We have an actual doctor with us today , dr Jeff Myers , the president of Summit Ministry . Jeff , thank you so much for joining us . I'm glad to be with you guys . For those of you who don't know , jeff , as I mentioned before , is the president of Summit Ministries . He's written 14 books , including Truth Changes Everything . He also hosts a podcast by that same name , truth Changes Everything with Dr Jeff Myers . Today , we are talking about discipling the next generation .
Speaker 2Generation Z is the least religious generation in America Having trouble with the word generation .
Speaker 1I am struggling . They are known for being spiritual but not religious , but it would be a mistake to think that this is the atheism of 2001 . Gen Z is more likely to listen to Jordan Peterson than Richard Dawkins , which tells us they're asking different kinds of questions than the things that Richard Dawkins wrestled Gen Z .
Speaker 2what age group ?
Speaker 312 to 27 . Okay .
Speaker 1This is good news that they're asking these kinds of questions , because it means they're actually not opposed to faith . They are wrestling with it . We see the Gen Z are struggling with what is being called the loneliness epidemic , an increase in anxiety and depression , which also tells us that they are more self aware and that they need something greater . As the philosopher James KA Smith said in his book On the Road with Augustine , they are on the road looking for transcendence . They are in need of some sort of transcendent experience If secularism has succeeded in disenchanting our lives . Anxiety , depression , loneliness are all hints , longings haunting for a re-enchantment .
Speaker 3The audience for your show . Okay , the people who are listening right now 18 to 24 , their heart's cry is how do I connect with an older person who I can really relate to , who doesn't feel like they have to just lecture me , who doesn't feel like they have to impose anything on me , but they just want to walk with me through life ? There are a couple of things you do . The first one is write out a list of your areas of need , not just biblical need , not just , oh , I need to understand the book of Leviticus . Yeah , I said why Write out ? I need to learn a foreign language to be able to do my job . I need to understand my budget so that I can live within my means . Write those things out and I will tell them write out 20 things , 20 things that you know you need to know but that you do not know to be successful in life . Write them all out and then , once you've got your list , then you start asking God , will you show me the people who could mentor me in relation to this particular need ? You're not looking for somebody to attach yourself to every single week for one hour for the rest of your life . You're looking to meet these needs and you're all of a sudden seeing everybody around you as a potential resource , not someone to use , but someone to connect with .
Speaker 3Do you know that in order for the timeline of the gospels to be true , where people were walking from one place to another , jesus went from this place to this place ? They had to have been walking for 13 months , every day , all day out of the three years of earthly ministry , walking with and asking questions . Right , isn't that fascinating ? Yeah , it's so good . I can do that . Yeah , I can do that . Anybody can do that .
Speaker 4Well , listen , you're hitting it , because discipleship today , what we call discipleship , it looks a whole lot different than it happened in the first century . Right Today , discipleship is when somebody asks hey , will you disciple me ? Great , let's go through a book together , and there's nothing obviously wrong with going through a book together . But that is not biblical discipleship . When we begin to think about it , discipleship is what happens in between the everyday happenings of life , and I wrote down a thing a while back and I'll read a little bit of it . Discipleship happens in the spaces between teaching and living . Jesus spent time walking , eating , laughing and working alongside his disciples . It's not just about what you teach , but how you live , and it's challenging individuals to come alongside you through the everyday happenings of life .
Speaker 4I'm going to this wedding . I'm going to Costco hey , I need to work on my car , and you're able to just ask questions and answer questions . Hey , how would you have handled that ? Or hey , I have a flat tire . Hey , I have a flat tire . Will you come and help me out ? I don't know how to fix a flat tire . No , no , I'm going to call AAA and I want you to be there when Iions . You're welcome to come over . Hey , I'm going to watch a football game . Come on over and they're able to see how you handle , how you interact , how you respond . Hey , has anybody ever sat down with you and worked out your financials with you ? Do you know how to change the oil on a car ? Do any of these things ? So this is a bigger issue . This is a Christ centric , bible at hand issue . We're just living life . Hey , I'm having this struggle . Young one , how would you counsel through this ? What do you think scripture would say ? Who do I call , who do I talk ? What books do you recommend ?
Speaker 1And then we're just kind of molding and I'll tell you that discipleship is a beautiful thing , the power of that , because what you're doing is you're incarnating . Question for you is how has it changed ? You're talking to somebody in 19 , whatever , 95 , versus today . Do you feel like there's a difference ? Are they asking different questions ? Has the approach changed for you ?
Speaker 2The approach hasn't changed . But I've found and I mentioned this before that COVID did the church an incredible favor because it pushed people who were not thinking about their mortality to think about their mortality . I mean , when you're 18 , 17 , 18 , you don't think about your death . Death is for old people and yet it's been ushered right to their forehead , this black tomb . They're going to die .
Speaker 2So when I witness to people and I've said this before , but it's worth saying again one of the first questions I say is are you afraid of dying ? I did it this morning in a local college and most people say yeah , I'm terrified . And that's because Hebrews says they're haunted . Amplified Bible , amplified , amplified . We quote the verse a little louder when we quote the Amplified Bible , but it says they're haunted by the fear of death all their lifetime . Hebrews 2 , 14 and 15 . And so I know that they're haunted by this fear of death and I can see it by their facial expression . They're thinking how did this guy know I'm terrified of dying ? I haven't told mom , dad , brother , sister , boyfriend , girlfriend , but I know because scripture tells me . And then I say and it's just , I'm like a recording , but it works every time .
Speaker 2Have you ever read the Bible ? No , Did you know the Old Testament ? In the Old Testament God promised he would destroy death and in the New Testament we're told how he did it and they go . I didn't know that and you can hear by their tone . It is the first time they've heard something like that . I said would you like to hear , and who's going to say no when it opens the door to the Gospels ?
Speaker 2When Christians learn that you can circumnavigate that hostility by doing what Jesus did and addressing the conscience , it takes heat out of the whole thing . You don't have to be an expert in apologetics , you don't have to have an answer for every question they've got . All you have to do is show them their danger and that they need a Savior . And once they see their danger they'll say thank you . They don't see you as proselytizing . They see you as someone that loves them and wants to see them in heaven , not in hell . And they can hear by your tone . And so teach Christians to do that and to address the conscience , and we see more laborers being raised up and we get closer to seeing this world reached with a glorious gospel .
Speaker 3And I think there are really three things that relate to discipleship . The first one is we help students take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ . 2 Corinthians , 10 , 5 , that everything in the world is under the lordship of Jesus Christ , Everything , your economics class , your philosophy class , your engineering class , all of it . The second thing is to not be taken captive Colossians 2.8 .
Speaker 3There are bad ideas out there , false worldviews , counterfeits and you need to be able to identify those counterfeits so that you can stand against them . I mean , you can recognize a counterfeit bill if you're very familiar with real bills , but that doesn't tell you how to find the person who's making the counterfeit and stop them . It doesn't tell you how to find the person who's making the counterfeit and stop them . It doesn't tell you how to develop the justice system where that person can be prosecuted , the laws that need to be passed in order for the prosecution to take place , what kind of punishment is appropriate , all of those kinds of things . You realize , oh man , there's so much more than just identifying it . You have to really know that it's a counterfeit and then be able to turn more strongly toward the truth .
Speaker 3And then the third one is to set the captives free . So don't be taking captive , or take every thought captive . Don't be taking captive . Set the captives free , which we already talked about . 2 Timothy 2 , 24 to 26 . If you take those three things at the heart of it , I think that's the kind of discipleship that really has a profound impact on people's lives forever and enabling them to turn around and be the ones who are evangelists for God's truth , revealed through Jesus Christ , in our culture . Wow .
Speaker 5Thank you for tuning in to this week's highlights from the Living Waters podcast . Friends , we value your time , so we've created a bite-sized version of our podcast for listeners who want to get equipped . Without the jokes and fellowship . Be sure to check out the full episode every Thursday where we dive deeper into the topic . Until then , you can watch the full podcast episode available now on livingwaterstv .