My roommate and I met two 16-year-old girls at the mall last week. They were typical sophomores in high school: braced teeth, clad in trendy clothes. A smattering of their clique meandered about the mall. (What else is there to do in West Des Moines on a Wednesday night?) And so we met Alisha and Courtney.

We asked them questions about their background and then segued into Christmas to bring up spiritual conversation. So we asked, “What is the real meaning of Christmas?”

Alisha thought really hard and then responded as if she was answering a quiz bowl question. “I know this one! I know this! It is about giving, not getting.”

Wow. These girls were less than a decade younger than me, and it was as if I was talking to someone in the spiritually barren lands of Europe. But this was Jordan Creek―in the middle of the Midwest. They had little knowledge of the birth of Jesus. Both had only been to church a handful of times in their lives.

So we were able to share with them about what Christmas is really celebrating, and we were able to share the Gospel with them. They were so intrigued by God. They were thirsty. Even with the rest of their friends watching them, they were impacted by the truth. They did not accept Christ as there personal Lord and Savior, but it was quite apparent that this was the first time they had ever heard anything about sin, grace, and redemption.

So this is my parting thought:
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (Romans 10:14-15)

We must understand that we are entering a time of spiritual deadness that our society has never seen before. We must be willing to be bold in sharing the Gospel with our friends, family, and even strangers. We are all sent to bring good news to the entire world. We must believe that our sole purpose on earth is to share the truth of the Gospel with others. We must just do it.