In that moment, I realized that all these years of sharing the Gospel and depending on the Spirit to give her boldness had transformed her from a shy follower into a bold leader.
3. Accelerates Their Processing Ability on a Cognitive Level
The Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. (Luke 12:12)
When teenagers are put in a position where they’re trusting in the Lord to give them the right words to say, especially when people want to argue, it accelerates their ability to process information on the spot.
This is seen very clearly on an academic level when it comes to debating. High school debate class sharpens adolescent mental acuity.
So does evangelism. When people ask questions of Christian teenagers, it forces them to depend on God and scroll their mind for the answers to these questions.
My son has been sharing his faith from the time he was little. He knows what he believes and why he believes it, because he’s had so many Gospel conversations with people of different faiths.
4. Deepens Their Faith on a Spiritual Level
Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts—no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. (Matthew 10:9-10)
When Jesus sent out his mostly teenaged disciples to evangelize, he sent them out with no backup plan. They didn’t have extra money or extra clothes or even the protection of a staff to fight off wild animals or thieves.
Jesus wanted them to go out in faith and preach the Gospel from village to village, depending only on the Holy Spirit. And that’s exactly what they did.
As a result, their faith deepened. When they witnessed all that God did through them, they couldn’t wait to tell Jesus (Luke 10:17-19).
At Dare 2 Share, we’ve been inspiring, equipping, and sending teenagers out to share the Gospel for over 30 years. Doing an outreach and coming back to share stories is key to what makes our training events work. One thing I can tell you for sure is that, for the vast majority of teenagers who attend these events, going out to share the Gospel deepens their faith.
5. Strengthens Their Resolve on a Volitional Level
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in Heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12)
