IT’S EASY, when you read or listen to the news to be discouraged and, while maybe not hopeless, at least not as hope filled as we should be. Inflation and interest rates going up, nations going to war, politics and politicians constantly going against each other, pandemic going on and on, fewer people going to church, the culture seemingly going crazy in ever-increasing ways…you get the idea. 

 

Simply observing the course of the world around us can press us down, and all too often, cause us to be tentative and unconfident, even scared to share the good news of Christ and the truths of his Word. Say the wrong thing or express support for the wrong cause and you will likely be labeled “far right” by some and “woke” by others.  

 

So, what should we say or do? What is the best strategy for reaching our community, our culture, even our own kids, with the good news of our gracious, holy God?

 

I appreciate Kevin DeYoung’s answer to that question: “I beg of you, don’t go after the next generation with mere moralism, either on the right (don’t have sex, go to church, share your faith, stay off drugs) or on the left (recycle, dig a well, feed the homeless, buy a wristband). The gospel is not a message about what we need to do for God, but about what God has done for us. So, get them with the good news about who God is and what he has done for us.”

 

In his little book, Amaze Them With God, DeYoung offers five suggestions on how to reach our community, our culture, and our kids, how to “get them with the good news about who God is”.

 

First, grab them with passion. DeYoung says the unchurched will not give Christianity a second thought “if it seems lifeless, repetitive, and uninspiring. They will only get serious about the Christian faith if it seems like something seriously worth their time.” God is passionate about his purposes and his people. The world needs to see Christians burning with this same passion. They don’t need to see self-righteous fury at constantly sliding morals – they need to see our passion for God. 

 

Second, win them with love. “The evangelical church needs to stop preaching a false gospel of cultural identification. Don’t spend all your time trying to figure out how to be like the next generation. Be yourself; tell them about Jesus; and love unconditionally. Love won’t guarantee the young people will never walk away from the church, but it will make it a lot harder. It won’t guarantee that non-Christians will come to Christ, but it will make the invitation a whole lot more attractive.” 

 

Third, hold them with holiness. DeYoung nails it when as he writes, “being experts in the culture matters nothing, and worse than nothing, if we are not first of all experts in love, truth and holiness.” His point here is that the one indispensable requirement for producing godly, mature Christians is godly, mature Christians. He says, “a lot of research suggests that the most important social influence in shaping young people’s religious lives is the religious life modeled and taught to them by their parents.”

 

Fourth, challenge them with truth. According to DeYoung, “The door is open like never before to challenge people with good Bible teaching. Whether they accept it all or not, they want to know what Christians actually believe. They want truth straight up, unvarnished, and unashamed. Shallow Christianity will not last in the coming generation, and it will not grow. Cultural Christianity is fading. The church in the twenty-first century must go big on truth or go home.” 

 

Fifth, amaze them with God. “If ever people were starving for a God the size of God, surely it is now. Give them a God who is holy, independent and unlike us, a God who is good, just, full of wrath, and full of mercy. Give them a God who is sovereign, powerful, tender, and true. Give them a God with edges. Give them a God who makes them feel cherished and safe, and small and uncomfortable too. Give them a God worthy of wonder and fear, a God big enough for all our faith, hope, and love.”

 

Amaze Them With God ends with this simple but significant truth: “As you try to reach the next generation for Christ, you can amaze them with your cleverness, your humor, or your looks, or you can amaze them with God.” 

 

As we continue our study in Ephesians, we will see how we are called and enabled by God to amaze our kids, our community, and our culture with the reality of our amazing God as they see Him reflected in our holiness, in our unity, and in our families, and as they hear his truth in our conversations and gospel witness. Let’s amaze them with God!