God has given you a mission, your specific piece of advancing THE Cause of Christ in your own community. You must identify it, relentlessly pray over it and do everything you can in the power of Christ to accomplish it. There is a generation of teenagers in your midst who are literally on the highway to hell, and we have the message that can rescue them from it! Donāt lose sight of this vital mission that God has placed firmly in your made-worthy-by-the-blood-of-Christ hands!
Throughout the book of Acts, we seen the church constantly doing just that. Again and again, the early followers of Jesus improvised, adapted and overcame. Their growth came through prayer, hard work and duct tape.
Improvise, Adapt and Overcome
These Spirit-fueled followers of Jesus started in the temple, but soon scattered to house churches. The Jerusalem apostles were quickly eclipsed by localized elders, as the church grew and expanded across Judea and beyond. When there were areas of service that needed to be taken care of, deacons were put in place so the leaders could focus on the ministry of the Word and prayer. When persecution hit the church in Jerusalem like a hurricane, the believers scattered and used it as an opportunity and preached the Word wherever they went. They would not be stopped.
When the Gentile believers came into the church of Antioch in droves, the legalists from Judea arose and pushed against this message of grace. But the church adjusted again. They clarified and codified the gospel message, corrected the legalists and re-sent missionaries out to make sure that everyone knew the true message of grace.
Paul improvised, adapted and overcame, as well. When thrown in prison, he didnāt sit idly by waiting for a better outcome. He wrote letters which were included in the canon. When he was forced out of the synagogue in Ephesus, he shifted locations to the School of Tyrannus, and he adjusted his strategy from addition to multiplication! There he unleashed an unstoppable force of disciple multiplication through the Ephesians (Acts 19:8-10).
And the Book of Acts Lives Onā¦
The Church was launched with an Acts 2 bang, and kept moving and adjusting and evolving until it had saturated much of the known world with the good news of Jesus. This same unstoppable force, this missional community of love and truth, has been the ramrod in the hands of Christ for the last 2,000 years to batter the gates of hell and rescue souls headed to a dark eternity.
The 7 Gospel Advancing Ministry Values provide the biblical foundation, practical ministry structure and ongoing accountability to ensure that the book of Acts lives on in and through your ministry! Click To Tweet
And now, as a Gospel Advancing Youth Leader, itās your turn to improvise, adapt and overcome. Be assured that your quest will have plenty of failures, but may you fail forward in the power of God. Take these 7 Values of a Gospel Advancing Ministry, and find your own best recipe for building a gospelized youth ministry that fits your context. Make the gospel central to everything you do, and youāll end up with a dynamic youth ministry that transforms studentsā lives both now and for all eternity!
Try This! āÆ
Which of the 7 Values is your greatest strength? Which is your greatest weakness? Whatās one thing you can do this month to build on your strength? Whatās one thing you can do to begin to address your weakness?
In case you missed one or more articles in this 7 Values Mobilize series, you can access them hereā¦
The 7 Values of a Gospel Advancing Ministry
- Value #1: Intercessory prayer fuels it.
- Value #2: Relational evangelism drives it.
- Value #3: Leaders fully embrace and model it.
- Value #4: A disciple multiplication strategy guides it.
- Value #5: A bold vision focuses it.
- Value #6: Biblical outcomes measure it.
- Value #7: Ongoing programs reflect it.
Which of the 7 Values is your greatest strength? Which is your greatest weakness? Whatās one thing you can do in the coming month to build on your strength? Whatās one thing you can do to begin to address your weakness?
Let these 7 Gospel Advancing Ministry Values provide the biblical foundation, practical ministry structure, and ongoing measurable accountability. When you do, the book of Acts will live on in and through your ministry!
