Tyler Gillit

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 One of the great joys of the past four decades has been seeing young people in our church surrender their lives to serve the Lord. Today, they are across this nation and around the globe engaged in gospel ministry. Some are here at @lbc_today this week for our World Impact Conference. Not every young person is called to vocational ministry, but the need for laborers is great, and God is still calling young men and women to serve Him (Matthew 9:37–38). Why do some churches regularly see young people surrendering to God's call while others rarely do? And what can we as pastors, parents, and Christian leaders do to encourage more young people toward ministry? Here are five ways we can help: 𝟭. 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁 God is the One who calls people into ministry. In Acts 13:2, it was the Holy Spirit who said, “Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” Our responsibility is not to pressure young people into ministry, but it is our responsibility to help them develop hearts that are listening and willing to respond to God's leading. 𝟮. 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗝𝗼𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗼𝗱 If young people continually hear pastors complain about the burdens of ministry, why would they want to enter it? Yes, ministry involves sacrifice. But it is also a tremendous privilege and joy. The apostle Paul faced extraordinary hardships, yet he spoke of his desire to “finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:24). Young people need to see that serving God is a joy, not merely a duty. 𝟯. 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱 God uses His Word to speak to hearts. That is why churches and youth ministries must emphasize biblical preaching and teaching rather than relying primarily on entertainment or emotional experiences. Young people need opportunities to hear God's Word, respond to its truth, and allow the Holy Spirit to direct their lives through Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16–17). 𝟰. 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 Our culture teaches young people to pursue personal gratification, but Jesus taught that true greatness is found in serving others (Mark 10:43–45). We must give teenagers opportunities to discover the joy of serving through evangelism, serving widows and others, and participating in weekly church ministries. When young people experience the joy of investing in others, they begin to understand what a life of ministry can be. 𝟱. 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝗮 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗚𝗼𝗱 It is difficult to recognize God's direction without spending time in His Word and prayer. Rather than looking for a single emotional experience to reveal God's will, young people need to learn daily obedience and personal fellowship with the Lord (Psalm 119:105). God is still calling young men and women to serve Him. May we be faithful as parents, pastors, and Christian leaders to cultivate an environment where the next generation is eager to hear His voice and willing to follow wherever He leads.

“Run passionately, purposefully, and faithfully to the very end.” —Don Sisk, 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘞𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦

“Any concept of grace that makes us feel more comfortable about sinning is not biblical grace. God’s grace never encourages us to live in sin; on the contrary, it empowers us to say no to sin and yes to truth.”—Randy Alcorn

We condemn the actions of Don Lemon and the group of activists who stormed Cities Church today in St. Paul, Minnesota, in clear violation of the FACE Act. Christians everywhere should demand that the Department of Justice arrest those who participated. We must protect religious liberty in this country.