Teens Double Dared to Start Up Jesus Talks
WOODBRIDGE, Va. – Jesus Christ is coming soon ... in style. But are you ready?
Today's generation of teenagers are hyped up at hearing of the return of Jesus. And when it comes to actually being ready for Him to show up, the young Jesus followers are told not to mess around.
"You've been given a job to accomplish and our boss will be coming back soon to check on us. Will Jesus find you doing your job or wasting company time when He returns?" Greg Stier, who leads the prominent youth organization Dare 2 Share Ministries, posed to thousands of middle and high school students at the launch of their annual national tour.
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Dare 2 Share kicked off the 2007-2008 "Survive" Tour early this month with more than 3,000 teens at their first Washington, D.C.-event. The popular youth ministry hit Denver, Colo., over the weekend, gathering more than 8,000 young Christians.
Every year, Stier and the Dare 2 Share team travel across the country to challenge young people to share their faith about Jesus Christ to their friends. And it's not just a dare; it's a double dare.
"Are you ready for a double dare?" Stier asked the crowd of high-energy students who readily scream at the top of their lungs to praise Jesus.
"It's this: to share the gospel with everyone you know ... and to start with one person in the next 48 hours."
It's not easy for today's teen Christian to bring up a discussion on Jesus with their friends. In fact, Stier says it "freaks them out."
But with studies indicating that the Church is losing young people in droves, Stier wants to get Christian teens sharing Jesus to their generation and everyone else they know.
His simple approach may sound a little "old school," as Stier put it, but every year thousands of teens build up the courage to form E-teams (evangelism teams) in their local cities and every year the youth organization sees thousands of students come to Christ.
"This generation of teenagers has huge potential," said Stier, noting that young people today are tribal, smart and tech savvy. "If we can harness it, we can see, literally, worldwide transformation."
Dare 2 Share conferences equip students with the courage and the tools they need to talk about Jesus with their friends and answer some of the common questions non-believers typically have. The Survive Tour impels students to get a move on their witnessing, reminding them that Jesus could come back any time and they need to be ready, Stier explained.
The bottom line, he tells teens, is that if their friends don't know Christ, they're headed for hell.
"Our friends need Christ," Stier highlighted to students. "Are you telling your friends?"
The Survive conferences are part of a nine-city tour and heads to Columbus, Ohio, in February.
