"sold out" no longer?

i bet we’re all familiar with the phrase Christians coined a while back: “sold out for Jesus”. when dc talk was a thing, they wrote the book “Jesus freak” which greatly influenced the views of youth around the world, including my own, turning hearts towards the gospel and the true meaning of missions. being a “Jesus freak” + “sold out for Jesus” was a movement among young people that seems to have disappeared. where did that go? is it just not “cool” anymore to belong to a greater cause...to have an unquenchable passion for the gospel?

i’ve moved around the country eight times in sixteen years due to being in a ministry family, + i’ve experienced many youth groups and many different churches. throughout the years i’ve been able to watch how the messages change due to the church, pastor, + participants, + i’ve come to the conclusion that the mission of the church - the goal of the Christian life - the very gospel itself - isn't always taught as it should be to young adults. i know this is part of the reason we’re not seeing growth and passion in our youth ministries. our culture is becoming increasingly self-serving + afraid to offend anyone (especially youth), + some youth pastors see their job as trying to bring kids who don’t care + just want to go home, a night of fun at church. while it’s important for the body of Christ to have community together as a body, if that’s the only thing that constitutes our meetings, it’s all completely pointless.

we need the gospel, and it needs to be preached.

when the Word is fluffed up, embellished, redesigned to look appealing (or not taught at all), you cannot expect people to be receptive. when God is taught as a soft, malleable god, you are actively degrading Him and His power, + when you teach the “marshmallow gospel” (as i like to call it), you are intentionally weakening the idea of the Creator of the universe. our God is a jealous, powerful God, who loves his people + wants their salvation + His glory more than anything. we will be held accountable for our actions, especially regarding our teaching of the Word.

if you minister to youth/young adults in any capacity, i encourage you to teach gospel clearly + unapologetically every time you meet. don’t immediately assume that the students you’re talking to are disconnected punks in need of a watered down message. yes, studies through genesis + proverbs are important + should be done periodically, but if the gospel is always overlooked, then we should all just go home. don’t let the gift of forming the minds of this generation be tossed away, but use it. become passionate about it.

if the true, powerful gospel is not preached unapologetically to the next generation, no one will never again be “sold out for Jesus”.