Christianity is today’s real counterculture. That’s why we’re kicking off the new year with ideas about how you can go deeper with God and change the world through a “revolutionary” faith. In this issue—and in future Breakaway articles—you’ll meet teens who are making a difference by combining big dreams with bold commitments to Christ.
According to the Barna Group, a highly respected California-based research organization, of the nearly 2 billion people on Earth who claim to be Christians, fewer than half pray or read their Bibles daily. Kinda makes your gut hurt, right?
Yet here’s an exciting trend: Another Barna study reveals that more than 20 million North Americans are currently pursuing a “revolutionary” faith. In other words, these men, women and teens are serious about their relationships with God and want more of Him in their lives. They’re not satisfied merely attending church; they want to be the church: serving others, reaching out to the needy—being Christ’s hands, feet and face in a hurting world.
Does this trend excite you? Does it make you want to stand up and join the revolution? Breakaway hopes so.
It’s Time for Serious Faith!
Today, more than ever, this planet needs a true counterculture: a “back to truth movement” so we can have a real “back to the Bible movement.” And if ever there was a group designed for such a task, it’s teen guys who follow Christ.
Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He gave you a big job: “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15). He also gave you a bunch of assuring promises, including these:
• “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Acts 1:8).
• “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
Imagine that: The God of the universe forgives your sins, promises eternal life with Him—and gives you the power to fulfill His work on earth. But you won’t be effective for God if you stay in a safe comfort zone.
Be a Real-World Revolutionary
Breakaway declares 2007 “The Year of the World-Changer.” In the months ahead, strive to be different. Start with an inward change: Make an effort to be secure in the young man God created you to be. How?
Allow the Holy Spirit and the truth of the Bible to saturate your heart, mind and soul. Let your Creator navigate your life—not the so-called popular people.
Desire truth more than lies. Many Christian teens allow peer fear, temptations and bad choices to get in the way of their lives reflecting Jesus. Jesus said God’s truth will set us free (John 8:32). Have you allowed the truth to set you free. If not, it’s time for a change.
Realize what Jesus did for you. God allowed His Son to die on a cross and pay the penalty of our sin. Why don’t we act as if this is the most incredible news we’ve ever heard? If God says we are worthy of His love, why do we pursue the world’s definitions of cool in order to feel good about ourselves?
Next, turn your focus outward:
Look at others through Christ’s eyes.
—Build up your peers. Be one of the few who reminds his friends of their strengths and abilities, and care about a brother, especially when others turn their backs on him.
—Pray for your family, friends, neighbors, nation and world daily. Make a list, and go for it!
—Ask Jesus to show you how to be His hands and feet to hurting teens around you and around the globe.
—Consider starting or joining a campus Bible study. Make it evangelistic by putting Christ’s love into action in the hallways of your campus and beyond.
