Gospel - Next Generation Ministry

The coronavirus has taken the world and the United States by storm. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),

On January 30, 2020, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern” (PHEIC). On January 31, 2020, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency (PHE) for the United States to aid the nation’s healthcare community in responding to COVID-19.

How do I know information about the coronavirus is spreading like wildfire? Because the global media won’t stop talking about it. Have you been to your local grocery store lately and looked for cleaning supplies? You will probably find a barren shelf. Why? Because people everywhere are freaking out about the possible implications the coronavirus could have on their own life.

Is there cause for concern? The CDC says,

More cases of COVID-19 are likely to be identified in the coming days, including more cases in the United States. It’s also likely that person-to-person spread will continue to occur, including in communities in the United States. It’s likely that at some point, widespread transmission of COVID-19 in the United States will occur.

Widespread transmission of COVID-19 would translate into large numbers of people needing medical care at the same time. Schools, childcare centers, workplaces, and other places for mass gatherings may experience more absenteeism. Public health and healthcare systems may become overloaded, with elevated rates of hospitalizations and deaths. Other critical infrastructure, such as law enforcement, emergency medical services, and transportation industry may also be affected. Health care providers and hospitals may be overwhelmed. At this time, there is no vaccine to protect against COVID-19 and no medications approved to treat it. Nonpharmaceutical interventions would be the most important response strategy.

It is up to you to decide if you believe what the CDC is saying is true or not. I have no intention to persuade you one or way or the other on this matter. What I do hope to persuade you to believe in, however, is in the contagious spread of the gospel. Before Jesus ascends into heaven, he tells his disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak is Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. One month has passed since the World Health Organization made a public declaration about the virus outbreak. Since then, not only has the virus spread from person to person, but news of the virus can be heard from huts in Africa to villages in the Middle East to cities in the mainland. Thankfully, for those of us who live in the United States, the CDC reports: This virus is NOT currently spreading widely in the United States.

The news may not be so bright for the rest of the world. The CDC reports: However, it is important to note that current global circumstances suggest it is likely that this virus will cause a pandemic.

That is both bad news for the United States and for the world.

But, if bad news can spread this rapidly around the world, can’t good news? Jesus not only said it could, he said it would! If you know Jesus, you are a witness. You are able to share with everyone everywhere everyday the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ:

This world is beautiful (Creation)
But the world is not what it is supposed to be (Fall)
There is savior who can save you from your sin (Rescue)
And one day, this world will be what is supposed to be (Restoration)

If bad news can spread around the world in less than a month, shouldn’t good news spread even faster? It must because the eternal consequences of not repenting of one’s sin and trusting in Jesus is far worse than any temporal effects that could come from suffering attached with the coronavirus.

Kids used to pass a note to classmates in school wanting to know if their classmates liked them or not. At some point in your life, you have probably read, written, or at least heard about the note a student gives that says, “Do you love me, check yes or no?” If you’re a student today, you’re more likely to get a text message from another student saying “What’s the news?” Both the note and the text carry the same meaning as they both serve as a check-up on the status of the relationship. DTR or “define the relationship” is also a popular term that describes the same notion.

Back in the day, a boy would call a girl to ask her out. Today, students can check up on each other through social media outlets, pictures, and posts. There is a lot of teen slang found in texts and posts today. To begin decoding the new language, you can start by googling “teen slang and text.” Netsanity.net has produced a decoding guide and says some acronyms are fun and harmless, some you just need to keep an eye on, and some are warning flags.

A popular game as of late is the game app Fortnite. Students have fallen in love with this game because it offers them two things: (1) Competence and (2) Connection. Students want to achieve the highest levels and most points in games because games make them feel good about themselves. Students like challenges and overcoming challenges. Achievement is important to the next generation. Perhaps you are not challenging your student enough. Provide them a vision big enough to latch onto.

I recently heard of a dad who couldn’t understand why his good Christian daughter enjoyed dating a pothead. Problem is the dad had not painted a brighter and bigger picture for his daughter to admire than her boyfriend could offer. The dad then decided that his family was going to get involved with building an orphanage in Africa. Guess what? The family did and the daughter dumped her boyfriend. Besides the challenge, I’m sure the event made the daughter feel more competent as well. Dad had raised the bar and his daughter passed the test with flying colors!

But games also provide students with talking points. Since “everyone is playing,” students can easily initiate or jump into conversations with friends. Students are really just looking for acceptance. They have achieved their game goals and they talk about their story of doing so along the way. This way, students stay plugged into the game while staying plugged up with their friends.

I met a veteran youth minister today by the name of Drew Hill. Drew shared a story that will stick with me. He said he went to his daughter’s soccer game. She was the goalie and made a bad mistake allowing the ball to go across the line. As her father, he yelled from the sideline, “Honey (that was her real name), I love you. Keep your chin up.” It’s easy to be there for our students when they win and the frenzied crowd is all around them at the end of the game. But who will be at the locker room when the game is over to support them when they lose and the crowd has disappeared?

What’s the news? The news is that God loves you. God is not mad at you. He is not out to get you. He has provided you with his own Son’s death. What more could he give? Students are looking for love through messages, games, and sports. Will you let them know that God accepts them as they are? When the news students get isn’t good, when they can’t beat the game, when they feel they’re the reason the team lost, will you be there to offer them an alternate story? We have good news and it is the gospel!