Outbreak!

Hey Everyone,

I started reading a book by Greg Stier called 'Outbreak'. It's an eye opening experience to the ins and outs of youth ministry. The book gives an inside look at what made Christianity go "viral" in the years that followed after Jesus ascended into heaven. Let me explain what "viral"means...

Remember the movie Outbreak with Dustin Hoffman and Cuba Gooding Jr.? It was about a deadly virus that infects an American town. A little monkey brought the Ebola virus to the United States and infected a small group of people. Over time that small group turned into a large group, and before you knew it, the government was trying to figure out how to stop the spread of the virus before the whole country was wiped out. It's an interesting movie.

Greg Stier talks about that movie quite a bit, and then asks why can't a move of Jesus spread through our youth groups in a similar fashion. Think about it. What would happen if our young people became "infected" with the gospel of Jesus Christ? What would happen if every where they went (school, sporting events, movies, etc.) they spread that gospel to their friends and unchurched teens? The number of people who came to know the Lord would grow exponentially!

One shocking bit of information that Greg points out is that over 75% of high school students will go off to college, and/or find a job, and then walk away from their faith...never to return. Why is that? I believe it's because students never actually make their faith their own. Sure, they attended church and youth group (although some don't) but the gospel of Jesus Christ was never truly a part of them. They were never "infected" with it. It was never a part of every fiber of their being.

Well, as I look at the youth ministry God has placed me over,  I think it's time for a change. I want the teens in our group to catch this virus. I want their parents to catch it as well. After all, the only way to catch a virus is to be exposed to it...so parents...it's time to step up and expose your kids to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Who knows, maybe this whole Jesus thing will catch on and change the world. Do you want to be a part of the Outbreak?

Josh Huisman