Again, our mission statement for our youth group is that Grace Bible Church Youth Ministries exist to build a solid faith in students that impacts their relationships in our church, community and our world for Christ. Last week we focused on students' faith that impacts the church and community for Christ. This week we turn our attention to students' faith that impacts our world for Christ. We looked at each of the 11 disciples who remained faithful to Jesus, then turned apostles. Their faith, beginning in Jerusalem turned the world upside down. Every one of them was martyred for their faith, except John. But John, according to tradition was boiled in hot oil, survived and was banished to the island of Patmos.
Before their martyrdom, most of them travelled outside the region of Israel to share the good news about their risen savior, Jesus Christ. Their travels took them as far as India, Scythia (now Russia), the British Isles, modern day Turkey, Armenia and Greece. We would never have heard the gospel if it wasn't for these eleven radical men who decided to risk their lives so others could keep theirs eternally. The current world population is 7.8 billion. Accordian to a 2015 survey at theguardian.com, 2.3 billion (or around 31%) of them are Christian. What an impact the followers of Jesus made with his help.
How does a teen "impact our world for Christ?" Do they have to become a martyr? No. They can be radical like that, but Andrew gives us another, less extreme, example. Not much is written about Andrew. We don't know much about him. We don't read in the gospels about his faith like Peter or his questions to Jesus like Nicodemus. What we read is that he believed in Jesus and he later brought his big brother, Pete, to meet Jesus. That's it. But if he never brought the big fisherman, he never would have met Jesus, never believed, never denied, and never became one of the most influential apostles of them all.
Over the years I have taken many teens with me on mission trips to places like Costa Rica, Bolivia, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, West Virginia, and Montana. We have done our best to share Jesus where we can. But one of the greatest impact a teen can have right now is invite a friend to meet Jesus.
Some of the students who bring their friends to church or youth group have parents who are willing to go out of their way to pick up their kids' friends and bring them. It takes a little sacrifice. Yeah, it's a little inconvenient. Would you be willing to be one of those parents? Who knows? You could be picking up the next Ravi Zacharias, or Toby Mac, or Pastor John MacArthur.
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