In western society today, one of the most miserable and deceived groups of people are those who are usually called Gen Z’ers. These are categorized as people who are between 12 and 27 years old. So, they are basically the high school to college-age kids and young adults. I believe that they are one of the most neglected sections of western society by the body of Christ.

If you look at the statistics about them, you’ll see that they’re some of the loneliest sectors of society in recent years. Along with loneliness, they suffer from deplorable levels of depression, anxiety, and of course suicidal thoughts and destructive habits. Why? Because they have no basis for truth, meaning, or value for their lives. Most of them were never taught any true framework for understanding reality in general. They believe that what is true is determined by you, and that nothing is “true” for everybody. Granted, I’m speaking in generalities, but these stereotypes are commonly accurate of their thinking and behavior. If you know any young adults under 25, you’ll know that these characgteristics are usual displayed by them, speaking of unbelievers.

In spite of their groundlessness in truth and purpose, most of them are looking for answers to life’s biggest questions. And yet I believe that Bible-believing Christians have failed to adequately make efforts to reach out to them with the Bible’s answers to them, and share the good news of hope and purpose in Jesus Messiah. As those who are confident of the answers to their ultimate questions, we have a responsibility to take pity on their plight, and attempt to save them from their blind wandering toward eternal destruction.

Their Big Questions and the Bible’s Answers

What are the most basic questions that college-age people are asking as they seek to find meaning and purpose in an otherwise meaningless existence? There are three major ones, which are included in the list of questions that all rational people ask at some point in their lives:

  1. Why am I here? The Bible answers that God has made humanity, both originally, and now, to serve and worship Him, and to serve others in response.
  2. Who am I? The Bible answers that God created us as the pinnacle of His creation, with inherent qualities that reflect His character. As those who display His “image,” or character, He designed us to represent Him as the caretakers and rulers of the earth. Obviously, unbelievers are naturally corrupted by the rebellion of Adam, and therefore enemies of God. However, the gospel promises that such wicked rebels can be redeemed through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and made into the children of God.
  3. Where am I going? A common way of asking this is, “what happens to me when I die?” All rational people who haven’t been completely blinded to the truth of this matter wonder what the consequences of their lives will be. The conscience testifies to them that they’re guilty of wrongdoing, and must be held accountable at the end of their lives, if not now. That’s why all non-Christians have a natural fear of death. The gospel answers this question to unbelievers with the warning that all sinners are in a state of condemnation before God, and headed toward an eternal damnation as the just punishment for their sin. And yet, the glorious promise is that those who give up their rebellion and trust in Jesus will enjoy eternity on the new earth, in perfect friendship with our Creator.

Why Believers Need to Actively Reach Out to the Youth Generation

There are many reasons that could be given for this urgent need, and at least a couple have already been noted. The first main reason why I think we believers should focus on bringing the gospel to this lost generation is that they are one of the most neglected age groups in our society. This is largely due to the fact that their lives mostly consist of a small circle of friends and/or social media relationships online. In other words, they are mostly cut off from society at large, and certainly have little contact with Bible-believing Christians. Due to their hugely isolationist tendencies, believers have few opportunities to deeply engage them in conversation or other activities. Yet, this shouldn’t hold us back from making efforts to reach them.

Along with this constricted social world, college-age people are so distracted by their phones and Internet activities that they are usually lacking in substantial engagement with real people. Their worlds mostly consist of their privatized activities of work, school, and maybe some social events now and then, with the bulk of most of their social life being spent on social media. They rarely use opportunities to develop long-term and/or mutually enriching friendships with real people, even with their so-called friends.

The last need for the preaching of the gospel to this generation are the many deceptions that they are under in their beliefs and attitudes. Most of them have been indoctrinated by mass media, government education, and their own sub-cultures. Two of the biggest influences on their thinking are state-run schools, and the popular media that is pushed online and on TV.

Clearly, these signs of urgent need for the gospel pose at least a few barriers that need to be bypassed as we reach them with the truth.

Major Barriers to Reaching the Lost Generation with the Gospel

Aside from the natural aversion to the truth in unbelievers, the young people of the West are often obstructed from our reach by a few more unique conditions. The most obvious one is that most of them have an obsession with social media. As such, they’re often cut off from any real contact with believers as such. Hence, any holistic efforts to witness to them should include some use of their favorite social media platforms.

Due to their enthrallment with and devotion to social media, young people are mostly detached from real social events and organizations that require invested relationships with people from starkly different backgrounds. Therefore, it’s nearly impossible for them to come into contact with neighbors who are members of any Bible-believing churches near them. Even if churches hold community events, such gatherings are usually of no interest to them, or fail to be brought to their attention.

The final major barrier to bringing the gospel to this lost generation is their wide array of anti-Christian beliefs. The most damaging among these are evolutionism, sexual fluidity, paganism, hedonism, and nihilism. To summarize them one by one, most of them believe that people are no fundamentally different from any animal, since we’ve evolved from a single-celled organism, to some kind of ape, to what we are today. Hence, we aren’t really morally culpable to our creator, but just act on our animal impulses. Second, most college-age people believe that most people can determine their gender for themselves, based mostly on how they feel. Third, in western society, there’s an increasing fascination with paganism and occultic religions, and this is no less true for young people. They’re looking for answers to spiritual questions, and the ancient pagan religions, or overtly Satanic ones, are often very appealing to them. Finally, most young people are caught in the mire of hedonism and nihilism, which are the related philosophies of pleasure at any cost, and the rejection of any ultimate meaning for life. All of these false beliefs must be confronted and confounded with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Strategies for Reaching College-Age People

Having noted the major obstacles to presenting the gospel of the lost generation of our society, what strategies can we use for making more efforts at reaching out to them? I’d begin with the believing youth of our churches. Start with the college-age adults of your local assembly — those who appear to be fellow children of God. Encourage, mentor, teach, and equip the young adults and students of your congregation to understand the biblical reasons for believing the gospel, and how to explain it to others. The next generation of church members need to be adequately raised up in the fear and instruction of the Lord, and motivated to preach the gospel to their unbelieving friends, coworkers, classmates, and neighbors who are alike in agek.

Secondly, seek to develop friendships and mentorships with these young people in your life. They desperately need — and are looking for — direction and good role-models. Most of them have never had good father and mother figures, nor even good and caring teachers and trainers that filled similar roles. Most of the people that have exercised major authority over them, in telling them what’s right and wrong, true and false, have been their godless, secularistic, and power-hungry educators, teachers, and professors. What they need is a mature man or woman of God to represent a father or mother to them, and show them the truth about reality and the ultimate questions.

A third strategy that needs to be mentioned is the careful use of social media to connect with them, and bring the gospel to them. However, because they have such an unhealthy relationship to this tool, we need to constantly use our social media interactions with them to point them to ways to interact with us, or other believers, directly. Only then can we really have engaging and personal connections wth them, through which we can compassionately and holistically share the gospel with them.

A fourth strategy would be to take an intense interest in their useful gifts and skills, and show them that such qualities can be used for ultimate and eternal purposes. In other words, we need to recognize that they, as image-bearers of God, possess God-given potential to represent Him in meeting the needs of others, and improving their lives. However, such things will only be used for these purposes once they yield their lives to the rule of the Lord Jesus, and present themselves to Him as living sacrifices.

Fifth, we need to soberly warn them of the vanity and harm of their popular interests (such as entertainment), and show them that the gospel gives them better alternatives to their destructive passions. Biblically speaking, this means that we have a responsibility to warn them of their condemnation before God, and His coming wrath on judgement day. We shouldn’t hold back the truth they need to hear about their doomed and destructive condition, but be compassionately pleaded with to turn from their vain and empty things, and be reconciled to God. This is where the gospel shines as good news, since Jesus came to suffer the punishment we deserve from God, and rose from the dead to go to heaven as the merciful Giver of God’s forgiveness and peace.

Finally, in general, we must always preach the gospel based on the divine authority of Scripture. Just because they’re ignorant of Scripture, doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have authority over them, and they’re responsible to its demands. As believers, we must use Scripture to speak on behalf of God, and declare His message, not merely our own.

Practical Suggestions for Taking the Gospel to Young People

In light of all these considerations, I want to leave you with some concrete steps you can take to deliberately seek young people with the gospel of hope and salvation. My first encouragement is obvious — simply take notice of the high school and college-age kids in your life, and greet them, or start a conversation with them. They’re all around us, in spite of their seclusion in their technological safe spaces — they’re behind the counter at the store or restaurant, in line at the business place, or at the work event with their parent. Wherever you are, don’t view them as dumb and lazy good-for-nothings, but as image-bearers of God with the potential to become shining testimonies of His grace.

Second, I urge you, if you have free time or opportunity, to attempt to advance the gospel at your local college campus. Our western public colleges are the prime harvest fields that are ripe for the gospel-reapers. It’s here where hundreds and thousands of learning students are gathered to attempt to learn how to live life, and what they’re supposed to be doing. And it’s here where they start to seriously consider the ultimate questions of life, and actively look for answers. Besides this, theses students are the future scientists, doctors, lawyers, politicians, entrepreneurs, business board members, and soldiers of our society. If we reach them, and the Lord causes the fruit of faith to grow, then we’ll have a major impact on our society at large. If you personally can’t go, then support someone who is regularly preaching the gospel to college students.

Thirdly, consider inviting young people to your home for meals or activities. Most of them are longing for father and mother figures, and a for a family connection, so show them how the Lord has enabled you to demonstrate true loving family life before them. Use this as an opportunity to live the gospel, and also preach the gospel. Along these lines, think about having some young adults along with you for a hobby or project, and teach them a life skill that no one has ever showed them before.

Finally, I’d like to make mention of the great 20th century apologist Francis Schaeffer, who was a pioneer in reaching post-modern college students with the gospel, and explaining the perfections and reasonableness of the biblical worldview. He employed film, lectures, and open discussion events in order to compassionately make disciples for the lost generation of his time in the 60s and 70s. Let us follow men like him in taking pity on the lost young people of our society, and turn them into disciples of our Lord Jesus.