March 17, 2003

Youth urged to share 'extreme' faith
___By John Hall
___Texas Baptist Communications
___WACO--In "extreme" times when persecution rages worldwide, Christians must be "extreme" in sharing their faith, Texas teens learned at CARGO, a youth mission event sponsored by the Woman's Missionary Union of Texas.
___Many Christians in foreign countries live under harsh conditions, Tim Cummins, a missionary who works with immigrants in Atlanta, told the CARGO crowd at Baylor University.
___In Muslim-controlled Indonesia, Christianity is illegal,

MIDDLE school students make sock puppets for an apartment ministry at CARGO, the youth mission event sponsored by the Woman's Missionary Union of Texas.

he said. Armed troops raid house churches and try to make believers recant their faith at gunpoint. Many who do not recant have been incinerated when troops set their churches on fire.
___Christians in the United States have not experienced such government-sponsored persecution, Cummins acknowledged. Still, the nation has moved into a post-church era, when people are less inclined to come to church and Christians often are ridiculed for their faith, he added, citing the Columbine High School student who was murdered after refusing to deny her Christian beliefs.
___But in harsh conditions, Christians can find strength in Jesus, he told about 250 middle and high school students. "We're in extreme days, and we need to be extreme for Jesus," he urged.
___Rather than retreating to protect themselves, Christians must take the church into the world, sharing the gospel with everyone, Cummins said. Believers are missionaries, called to reach people who surround them daily.
___Christians see people who do not drink or smoke and assume they are in the faith, he said. But Christians must overcome this perception to discover the spiritual standing of each person.
___People need to spread their faith through their friendships, he urged. Friends are comfortable with each other, help meet personal needs and influence each other.
___Relationships especially are important in Cummins' work. In many cases, the internationals he serves cannot speak or read English and struggle with common tasks. He helps them read important government documents, get their children enrolled in schools, travel to appointments and learn to read and write English.
___This creates a favorable image of Christians and often provides an opportunity to share the gospel, Cummins said.
___"True evangelism and missions is about one-on-one relationships," he stressed.
___The young generation is not satisfied with sending money to professional missionaries, he observed, noting today's teens and young adults want to be intimately involved in outreach.
___"Your generation is a special generation," he said. "I've seen more of your generation taking the church to the people than ever before."
___Carolyn Porterfield, executive director of the Texas WMU, reminded the students of the biblical calling to local and worldwide missions.
___God "wants us to have the kind of vision where we see right here, out there and to the ends of the Earth," she said.
___

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