and you have to do it repeatedly. How does friendship work? Talking and listening repeatedly. How does marriage work? Talking and listening repeatedly. A walk with God is the same.
Talking to God = Prayer
Listening to God = The Word of God
Repetition = A habit of spiritual growth
Young people need to take ownership of their walk with God and develop this habit through the Seven Connections:
Talking and listening repeatedly with a friend
With family
With a support group
With church
With the kingdom of God at large (what God is doing in history)
And finally, engaging with the world that is not connected to God
This is what outreach is about: talking and listening repeatedly to build relationships.
Education: Be Prepared
Young people need education to make a difference in the lives of those who do not know Christ. 1 Peter 3:15-16 lays this out:
"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."
What are the key points here?
Always be prepared – If you're going to engage with people who don’t know Christ, you need to be prepared.
Give an answer – You need to know what people think so you can respond. Most young people leaving high school believe in evolution. They believe premarital sex is normal. They may feel there’s nothing personal in the universe.
Why are gender issues so big right now? Because the world has removed the personal nature of creation. If there is no personal God, then there is no personal identity. People grasp for identity in things like pronouns because they have nothing else to define them.
But Christians can say: "My gender doesn’t matter. I am a child of God." That’s where personhood is found.
So young people need to be educated:
What is the Christian answer to evolution?
What is the Christian answer to cosmology?
What is the Christian response to atheism?
How do we respond to people who say the church has caused harm?
Hope: The Alternative to Despair
People today often fall into three categories:
Despair – The belief that life has no purpose and everything is meaningless.
Denial – The act of pretending that life has meaning by distracting oneself (work, entertainment, substances, etc.).
Hope – The belief that God has a purpose for life.
We choose hope because it is the only real alternative to despair. Christianity offers hope, and young people must be prepared to share it.
Personal Testimony: Sharing Your Experience
"Be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."
Sharing faith isn’t about arguing—it’s about telling your story. People may reject doctrine, but no one can argue with your experience. If God has changed your life, share why you believe. Share what you’ve seen Him do.
Love: Gentleness and Respect
"Do this with gentleness and respect."
You’re not trying to win an argument—you’re trying to love people. If someone disagrees, it’s okay. You’re not responsible for changing hearts—God is. You’re just sharing where you’ve found hope.
Invitation: "Taste and See"
Psalm 34:8 says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him."
Young people should be taught to invite others to try Christianity for themselves:
Come to church – See if it resonates with you.
Read the Bible – See if it connects.
Pray – See if God answers.
Ask non-believers: "What is your spiritual dream?" Most people will have an answer. It might be:
"I want to find my purpose."
"I want a good marriage."
"I want to help others."
These desires reflect the two core needs of humanity:
A connection to God
A connection to others
But sin disrupts both. Christianity restores what people long for, but they must see their own brokenness first.
Engaging the Brokenness
Evangelism isn’t about telling people they’re broken—they already know it. Instead, create a safe place for them to acknowledge it. Once brokenness is on the table, the possibility of God’s healing is exposed.
Conclusion: God Has a Plan for You
This is the last lecture of this course. I don’t know why you took this course or what situation you’re in, but I hope something you learned will help you in your Christian walk and ministry.
But here’s my final encouragement:
God led you to take this course for a reason.
God has been working in your life, even through your struggles. He doesn’t waste anything.
I don’t know what you’ll do with this knowledge, but God has something for you to do. You are needed in building His kingdom.
Don’t give up. Keep seeking. God will use you.
May He bless you in your journey. Maybe we’ll see you out there someday.
Thank you.
Last modified: Monday, March 3, 2025, 11:33 AM