Teen Trends
We tend to think that teens and young adults want nothing to do with Christianity, but that's not necessarily true. Barna has published an article that claims that over half of Gen Z want to learn more about Jesus and that about half also consider the Bible a trustworthy source. People are curious and long for the peace and love that Christ offers. It may require us to go out of our comfort zone, but people want and need Jesus. Let that challenge you to reach out to someone that might need a relationship with God.
Song of the Week
Passion released a new song titled "I've Witnessed It" at their latest concert. The song is a testimony of how we have seen God in our lives. The song mentions many of God's qualities like His faithfulness, goodness, healing, and how He always keeps his promises. For those in harder seasons, it can also serve as an encouragement to keep going. All of these characteristics that describe God make Him worthy of our praise - hence the entire point of the song.
Check out our running playlist of this season's songs on Spotify here.
Sermon Illustration
Because of all that the Lord has done for us, shouldn't we want to tell others about Him? The evidence proves that people are crying out for God. It can be very uncomfortable, but sharing what God has done in our lives is a great way to share the Gospel. In some cases, it's much more appropriate than trying a formulaic method of evangelism. Our testimony is something to be shared, not hidden.
Matthew 5:16 - In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Encouraging Thought
Rev. Dave Tolan was a missionary in Zambia for many years before coming to SWU as a missions representative. One of his best sayings was "The Holy Spirit is the first witness." What he was saying was that before you have even talked with someone, God is doing something in their heart preparing them for what you have to say. This takes a lot of the pressure off of evangelism - knowing that we're not doing it alone and that God has already gone ahead of us.
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The vision of the Student Leader Weekly is to empower high schoolers (alongside adult leadership) with practical ministry ideas.