This Changes Everything

The assassination of Charlie Kirk is a history-changing event for our nation and for the church.

“Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for his friends”

I have seen many conflicting opinions on social media. Some say Charlie wasn’t a martyr, others that it was a political assassination. Our opinions don’t really matter. What does matter is that our kids saw a young man assassinated for his beliefs, and that has got their attention.

Even before this tragic event, Gen Z and Generation Alpha were returning to the church in greater numbers than ever before. God is on the move. The harvest is ripe. Kids, teens, and young adults are searching for God. Charlie Kirk’s assassination has dramatically accelerated the spiritual hunger in our kids and grandkids.

The only question is, what part do you want to play in bringing in this harvest?

“The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few.”

Is your church ready for this harvest?

Charlie doesn’t think we are.

I found a video from a Turning Point Faith Forward event where Charlie is speaking to pastors, and he shares with us what Gen Z is looking for.

“I look at what is happening on college campuses, there is a revival happening on college campuses, but the church is not ready to receive it. When I talk to young men, they say, ‘My local church is way too soft for me.’ Hear me out, young kids don’t want you to sanitize this stuff for them.”

So, what are college and high school kids looking for when they come to your church?

• Boldness – young people today are looking for leaders who are willing to speak with boldness. For decades, church growth experts have advised us that to reach the lost, we need to soften our message. I don’t see this thinking in the early church. In the book of Acts, Peter, James, and Paul were not focused on making sure they didn’t offend people.
  
  Look at what Peter said in Acts Chapter 2.
  
  “So, let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah! Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and the other apostles, Brothers, what should we do?”
  
  The reason we need powerful, bold preaching is that it is what is required to pierce hearts bound by sin.
  
  
• Courage – Boldness is what you say. Courage is what you do. Our kids are looking for courageous leaders. They want to be courageous someone courageous.
  
  In the book of Acts, Peter and John were arrested for healing a lame person and were threatened not to preach in the name of Jesus anymore. After they were released from jail, they met with the church and prayed, “And now, oh Lord, hear their threats and give us your servants great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power, may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” Notice that they didn’t pray for their safety; they prayed for more boldness. These men were brave men, but they weren’t doing it in their own strength. They were asking the Holy Spirit to help them.
  
  
• Power – The early church was powerful. Young people are looking for the church that they see in the Bible. They are hungry for the presence of God and the powerful ministry of the Holy Spirit.
  
  I was thinking about this the other day. Every church in the book of Acts was a Pentecostal Church. When Paul arrived in Ephesus, he found a group of believers and asked them, “Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?” Why did Paul ask that question? My guess is that Paul did not see the gifts of the Spirit in manifestation, and that was strange to him, so Paul laid his hands on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
  
  To my Pentecostal friends. It’s time to be Pentecostal again. Young people need the power of the Holy Spirit, and we need the gift of tongues to pray in this revival. It’s a precious gift.
  
  
• Encouragement – College students and high school students are returning to church, and they don’t just want to sit and listen. They want to serve.
  
  Many have the call of God on their lives. Give these young leaders opportunities to lead. A great place for young leaders to learn how to preach is in the kids’ ministry and the youth ministry. It does something to you when you have a group of kids looking up to you.
  
  
• Love – Everything we say and do needs to be said with love and compassion. Strong words without love are not boldness; it’s rudeness.
  
  The world is full of hate; this is why we need to understand the depth and breadth of the love that the Father has for us and then give that love away freely. We need to see people, even people we don’t like, through the eyes of the Father. It’s the kind of love that says, “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they do.“
  

Prayer with me for our nation and the next generation. I pray that He pours out His love and His Spirit on all people. Every nation, culture, and generation. Yes, it’s a scary time, and bad things are happening
everywhere, but God is at work, and I want to be part of what He is doing.