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The Next Generation
A demonstration always trumps an explanation
By Duffy Robbins

As a frequent speaker at conferences and youth events, I’m always encouraged by Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5: “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.”

I read over Paul’s words and thought to myself, “No eloquence, no superior wisdom, weakness, fear, much trembling, no wise and persuasive words: Hey, I can do that!”

I don’t have to be Super-Speaker to communicate effectively to teenagers. It’s not about being the most dynamic, coolest, creative, technically savvy youth worker. It’s not always about rhetorical polish, masterful delivery, vivid illustrations, and reasoned arguments.

What Paul’s ministry demonstrates is that the only absolute essential is integrity. People—especially teenage people—want to know that you’re for real. Paul’s words clearly remind us that a demonstration is always more convincing than an explanation.

In the last several issues of Good News, we’ve been looking at a particular youth ministry skill: speaking to teenagers, whether in a youth group setting, Sunday school, or an outreach event. We began this discussion by looking at the ethical element of the message. That’s the part of the speaker: knowing what you’re talking about, caring about what you’re talking about, and living out what you’re talking about. Messages don’t usually begin in the Word; they begin in the heart of the person who reads the Word. And unfortunately, that’s also where a lot of the messages die.

It is always important to remember that competence is a good thing, but character is a God thing. Obviously, when we look at Paul’s preaching in the book of Acts, he was a competent, learned communicator. He knew his stuff. But he never banked his ministry on wise and persuasive words. He spoke them, but even more convincing was the way he lived them.

I remember early in my ministry doing a big outreach weekend at a church that had brought in a big name Christian rock band. All the guys in the band were from southern Mississippi, and they sounded like it. I’m from the south, so I speak southern, but these guys made the Dukes of Hazzard sound like speech instructors. In fact, there were two brothers in the group who were twins. I don’t remember their exact names, something like Wilbert and Gilbert. And when they referred to each other on stage, it was like cartoon characters. They wouldn’t say, “Wil...” or “Gil....” It was always, “Ma bruther, Geeelbert” or “My bruther, Weelbert.” That probably would have been okay, but they also gushed. Whenever they spoke from the stage about their relationship with Jesus, it was always this mushy, gushy, “Ain’t he wonderful, young people?” “Don’cha luv him, young folks?”

I probably wouldn’t have thought that much about it, but having already spoken to these students three times prior to the concert, I had come to think of them as a pretty snooty bunch of kids. The church was very affluent, prep was the order of the day, and their vibe just seemed to be, “I dare you to bless me.” So, when the band performed, I was worried for them. Sure, they were kind of backwoods, but they were brothers in Christ.

And I was afraid that these sophisticated kids would just eat them alive.

During the entire concert I kept praying, “Lord, don’t let these guys be humiliated,” “Lord, don’t let these kids get turned off by ‘The Beverly Hillbillies Go to the Holy Land.’” “Please, Lord, these are sincere guys; don’t let them be embarrassed.”

Finally, it’s the end of the concert, and the band gives an invitation. I look up, and all of a sudden I see students literally pushing chairs out of the way to get to the altar. Kids are crying, hugging each other, bowed down praying. And I’m thinking, “Lord, pleez halp me tawlk like those bruthers.”

The guys in that band weren’t cool. But they loved Jesus. And there was something very real about their faith that reached out and grabbed that group of students in a wonderful way. It wasn’t their wise and persuasive words. It was the way they demonstrated the Spirit’s power.

This isn’t complicated. We all know this. But it needs to be affirmed. Ultimately, the power of Paul’s ministry was not that he said, “Listen to me,” but that he could say, “Imitate me” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

That’s character.



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