Friday, July 21, 2006

Youth Evangelism Online

Youth – Leaders of the future

  1. God has a purpose for every single one of our lives
  2. God prepares every single one of us
  3. God will use us both in full time ministries as well as in the marketplaces
  4. Our vision of the future has an effect on our lives in the present

Do youths have a part to play in the present?

  1. Yes. Evangelism is most effective when we are youths.
  2. Each generation reaching its own generation, sheep producing sheep.
  3. Some statistics
Age Group % at home % with frens % work/school % sleeping
Children 20% 5% 35% 40%
Youth 5% 30% 40% 25%
Young families 30% 10% 35% 25%
Old families 30% 15% 30% 35%
GYM 45% 25% 0% 30%

(polled from the grand total of 1 family)

  1. Style of evangelism is now different from before… mainly due to the word “online!”

Evolution of the Internet

  1. Server-based Messaging - close proximity
  2. Emails - known sender and receiver
  3. Instant Messaging - expressionless communication
  4. Blogs - the World is our Parish

The challenge for us is to use our life experiences to life up the name of the Lord, and He will draw all men unto Himself.

Claiming back the internet for Christ

  1. Music industry was previously flooded with secular content, now has been slowly claimed back for Christ
  2. Likewise, we must do the same for the internet. We need to flood the internet with Godly content.

How do we blog Godly content?

Depending on what kind of character and personality we are, we may have different preferences on how we point people to Christ, some could be subtle, some could be bold, others may prefer the “In Your Face” approach.

1. Style : Shy and subtle
- does not like to be too personal
- shy about talking too much about oneself or faith
Appeals to people

- who do not like ‘hard-sell’
- who may think because this person is typically shy, if he/she puts the link there, it must have good content.
What can you do on your blog?

- Add links to Godly sites

2. Style : Open
- open about one’s faith
- comfortable with a more direct approach
Appeals to people

- who may be back-sliders who just needs a reminder without much substance
- who are more visual but do not like the “hard-sell” type
What can you do on your blog?

- Links and Banners
- Use “Praise the Lord!”, “Thank you Jesus” phrases in the posts

3. Style : Bold
- Bold about one’s faith
- comfortable with sharing personal experiences
Appeals to people
- at an emotional level, relating to the experiences
- who know you personally
What can you do on your blog?
- Write entries about God's grace, providence in your daily life, experiences
- Thanksgiving posts

4. Style : In Your Face
- Courageous and Direct about one’s faith
- Gregarious and upfront by nature
Appeals to people

- who’s scale are on the verge of tipping
- who needs a direct jolt to their system
What can you do on your blog?

- Embed “In Your Face” evangelism content, like 4SL, Flash presentations, video testimonies
- Write personal testimonies with an invitation to Pray to Receive Christ at the end

Challenge and Application

What kind of blogger are you? Are you self-focused or God focused?
Will you do your part to claim back the internet for Christ?
Will you do your part to claim back your generation for Christ?
Will you do your part to claim back your friends for Christ?
What's our part? "Lift up the name of the Lord"
What's God's part? "Bring all man unto Himself"
Will you lift up the name of the Lord in your emails, in your IM, in your Blogs?

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