Saturday, November 14
Today is the second and last day of the conference. Read below to see how God equipped the church to reach people and teach the Truth.
Chad Miller Challenges the Church to Make Disciples of our Youth
“It seems like on a regular basis that students are leaving the church when they hit college age,” said Chad Miller, Director of BGEA’s Dare to be a Daniel ministry during his session, Reaching the Next Generation with the Gospel. “It’s bad and getting worse. 67-82 percent of them are leaving as soon as they can. Something is very wrong.”
However, he said it is not the responsibility of the youth pastors to do all of the youth ministry and it’s not up to church staff to do outreach. “In reality, students will influence other students in a way you and I cannot. This is why we need to make disciples of them. If we are going to reach the next generation for Christ, then our youth are the primary agent through which that will happen.”
He cited the example Judges 2:10, where Joshua, who had served Israel well, had just died. The generation did not know what God had done for them. “These people had been inundated with the evidence of the work of the Lord, but the previous generation had not trained them in the ways of the Lord. This is much like our society now.”
Miller then did an informal survey among the audience members about the means through which they came to know Christ. He asked the group how many of them came to know Christ as a result of a pastor coming to visit their home, how many of them got saved by listening to radio programming and/or television programming and how many met Christ through a relationship with another person or at an event they were invited to by another person.
“People need people,” he responded. “Relationships are still one of the most sacred vehicles through which the Gospel passes.”
He then charged the audience with, “Are you making disciples in your personal life? Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. Disciples walk with Jesus, talk to Jesus and tell others about Jesus.”
Dinesh D’Souza Talks About Life After Death
Later in the morning, Dinesh D’Souza, biblical worldview leader well known for his work in politics, discussed Life After Death: The Evidence.
“As Christians, we’re taught to believe some pretty ‘far-fetched’ stuff: a Man was born of a virgin, walked on the ocean, brought people back to death and died himself and came back. We now have to defend this belief,” explained D’Souza. “In the past, America was a society in which Christian notions were entrenched. Today we’re living in secular culture.”
He goes on to tell of a debate he once had with an atheist about the afterlife. When he asked the atheist he was debating if he believed if there was life after death, he asked him whether he had been to the “other side of the curtain.” When his debater replied “no,” he asked him for evidence that it doesn’t exist.
“The difference between me and an atheist is not that we ‘don’t know.’ The difference is I affirm it on the basis of faith, and his or her denial is also on the basis of faith. In reality, their position is a faith-based one. Moses or Muhammud have never been said to die and raise from the dead, but Jesus did.
Chuck Colson Explains the Importance of Understanding Different Worldviews
“I think that apologetics should be more than just a side concentration and it is not just for intellectuals,” Chuck Colson, founder of Breakpoint Ministries, told me during a conversation this morning. “It should be part of our mainstream church discussions. I don’t see how we can truly understand Christianity without understanding the conflicting worldviews.”
Brian Boyles, Executive Director of the National Apologetics for the last three years, agrees. “Many people believe the subject of apologetics is only for intellectuals. But it’s simply not true. We are all commanded to be able to give a defense for our faith and a reason for the hope we have. This is just as important as evangelism, because we need to be equipped to disciple people.”
Colson later conducted his session, Comparative Worldviews Prove the Truth of Christianity. He said, “The study of apologetics is essential and should be required at every seminar. It is the heart of what we do to equip the church.”
Friday Evening (November 13)
Hank Hanegraaff challenges us to biblical literacy
Hank Hanegraaff, perhaps best known as “The Bible Answer Man,” opened an evening plenary session, urging us toward biblical literacy. “The greatest problem we have is biblical illiteracy. All believers need to know how to read the Bible for all it’s worth. If you don’t, you will marginalize your faith.
Maxwell and Olga Field of Sacramento, C.A. were drawn to this conference for many reasons, one of them being the presence of Hanegraaff. “Hank Hanegraaff has made a big impact in our lives,” said Maxwell. “We started listening to his radio program about a year and a half ago. We learned ways of discernment that have equipped us to impact many people for Christ.”
Kay Arthur: What is our job?
Kay Arthur began the next portion of the evening by recounting key events of her testimony. When she got to the portion about her day of salvation, she told us she wept by her bed and begged God for peace. It was right then and there that she met the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. Using that example, she illustrated a point regarding our role in our own salvation and the salvation of others.
“It pleased God to save me, even without anyone coming and directly sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” said Kay. “I was once in a class and a man was weeping over the fact that a co-worker died and went to hell because he did not witness to him.”
“Salvation rests in God, not man,” says Kay, but she is careful to remind us that we still do have a responsibility when it comes to salvation.
“We are charged with being an ambassador for Jesus Christ, making disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all things commanded.” She continued, “I am to stand and give an answer for the hope that dwells in me. I know the book, if I give forth his Word, which is spirit and life, it will not return void.”
Will Graham presents the Gospel
Will Graham, son of Franklin Graham delivered the keynote address. He recounted the story of rejection that Jesus endured, along with biblical reminders that Jesus is, indeed the only way to God.
“Will Graham greatly ministered to me tonight,” said John Lewis of New York City. “I love how he presented the simplicity of the Word. It was great to see God compel people to Him through that simplicity.”
Phil Nye, an evening plenary session attendee, joined a church when he was 12. “I went to a revival and the evangelist didn’t make it clear that we’re all sinners. I was baptized two weeks later in a farm pond. A few years later, Billy Graham came to Charlotte, N.C., Phil’s hometown, to do a 30-day crusade. “I went for 28 days,” said Phil. “After hearing the message over and over, I realized what it took to be saved. I received proper counseling and knew right then and there I had eternal life.”
Now, Phil is counseling people like Quentin, who made a decision to rededicate his life to Christ based on the evangelistic message he heard tonight from another Graham – Will.
“My pastor had planned on coming to this conference, but he has the swine flu,” said Quentin. “God moved in my heart tonight through Will Graham’s message, particularly when he was preaching about Jesus and Barabas.”
Although Quentin is a follower of Christ, he saw himself starting to backslide, using anger about some life issues as an excuse to do so. “It’s time to move on,” Quentin said. “I’m only 23 years old, and I don’t want to be a part of thing people my age do.”
“This gives me very warm feelings,” added Phil. “I’m humbled because everyone doesn’t have this kind of opportunity – to counsel someone through a decision made for Christ through a Graham family event, just as I was those years ago.”
Friday Afternoon (November 13)
Mike Beresford, on Discipleship
Anthony, 15 years old attended a session this afternoon that spurred him on to “go forth and spread the Word.” He also said his burden is now more intense to “not only help others in their walk with God, but to pull them along side me so we can walk together.”
Anthony was describing the workshop, A Powerful Defense of the Gospel: Discipleship, Around the Corner and Around the World. “We can’t shape lives from the pulpit, we can only teach from the pulpit. To shape lives takes relationships,” said BGEA’s Mike Beresford. “Structure of churches need to integrate relationships in such a way that discipleship can happen.
Daniel Yargo, a pastor from Ohio, said he was “challenged on the issue of discipleship. I am inspired to challenge my congregation to implement small groups, and to further engage in ongoing discipleship.”
Beresford added, “Discipleship is first based in a relationship with Jesus, played out in a relationship with each other around biblical truth.”
Kay Arthur, on knowing the Full Counsel of God
I had a chance to sit down with Kay Arthur, Cofounder of Precept Ministries, International and world-renowned Bible teacher before the start of her workshop, A Way to Help People Discover the Truth for Themselves. She explained to me why she thinks it is crucial to understand the Bible for ourselves, rather than be spoon fed.
“We have this habit of listening to other people’s interpretations, understanding and ‘take’ on the Bible or a particular passage,” said Kay. “And the Bible talks about last days that men will go out deceiving and being deceived. The only way I can keep from being deceived is to know the Word.”
She talked about the fact that Precept Ministries, International has been raising up an army for 40 years. “We are on a mission to establish people in God’s Word. These people are going to be able to stand and not be tossed to and fro by each doctrine they hear.,” she explained. “If God has spoken and I have access to what He has said and I prefer the writings, teachings and interpretations of others, that is a slap in God’s face. God put in every believer the spirit of God and the mind of Christ.”
During her workshop, she took participants through the inductive Bible study process and explained the importance of knowing the full counsel of God. “So many times, we think the New Testament belongs to us, and the Old Testament belongs to the Jews. God gave us 66 books of the bible, and He expects us to know all 66.”
