2/25/12 Teens
I was on an outreach
adventure with Joe, a church brother, when we encountered a group of
older teens who were very much indoctrinated into the lifestyle and
values of the Satan's Disciples, street gang here in Chicago. They were
willing to talk but very distracted because of their habit of
constantly scanning the street life going on all around us.
I
asked them simple questions like "What do you think comes next after we
leave this earth?", "Do you believe you have a soul?", "What is
eternity?", "Do you believe in God?". This was enough to stir up a good
conversation and to convey simple truths like the fact that God does
exist and will one day hold them accountable.
They had heard of
the idea of "judgment day", but associated it with the end of the world
rather than personal accountability. They said with bravado that they
will go to hell, more as a badge of honor than something to be taken
seriously, at least in front of one another.
Finally, the
distraction of the streets and who was driving by got them best of them
and they took off, focusing again on all the drama and excitement of
street life.
I felt like John the Baptist, preparing my audience
for the Gospel by warning them of God's existence and the judgment to
come, but stopping short of actually sharing the Gospel itself. Should I
have more quickly shared about Jesus?
At one point in his
ministry, Jesus made a strange comparison that I think might apply here.
He said “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to
pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and
tear you to pieces."
I take this to mean that we shouldn't share
the valuable treasure of the Gospel with those who aren't ready to
appreciate it. In this case I believed these guys weren't yet able to
appreciate the precious pearl that Jesus is, but like John the Baptist's
ministry these young men did need to hear some foundational or
preliminary truths that would help prepare them to see their need for
Him in the future.
The Bible describes John as “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare
the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” And so John the
Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of sins."
But back then John's message could
afford to be simpler and more straightforward - no one had previously
heard of Jesus and everyone needed to be prepared for His message. Not
so in our time, when everyone can be at a different place in terms of
hearing Jesus' message. I couldn't be sure of what these teens had
already heard about Him, so I had to rely on my own judgement call based
on common sense and trust in the Holy Spirit.
They live near me
so I may hopefully run into them again, hopefully under less distracting
circumstances. I hope and pray for the chance to tell one or more of
them more about Jesus the next time.
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