I also blog to encourage others to share the Gospel with all of those around them who stand condemned for their sins (John 3:18, where Jesus said, "whoever does not believe stands condemned already ....").
The last six people I've witnessed to in the last couple of weeks have been Millennials--Josh, Jalesha, Wes, Dion, Cody, and John. They reflect what I regularly encounter among Millennials. They don't know the Gospel. But, they hope they're going to heaven, though they aren't really sure. They also tend to think they're good enough, and they tend to wrongly believe God forgives everyone whether the do what's necessary for forgiveness or not.
Yet, the truth is that the just wrath of God remains on them if they haven't done what Jesus said to do to be pardoned of sin and have total assurance of eternal life. (John 3:36). That's why I tried to share with each of them--how they can have total assurance of their eternal destiny. That's the Good News Jesus came to share!!
When Jesus began his ministry in Galilee, He began "proclaiming the good news of God. 'The time has come,' he said. 'The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!'” (Mark 1:14-15). There's the Gospel straight from Jesus--repent and believe. The two things you must do to be saved.
My Encounter with Josh
I met Josh outside of a theater. I handed him a gospel tract and asked if he had heard the gospel. He had. I asked if he knew he was going to heaven. He said yes. I asked if I could question him further. He didn't mind, Upon further questioning, it became clear Josh didn't really know the gospel. He thought he was good enough to get into heaven. I shared the gospel by first explaining the judgment to come (Heb. 9:27). I then explained the legal and moral standard by which God will judge who is righteous enough to enter heaven (Matt 5:17-48). Next, by using the law, I helped him see how desperately he needed a savior. I then explained what Jesus did to purchase our salvation, since we deserved to be judged guilty and sentenced to hell (1 Cor. 15:1-4). I asked if he had repented of his sins and if he was trusting in the finished work of Jesus Christ alone as his sole source of salvation. He said he had repented and was trusting in Jesus. Only God knows. Josh really seemed to appreciate the encounter. I encouraged him to get plugged into a good church to follow Jesus. This is yet another example why you cannot evaluate where someone really stands just because they say they've heard the Gospel or because they believe they're going to heaven.
My Encounter with Jalesha
I met Jalesha at a drive through window. Since no one was behind me in line, I handed her a tract and asked if she thought she was going to heaven. "I hope so," she replied. That's typical. We all hope we're going to heaven, but you can know with certainty. I asked Jalesha if she knew that the bible says she can know for sure she's going to heaven, instead of just hoping. She acted like she didn't know that. She also thought she was a good person, which is also typical when people compare themselves to others instead of God's perfect moral law that demands absolutely holiness in thought, word and deed. When I asked her about lying, stealing, and other commands, she started to try to justify herself. As a car pulled up, I encouraged her to read the back of the tract to know what to do in order to know with certainty her destiny will be heaven. I pray she did.
My Encounter with Wes
I took my son to shop for a computer the other night. Wes helped us pick out a computer and some other items. He did a great job taking care of us, when we checked out, I offered him a gospel tract and asked if he had ever heard the Gospel. "Bits and pieces here and there," he replied. We encouraged him to read the tract before it's too late.
John, Cody, and Dion
John seemed to know pieces of the Gospel. Dion thought God forgives everyone. Cody believes in the universe and life energy. He believes in evolution. I walked through the entire Gospel message with them, answering questions from Dion as we went. John seemed to echo what I was saying. The seeds of the Gospel were sown with these young men, but Dion and Cody seemed to have hard hearts. I pray the law broke up their fallow ground and the seeds of the Gospel found good soil. I pray God will cause it to spring up in their lives for salvation's sake.
The big lesson from these encounters is the need for a clear, complete Gospel presentation to Millennials, since most of them don't know it or understand it.
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