Reaching Marginalized Youth for Christ :: By Mark A. Becker

On July 13, 2024, Former President Donald Trump had an assassination attempt on his life. Thankfully, Mr. Trump was divinely protected from the assault; however, three others were hit, and at least one lost their life.

While we will not mention the name of the perpetrator, we will acknowledge some relevant information on this 20-year-old when it comes to his social standing in life, as what we learned of him seems to be characteristic of so many who tragically end up taking these wicked paths.

Tragically, those who at least knew who this young man was said that he was a loner, an outcast, kept to himself, and was habitually harassed and bullied throughout his short life. Again, these descriptions are so symptomatic of many who ultimately resort to murder and self-harm.

This short article is designed to inspire the professing body of Christ to make a difference in the countless lives of lonely outcasts within our society. Our primary aim focuses on our youth but could be applied to virtually anyone of any age we come into contact with in our day-to-day lives. This is not difficult, as most of these people are very visible in our communities if we are looking for them.

As with all outreach efforts, our first and foremost objective in all of this is to point these hurting souls to Jesus Christ for salvation through His sacrificial atonement on the cross and eternal life with their Creator, with agape love being our primary motivation.

Parents: Inspire Your Children to Empathize for Others

Parents and grandparents have immense influence in the lives of their children and grandchildren. We are their guides. We are their role models. Our offspring are often a reflection of us – what they see in us is what will usually be seen in them in their own lives.

If we have empathy for others, they will too. If we show, in our day-to-day lives, how much we love others – family, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers – then they will have a much better chance of being like-minded in those things that should absolutely matter in life.

As difficult as it may be, we should endeavor to expose to our children and grandchildren the endless catastrophic results of so many marginalized youths through the senseless tragedies that have occurred in society often because they were never loved unconditionally and never felt as if they truly belonged to the human family. Unfortunately, these examples are numerous, but they need to be shared so that our children and grandchildren can have a greater perspective of this dire situation and the immense needs of so many hurting souls.

We should ultimately inspire our children and grandchildren to seek out and then reach out to those who are in need of unconditional love and acceptance – something that every human being desires.

Finally, we must be diligent in teaching our children and grandchildren to look for telltale signs that might indicate that those they are reaching out to may be showing detrimental behaviors to themselves and/or others and to report these signs to responsible adults or the proper authorities if need be. Always keep the lines of communication open.

Children: Reach Out to the Outcasts in Your Realm of Influence

I am asking our Christian youth to earnestly look around their schools, their parks, their neighborhoods, and in the streets, towns, and cities where they live and seek out those who are obviously outcasts, lonely, downcast, and friendless. And then, out of love and a pure heart, approach them and introduce yourself, seeking to develop a friendship.

Find out what makes them tick. What their interests are and what their personal desires and dreams are for their lives. Seek to know their familial situation. Are they loved by their parents and siblings? Do they get encouragement at home? Do they have a safe environment in which to live and grow as an individual? Do they have friends and a good support group?

Through it all, point them to Jesus Christ and share with them His glorious gospel. Explain to them that no one will ever love them as much as the real Jesus of the Bible does. That He proved His love for them on the cross when He shed His perfect blood for their sins, paid their just punishment, died, was buried, and rose again, proving that He was who He claimed to be – the one and only Creator and Savior, the Son of God who saves.

If they have been deceived into believing the lie of Darwinian evolution, point them to solid Biblical Creation science ministries such as The Institute for Creation Research | The Institute for Creation Research (icr.org)Answers in Genesis, and Home – creation.com. Remind them of the truth that they are created in the image of God, and God has done all He can to bring them to a saving faith and eternal life with Him if they will but just believe.

Just be there for them as a good friend and someone they can talk to. Encourage them, love them, and lead them to Jesus Christ. Unceasingly pray for them, and pray with them.

Lastly, please ask your parents or grandparents what signs you should look for in those you are befriending who may be exhibiting detrimental behaviors that can be harmful to themselves or others, and then take the appropriate actions with the guidance of your parents, grandparents, or proper authorities. Always keep the lines of communication open.

Social Media Users: Seek Out the Lonely and the Bullied Online

Personally, I am opposed to Christians being on social media for a variety of reasons.

Yet, if a Christian is on social media – youth and adults – then they have the opportunity to reach out to the lonely, bullied, and marginalized online.

The people you should really be focused on are people you already know or have come into contact with within your sphere of influence in your own community.

The marginalized should not be hard to miss. They will generally have very few “friends” and even fewer responses to their posts. Take notice of how people are treating them and how they respond.

Please, dear Saint, “friend” them and attempt to get involved with them using the same suggestions we recommend in our section, Children: Reach Out to the Outcasts in Your Realm of Influence, above.

Be extremely careful, however, of those you do not know personally online, as you never know who you may actually be conversing with. As Jesus said, “… Be ye therefore as wise as serpents, and as harmless as doves.”

Tech Savvy Adults and Teens: Create Websites to Connect Marginalized Youth to Others

What a great ministry endeavor for tech-savvy adults and teens to embark upon.

The general idea behind this thought is to create websites that connect Christian youth and adults to those who are obviously in the marginalized, lonely, outcast, and bullied categories.

These people can initially be sought out using social media and then encouraged to visit the websites to be paired with loving Christians within their own communities for personal one-on-one contact that will hopefully develop into lifelong friendships of love and encouragement.

Of course, there would have to be precautions taken to weed out impostors or others who would seek to do harm. Therefore, I highly encourage those who would take on a project of this magnitude to brainstorm on what they might do to eliminate any possibilities of negative consequences that could arise.

Be Creative – But Get the Job Done!

I am sure there are many other creative ideas when it comes to reaching out to our marginalized youth and adults.

Christians, when using their God-given intellect and being led by the indwelling Holy Spirit, are the most creative people on the planet – or at least they should be!

We have innumerable hurting and lost young people out there, and we can do something about it. We should do something about it. We must do something about it. All in the Name of our beloved Creator and Savior, Messiah Yeshua.

Conclusion

Time is always urgent when it comes to preaching the gospel and reaching out to the lost, as no one is promised another day, let alone another moment. Lost and hurting people are everywhere, and without Jesus Christ, they are hopeless and destitute – especially for those amongst us who are outcasts, bullied, and desperately lonely.

Please settle it in your own heart today to take these suggestions extremely seriously and make a difference one soul at a time as you seek out our downcast and downtrodden among us in our communities, leading them to the Savior of the world and sharing your love with them, reassuring them that they are indeed worthy in the eyes of God, and in the eyes of you.

Please, dear Saint, pass this short article on to others so that they too may be inspired to get in the soul-winning game as they seek out the less fortunate and marginalized in our society who so desperately need unconditional love from other people and knowledge that the One true God, in the face of Jesus Christ, loves them more than they could ever know.

Together we can make a difference, not only in the earthly lives of these precious people, but, prayerfully, for their eternal souls — that they may ultimately be with their loving Creator and Savior forever and ever.

***

May we all keep Answering the Call of The Great Commission, and giving an answer to every man and woman who so desperately needs Jesus and asks us, “Why Am I Here and What Is It All About?

Love, grace, mercy, and shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and Maranatha!

➢   Email: mab10666@yahoo.com – I would love to hear from you!

➢   If you have not given your life to Jesus Christ and are seeking answers about God, Jesus Christ, the gospel, and salvation, please email me at mab10666@yahoo.com for information.

➢   I am still taking questions for the Questions from the Body of Christ series. If you or someone you know has a question pertaining to the Word of God – theology, difficult passages, eschatology, etc. – I would really like to hear from you.

➢   To view my entire catalogue of articles, please visit my Home Page on FaithWriters.com.

 

 

 

 

God Has Pitched a Tent for the Sun… Part 1 :: By Wilfred Hahn

God Has Pitched a Tent for the Sun1: Climate Change and the Bible, Part 1 :: By Wilfred Hahn

“Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun” (Psalm 19:4).

“Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?” (Proverbs 6:28).

This writer ventures to answer “No.” We are dealing here with a heavily contested topic these days, one that is ground zero for global policy and geopolitical leverage. It is climate change. Expressing our views, most surely, our feet will be held to the fire.

Critically, global climate fears continue to escalate. Alarmists are winning! Quoting a recent snippet from The Guardian, “The climate disaster is here. Earth is already becoming unlivable.” We are being barraged by such shrieks of hysteria continually.

And so, hyped reporting and histrionic headlines are enflaming existential worries for humans across the globe. So much so, in fact, that according to surveys, as much as a third of the younger generation are reluctant to have children. Reports National Geographic, “Climate anxiety is widespread among youth.”

Why this view? Simplistically, if the world is going to burn up in a ball of fire, why have kids? If anything, having more humans will simply make conditions worse, in their perspective.

According to surveys (e.g., YouGov—International Climate Change Survey), most people around the world today believe that the climate is changing, that it is a crisis, and that human activity is mainly responsible.

Particularly effective in stirring up climate panic are claims that developments have reached all-time extremes—levels never before experienced on planet Earth. For example, the IEA (International Energy Agency) reported that the average surface temperature on Earth has reached a new “all-time” high. Yes, an all-time high. Documentation for this claim, however, is lacking.

Reports of this kind are aimed at roiling people’s emotions and are typically biased. This plays into supporting the initiatives of governments and organizations that claim they can “stand against” global warming. But truly, can this be done? Is this realistic?

To answer, we must first understand the science behind such claims … what is known or unknown … what is unproven theory, and what is not. Above all, we want to know why facts (the truth) are often deviously slanted by policymakers.

In regard to the claim cited by the IEA—that surface temperatures have reached new highs—this is another case of egregious hyperbole for several reasons. For one, how far back into history must one probe to support such claims … 20 years, 2,000 years, or more? Evidence (which we will shortly review) says otherwise. Many more such exaggerations could be illustrated and debunked.

A frustrating question then is this: In this whole debate, what to believe and what not? Making this much more difficult, it must be acknowledged that the topic of global climate is very difficult and tangled to discuss for anyone, scientist or not.

An influential book on this topic, written by Steven E. Koonin, sets the tone correctly in its title: Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What it Doesn’t, and Why it Matters. Frankly, as he states, much theory, facts, statistics, and scientific interpretation remain “unsettled.” Nevertheless, we can seek balance and identify what is unproven.

What must be understood currently, in our view, is why unproven (false) theories and solutions are accepted and hyped to justify “fighting global warming.” Untold trillions of dollars are being marshaled to fund unproven solutions. This is unwise both economically and ethically.

These rancorous responses to “global warming” will cause many bad repercussions over the long term. Some of these are already beginning to manifest … e.g., high imbedded inflation, increasingly high global indebtedness, wealth distribution extremes, loss of freedom, etc.

Eventually, a doozie of a global economic depression must be expected.

Alternate Theory Warriors

Many observers are convinced that mankind’s industrial boom over past centuries is the prime cause of rising emissions and global warming. To date, there is no valid, conclusive proof that this might be the case. It is a view based upon an unproven hypothesis. As such, it is incredibly presumptuous to believe that mankind can change the general climate of the entire world with any precision, if at all.

It is not widely known (in fact, often repressed) that there exist some very plausible counterarguments. Unfortunately (and often deliberately), these counterviews are given short shrift in the public eye.

Thankfully, despite there being a fervent so-called “global scientific consensus” that scorns alternative perspectives, there do exist a number of independent climate researchers. They need to be brave. Why? They are frequently attacked and ridiculed … no matter the merit of their opinions. It is similar to the treatment that Creationists typically receive. Their views are often suppressed and scorned, and they may even be fired from tenured university positions, though the theory of evolution is not scientifically valid … in fact, far from it.

Personal Views: Science and Me

Fifty years ago, I enrolled in Honors Science at the University of Waterloo (located in Ontario, Canada). I loved science—biology, histology, chemistry, physics … etc.—and graduated cum laude with a B.Sc. two years later.

Thanks to my wife for her PHT degree (putting hubby through), I was able to study in my summer semesters and complete the general science degree earlier.

Perhaps surprising, given my science major, I never did buy into the Theory of Evolution. Why? Because, to my mind at the time, it was not scientific. There were no conclusive proofs … no uncontested facts … it was simply far beyond probability. And indeed, the theory of evolution is exactly that—a theory, a far-fetched theory at that.

But that is not where the problem lies, however. What is most egregious is that evolution is not taught as theory but rather as fact. Doing so is deceitful and corrupt. It shows that evolutionists are living inside a cocoon of delusion. Their tribe is mutually congratulatory with each other … the blind leading the blind, so to speak.

It is amazing how some scientists will twist and warp their theories—forcing square pegs into round holes—as they attempt to stay accepted members of their tribal consensus. The longer that time passes, however, the more facts arise that confuse and challenge the unanimity of the evolution fraternity.

This continues. After more than a century has passed, scientists still doggedly search for the “missing links.” We can be reasonably sure that they will never find them.

All the biology and science textbooks I was prescribed during my undergraduate years were suffused with evolutionary bias, often presented as fact by the professors. I identified with the situation that the prophet Daniel faced. Like Daniel, I studied “pagan” theories and knowledge, yet excelled even though I did not endorse them as my own beliefs.

Instead, I covered the university campus with thousands of Jack Chick publications. These were small cartoon booklets that engagingly presented Christian messages (the Gospel, Creationism … etc.).

The perpetuation of evolution as fact is one of the greatest frauds of all time. As the saying goes (often attributed to Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels), “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”

With such precedent, it would not be outrageous to consider that present consensus views on “climate change” could be equally wrong and fraudulent.

Mankind and Global Climate Crisis: Who Is to Blame?

Holding the view that mankind has not been the major cause of “global warming” does not mean that humans have not sullied the planet. For example, consider the likely environmental impact of nuclear bombs since the middle of the 20th century. It is claimed that over 2,000 nuclear bombs have been detonated for testing and demonstration (not to mention the two bombs that were dropped on Japan in 1945).

It would be surprising if these detonations had no detrimental impact upon the environment and human health. How and to what extent is still the subject of study. It would seem that the activities of mankind will have had an impact of some kind.

But to conclude that CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere are solely attributable to mankind, and that this is unusual and destructive, is not proven.

Let us consider the matter of rising carbon emissions. This has been the central plank upon which rest the initiatives of the “global warming fighters.” In their view, increased emissions directly cause rising temperatures in the earth’s atmosphere.

Indeed, carbon emissions (CO2, methane, and nitrogen oxide, for the most part) have increased markedly in the atmosphere in recent centuries. It is claimed that this rise coincides with the start of the Industrial Age (considered to be the year 1760). However, the data does not conclusively provide proof of such a relationship. The climate changes are not entirely manmade.

Are there any other facts that we can review on these questions? Yes, indeed. However, we must keep in mind that proof of their impact upon “climate change” may not be possible either.

The major debate concerns proof that rising CO2 levels cause global warming (or climate change in all its facets). As mentioned, the broad consensus among scientists is that rising CO2 in the atmosphere is directly linked to the earth’s rising atmospheric temperature.

This false assumption has led to the construction of “climate models” that are primarily dependent upon CO2 dynamics. These models (of which there are several) purport to be able to predict future CO2 levels, fine-tune policies to reduce global temperatures … etc. This is the fiercely defended “consensus view.”

But what of the naysayers? Do any have better and more accurate facts or theories? Yes! In the next part, we will explore some of the alternate theories of “consensus naysayers.”

***

Wilfred J. Hahn is a global economist/strategist. Formerly a top-ranked global analyst, research director for a major Wall Street investment bank, and head of Canada’s largest global investment operation, his writings focus on the endtime roles of money, economics and globalization. He has been quoted around the world and his writings reproduced in numerous other publications and languages. His 2002 book, The Endtime Money Snare: How to live free, accurately anticipated and prepared its readers for the Global Financial Crisis. A following book, Global Financial Apocalypse Prophesied: Preserving true riches in an age of deception and trouble, looks further into the prophetic future.

If you have questions or other perspectives, you can contact Wilfred at: staff@eternalvalue.com. Please note that for reasons of volume and investment securities regulation, he cannot give financial advice.