Reaching the Younger Generation | John Giftah | Vivian Williams (Iconic Worship) Interview (Part 6)

0:01 Speaker 1: Do you ever look around and think, Wow, the world is a crazy place and it just seems to get crazier and crazier. Ease your mind and take a break. This is Fuel for the Soul with John GIFTA. We're a hub for inspirational Christian sermons, practical keys for Christian living, and Christian discussions and interviews. You'll be inspired to live the life that you were created for. Your host is a top ranking podcaster, best selling author, world record holder, aerospace engineer, life coach, evangelist and founder of John GIFTA International.

0:41 Speaker 1: Welcome to Fuel for the Soul with John GIFTA.

0:49 Speaker 2: Very few people have been successful in reaching the younger audience, and you're actually able to do that much to the fact that you are young. And I'm also able to reach people, especially beyond the four walls of the church because of using these kind of creative means and things like that. But what is your word of advice to I'm sure that a lot of churches ministries across well like we want to reach the younger audience, but they still are holding on to old strategies, old principles. I always tell people what work for Doctor Billy Graham is not going to work for John GIFTA, it's not going to work for viv and it's not going to work today.

1:27 Speaker 3: Right, we need new updates.

1:29 Speaker 2: I always remember how when they went to when they're moving toward s Proformer's land, Right, the first time they come across this rock, God says, hit the rock. And the second time they're like, oh, I know the formula, and they try to hit the rock. Moses hits the rock and nothing comes. Then God said, I want you to speak to the rock. So it's the same thing. Oh Like people tend to think like it's the same thing. Evangelism is the same thing, you know, But no, you know, it's a new day. It's a new, big generation.

1:57 Speaker 2: We need to make sure that we are synced with God and follow new strategies that will work for the next generation.

2:04 Speaker 3: So what is your take on that?

2:09 Speaker 4: First thing would be? You know what I've seen churches or ministers impact the young generation is they try to

2:25 Speaker 4: be likable by them, but at their heart they still view them as Okay, it's young people. What do you know. For example, a young person comes centers pastors, this is what God is talking to me, This is what God is eating me immediately they bash it down and like, no, that's not true, you know, stuff like that. What's funny is a lot of churches I've seen this old old pastors try.

2:49 Speaker 3: To wear some jeans.

2:51 Speaker 4: Okay, to wear jeans and try to wear some cool T shirts with cam Yeah, okay, first of all, it's very funny. But second of all, people don't really care about the outside up here, and they care about how you talk to them. Are you condescending to them? Like a lot of people are really really condescending to the young people, like, yeah, I know who I am opinion communistry for so many years. But at the same time, touch them.

3:19 Speaker 2: You know, so.

3:21 Speaker 4: That instead of trying to look like them. My advice would be to try to really understand their heart and where they're coming from. You know, no one I think when you teach their heart right as new going back to forget Bible, forget Christianity, but as an old man, how do you connect with someone who's younger Because you've seen so much life. They're just born and they're seeing a different kind of life. Your twenties are different from their twenties. Their entertainment is your entertainment. Your food is different than their food.

3:51 Speaker 4: Your culture is different from their culture. So are you able to touch their heart? Able to see things from their point of view? Are able to go are you able to go down to their level? Yeah, but people expect them to come to their level. Understand me from here?

4:07 Speaker 3: Mmm?

4:08 Speaker 4: True, but you know, sitting down with them, having a chat with them, being open to them. Today, young people are afraid about talking about their sin to their pastors because of being judged, and rightly, so they should have that fear. Yeah, because once they confessed, they sin to the pastor, then they're remote from the worship team, They're removed from from everywhere, So they're afraid.

4:28 Speaker 3: Yeah, he's afraid.

4:30 Speaker 2: Something similar happened to me once he's not confessin Like, I was just vulnerable to one of the pastors. You know, you know, you just share, like your questions, your doubts to a point.

4:41 Speaker 1: Uh.

4:42 Speaker 2: Suddenly he turned against me that you know, like that I shouldn't do ministry and stuff. So he started using or telling other people spreading rumors about me that you know, I know all about this guy, he's not fit to do ministry and things like that.

4:57 Speaker 3: So I face that, so I.

4:59 Speaker 4: Know when they talk to you. They need they need to know that there is no judgment. Yeah, but nine or ten times that's not our case. Yeah, you know, especially for example, there are people from j J Church.

5:14 Speaker 3: Right.

5:15 Speaker 4: One thing they always tell me is again, you can talk about anything to bass Samily. That's what brought anything. You know, you mess up, you do anything, you could talk to him. Of course he's gonna what is correct to be, but without any judgment, like, oh, I'm superior in righteousness. Yeah, Ine, No, we're all in the same boat. Having that all boys on out of the heart, true, right, having the openness with young people. You can have all the lights, you can put all the lights, you can play all the New Age Christian songs.

5:49 Speaker 4: But yeah, if you don't want to connect to them.

5:51 Speaker 3: True.

5:52 Speaker 4: One of the reasons why iconic worship is where it is today. Every time I tell them, hey, just a few months ago before all in his mic and prison, you're singing to you, we had the worst lives. Yeah, we have one of the worst lives. You're open about our past, people, we had the worst live. We used to be in all kinds of sin, all kinds of addiction to the Jesus treat this. Yeah, freedom, working in his in his plan. It's all because of him. So because since we say that, okay, these are a kind of people, yeah, you know, these are that kind of people.

6:23 Speaker 4: There are still people who are addicted to smoking, drinking, iconism, all kinds of sin become iconic worship and they know that it's an open space for them.

6:32 Speaker 3: Yeah.

6:33 Speaker 4: But at the same time, I'm not dilating on the truth. I'm not diluting on God's word adulted God's word. The truth is spoken, Yes, the truth are spoken, But at the same time, there's no judgment.

6:43 Speaker 2: Yeah. So I think that's a very thin line to walk in, you know. And I think a lot of things we have this very judgmental view, even when we say we don't like, oh I'm a Christian and things like that. But I think over recent times God has really open my eyes to how I can be in that place of especially going out with you know, my office colleagues and all of them, and all of them they drink smoke and I'll be the only one doing nothing. I'll just have a lime soda they make for that. But the thing is this, sometimes people say that, you know, it's like they open up because of that they trust you because of that.

7:24 Speaker 2: You know, even last week even you know, like there was some conflicts happening, and there were two girls in all, and both of them happened to like they had a conflict among themselves, but they ended up trusting me and coming to me for solution, you know, like either did not know the others spoke to me, but you know, and I God gave me the wisdom to help them get that issue resolved and they got back together. And so in the sense, see that trust is built by you actually, like Jesus, you know, partying with the wrong gang people are making a lot of us right, but sometimes being with them and showing like, you know, I'm non judgment like I think.

8:07 Speaker 2: I still remember when I went to Sri Lanka, I met with somebody at one of the conference things and at the end of this she's she said, yeah, she's actually I think called lesbian or something like that, one of the square or something. Yeah, And then she said this in a note in the end, right, she said, in never in my life I wanted to associate or get connect or close to any pastor, but you are so different.

8:35 Speaker 3: You didn't judge me or you.

8:38 Speaker 2: Know, see when you're meeting with someone you're not you know, how do you make them feel?

8:43 Speaker 3: Is what? Will? I look at it? Like this?

8:45 Speaker 2: No, you show them that love, the kindness that leads them to start following your content in which.

8:51 Speaker 3: The word of God is being preached.

8:53 Speaker 2: But if you're going to be like you know, I'm here to condemn you, condemn you, I'm here to convert you, and things like that, they're never gonna listen to you. I always say this, like, even when you look at Jesus, he had his advertisement through healings, right, like like a Benny hind crusade. You know, it is that healings that room meant to listen to Jesus in the first place, the miracles, and then they made a choice whether they're going to follow him or not. But if you're not even giving an opportunity to draw them towards you, then it's a big problem.

9:22 Speaker 2: And I think especially that's the reason I went into even this gen Z Bible or all of these things, because even recently someone who's fighting with me saying, you know, I don't accept gen Z Bible because it's not a different language. I said, I mean, like the alphabets are not different. Okay, I said, then what do you say for French? You know it has a different line of I mean that's the same alphabets. And also you had King James version and now you have the current version. And then now you see the gen zs the way they use this lang.

9:54 Speaker 2: You know, I'm not I'm sure everyone can't be that way, but then if we can, you know, like at the most show them that, you know, sense of what are they feeling, the emotions they're going through. That will help them to actually understand that this person understands me. And like you said, when you talk about your problems and be vulnerable about it, it actually helps more. I tell people like, of course in the God uses me the prophetic, but I also share about moments when because of trusting or thinking about and thinking God was leading me and making the mistakes.

10:28 Speaker 2: That speaks more volumes to people, you know, like instead of thinking that the one with the microphone is like holier than thou, Like how can you show like I have made mistakes, I'm also like you, I have gone through this. Whether it's like a lot of times people think, oh, John, you don't know what you're in ministry.

10:48 Speaker 3: You don't know.

10:48 Speaker 2: And then I tell them, like I'm working in a full time corporate job, I'm running the ministry. Like when I tell them follow your calling, they say, you don't know how difficult it is. I said, I'm in bangaloreized.

11:00 Speaker 3: In my home. Sometimes it takes me to enough us one way to get back.

11:04 Speaker 2: But still I make sure that every single day my content is done, Like whether it takes two thirteen to nine or three thirty, make sure it's done. So that's the thing, right, Like when you talk about your struggles, it helps people to connect better.

11:20 Speaker 3: That's true.

11:21 Speaker 1: You've been listening to Fuel for the Soul with John Gifta. We hope you were blessed and inspired to live the life that God has for you. Make sure to subscribe to the John Gifta YouTube channel for regular uploads of sermons, skits, interviews and more. Follow John Gifta on Instagram for regular inspirational posts, and don't forget to check out the best selling books written by John Gifta, Who Am I which will help you understand your identity and the latest number one best seller Unveil your Purpose, helping you discover your purpose and to start walking in it.

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