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Fighting The Resistance: Challenging Teens To Share

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Getting Your Students To Step Up To the Microphone

Have you ever come back from a retreat, camp, or event where God moved powerfully and then were met with resistance when asking kids to share their experience? Yeah, I’ve been there too, but recently I have tried to head off the resistance with a simple plea to those who went to our yearly youth convention. Here’s what I asked of them, feel free to steal, modify, etc.

Hey All,

It’s been a few days since convention and I hope you all had as good a time as I did. I believe God did something in my heart and I am pretty sure he has done something in yours as well.

I’d like at least one of you to share tomorrow night at Fusion. I know what you’re going to say “not me” “I am not a good speaker” etc. etc. but consider a few of these reasons why you should share before you answer:

1. It will encourage people to go next year. If the rest of our group does not know that God did a work in our hearts, why would anyone want to go next year?

2. Like the messages we heard, it’s time to step up. It’s time to stop using excuses like the ones above. Sharing is a simple way to be obedient to what God did in our hearts.

Finally, and maybe the most important,

3. If we don’t share what God has done, if we don’t declare his goodness to others, how long do we expect that good work God did in us to last? It’s funny how many times kids come back from camp and within a week “lose” whatever they got. One quick way to hold on to, keep, nurture, and protect what God has given us is to share it, we need to let our own ears hear what God has done.

Revelations says 12:11, “They OVERCAME him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their TESTIMONY; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”

I want you to be over-comers. I will help you.

So, with that said, I am asking you to pray through the fear, the doubt, and the anxiety and share what God has done in and for you.; for your benefit and the benefit of others.
If you say no, no hard feelings. I will not put you down or think any less of you. This is what I do guys. I lay the challenges out there, so you can pick them up.

I love you all.

Pastor Paul

Your Turn

What has been your experience with kids sharing/testifying in your youth ministry?

How do approach kids to share what God has done in their lives?

 

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