00:00:00
S1: Today's programme has been pre-recorded so our phone lines are not open. Well hey there friends, welcome to another exciting edition of equip with Chris Brooks. I am so fired up and thrilled that you've joined us today. Do me a favor. Strap on your seatbelt. We're going to navigate through the contours of culture, as always, with the lens of the biblical worldview on. But before we do that, let me remind you, this is the day that the Lord has made. He has given it as a gift so that you and I can rejoice and be glad in it. So let's do just that. Let's follow the words of the Apostle Paul. Let's rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say, rejoice. Well, for those of you who listen to equip on a regular basis, you know our extraordinary passion for reaching the next generation, the burden of our hearts to equip and empower young adults to be able to know their identity in Christ and to live it out to give relevant and biblical answers to the questions that this generation is asking. And it's that passion that really drives engagement. I spent a lot of time on college campuses. I tried to not let a month go by without having some type of form of engagement with young adults, and it spans the gamut of faith and belief from those who are strongly Christians, to those who are yet to believe, or those who are even skeptical about the whole gospel message. And while there are so many things that make each individual young adult unique, there are some common things that I see that emerge. And one of those common realities is the anxiety around young adults. This is an anxious generation. I think many sociologists have identified that. Certainly most of the pastors you talk to will say it. It's hard if you go on a college campus, university campus, or you're around a lot of young adults. One of the things that is palpable and it burdens your heart is seeing how much anxiety that they're living with. And a lot of that is tied to the uncertainty around how will I make a difference in this world? What? What is my purpose? What is my unique fit and meaning? How do I live a life that matters and navigate decisions in a way that allows me to honor God and also live a life of fullness and fruitfulness and faithfulness? And so I thought it'd be good to really have a program today that focused in on answering some of those questions. How do you live a life of fullness and fruitfulness and faithfulness to Jesus? Now, if you're a young adult, odds are you've probably been taught that man the young adult years are for having fun. Uh, certainly it's a time for figuring things out. Maybe you've been taught it's a time to knock out those educational goals and get started on your career path, and maybe lock down a spouse, and that's about it. But what if I told you God wanted to do something bigger with your life? Today, we really want to focus in on what will you do for the kingdom. So here's kind of the question of the day. If you're a young adult and you're setting goals for your life in this season, here's my question for you. What will you do for the kingdom? Ultimately, that's the question that every believer needs to ask young, old, and at points in between. And I have a phenomenal resource that I think is not only chock full of godly wisdom and insights, but I think is actually going to liberate you, bring you to a place of peace where you realize, man, I don't have to have all of these seeming pressures that are pulling me in a million myriad of different directions. All I need is one holy and faithful ambition. The name of the book is entitled Make It Your Ambition seven Godly Pursuits for the Next Generation, and the author of the book, Jeremy Writebol, joins me now. Jeremy serves as campus pastor, uh, pastor of the Woodside Bible Church, Plymouth campus. He is also the executive director of Gospel Centered Discipleship. He has written several books that I appreciate. He is a passionate writer. I've gotten the chance to highlight, uh, for the pastors who listen to us, uh, the book Pastor Jesus Is Enough that I think brings the same type of freedom and liberation to the souls and hearts of pastors by reminding us of what Scripture has to say. Well, he's taking all of that and poured it into a message for this generation, for young adults. Jeremy joins me now. How are you, brother?
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S2: Hey, Chris. Thank you. I'm doing great today. It's good to good to chat with you. And thank you for having me on the program.
00:05:11
S1: Well, I, I told you before we came on air, we got the privilege. We have the privilege of working together shoulder to shoulder. And, uh, man, I just want to thank you publicly, as I often have privately for the enormous impact you, your, your family, your ministry have had on my in my life, my family. So I'm super grateful that we get the privilege of being brothers and also, uh, colleagues that work together. But I want to dive into this book. Every book has an origin story. Jeremy. So what's the origin story of Make it your Ambition? Why'd you write it?
00:05:50
S2: I had a conversation with, uh, mutual friend that we were thinking about the church, you know, ten, 15, 20 years from now. And what would it look like? And what would the needs of the church be? And one of the points that came up in that conversation was the shrinking pipeline of available vocational leaders in the church that we were seeing currently. And we just started playing that out in our minds down the road and thought, man, 15, 20 years from now, is there going to be anybody that's going to be interested in vocational ministry, whether it's being a pastor or a leader, a missionary, a campus minister, something like that. We just we were concerned that the church would be in real trouble down the road. And so we asked the question, well, what do we do today to begin to help alleviate that and set the future up for for growth and sustainability and the movement of the gospel. And the answer that I came up with was, well, we need to start calling young people, you know, Gen Z to vocational ministry right now. We need to put this in front of them and say, have you ever considered, um, pointing your life in the direction of becoming a pastor or being a missionary or serving music director, whatever it might be in vocational ministry? Have you ever thought about that? And that's a big question to ask somebody to ask a young person. I remember when the question was asked to my direction, and it was just like, that's an overwhelming career choice that I had never thought of. And so I realized just asking that question probably wouldn't be the starting point. I need to kind of go and work it backwards and start from, where are you just at in life? And, um, so what began with that big question of what will you do for the kingdom really starts back with who am I? And, and what, what is the trajectory of my life going to be?
00:07:38
S1: Well, you know, you just said, um, really the heartbeat of one of the greatest concerns of the church today. And that is this impending shortfall that we're already on the front end of, of, uh, of those who will make it their ambition to serve Christ, uh, in, in a local church capacity. But I think that what your book does and you resonated with this in your statement, um, you alluded to it is really think broadly is have you made it your ambition to serve God and, and to make that the focal point of your life. And I want to open up the phone lines and I want to open up the phone lines for two groups of people. Jeremy. One is certainly young people. Uh, and I would love for you to talk about your target audience, who you hope reads the book besides 7.8 billion people on the planet. Uh, but I want to talk about that. But if you're a young adult right now and you say, man, I want to know God's will for my life, even more importantly, I want to serve God. I want to do something, uh, for Christ and His kingdom that will impact my generation. We would love to pray for you, encourage you. It's not a coincidence. You're listening today. God sees you. He knows the pressure you feel. He knows the questions you've been asking. And today, I think he wants to answer those questions. But I also want to open up the phone lines. Jeremy, for the parents who are listening, if you are a parent and you're listening and you say, man, I really am praying for my son or daughter to get a vision for serving God in the future. Man, I remember my parents praying for me that I would serve the Lord. I don't know, you know, we talk about, uh, making serving the Lord Attractional for young adults. I wonder how many parents are out there praying right now. Lord, I pray that my son or daughter would be a pastor one day. Uh or, or a missionary or, uh, work at a local church or serve you in some capacity. Uh, certainly it starts with just praying that your son or daughter would be a godly man or woman. Uh, who, who loves the Lord with all their heart. If you're a mom or a dad or grandma or grandpa, you have been praying those prayers. Uh, give us a call, Jeremy. One of the sweet moments. You know my son Judah really well. And, um, one of the sweet moments this summer, uh, he came to me after attending one of our youth conferences and said, dad, I want to be a pastor. Yeah. And, uh, man, it was a sweet, sweet moment. And I praise God for that. But yet, uh, there are so many that are still, uh, not getting, not getting a vision for that. So let's just talk about the audience. Who did you write this book for? Who do you feel like is at the, the center of the bull's eye?
00:10:42
S2: Right. I'm thinking about those, um, maybe late high school students, but certainly early college, 18 to 25 year olds right now that are in maybe they're in college or they're thinking through what, what their career is going to be, where they're going to go. Um, and wanted to address them with, with helping them lay out kind of a roadmap for their adulthood and begin now to lay out some of the, the milestones and the particular categories that they would be, uh, be after. Certainly I'm writing for Christian young adults as well. Um, so I'm thinking of the Michigan State student right now who is in their engineering classes and they're thinking, man, is there just something bigger for me? Is this is good, but is there just something that God is impressing upon my heart? And how would I know that? And what would I do with that? And where would that go? And wanting to help connect them, I think, um, you know, I think student ministry leaders would be reading this and saying, hey, I saw this book and I think this might speak right to the questions you're asking as well. So the other people I had in mind were my kids. They're in high school. And, um, my daughter was my first reader. I call her that. You know, every time I wrote down a chapter, I'd hand it to her and say, Allison, tell me what you think is this? Is this resonating with you? And is this something that you're, uh, wondering about and trying to figure out as well? And so, um, I, I'm writing for the next generation because my own children are part of that generation and I want to see God glorified in them. I want to see the gospel advance in tremendous ways. And the Church of Christ flourished deeply.
00:12:24
S1: If you need your imagination, imagination ignited, and you're ready to discover what a life marked by a robust, gospel fueled, spirit filled obedience can look like, then make it. Your ambition is a book that you need to have. You must have. There are certain books we should not read, certain books we can read and certain books we must read. If you're a young adult, I put this in the must read category. Go to our website now. Equip radio.org. That's equip radio dot ORG. All right. When we come back, we're going to dive into these seven godly pursuits that the next generation needs to take up. We'll be right back right after this. As your spiritual fire fizzle, you're not alone. Life's ups and downs can leave even faithful believers feeling like their passion for God has cooled. That's why I want to sing you a book called Three Kindled Heart by doctor Mark Yarbrough, president of Dallas Theological Seminary. It offers six essentials to help you fang your faith back into flame. We'll send you this valuable tool with your donation of any amount. To equip, call 8886444144 or visit equip radio.org. Chris Brooks here reminding you that today's program is pre-recorded and we won't be taking your calls. Welcome back to equipped with Chris Brooks. Here's what I want to do. If you are a mom or a dad, a grandma or grandpa, you're listening to me right now and you have been actively praying. Lord, I'm praying that you would do something significant for your kingdom with the life of my son or daughter, my grandson or granddaughter. We want to join you as a prayer partner. Partner with you in prayer today for that prayer. Moms. Dads. Grandpas. Grandmas, you've been praying that actively you tune in today. I want to pray with you also. If you are a young adult listening to us right now, or I'll even, um, expand that a little bit if you're a high schooler listening to us right now. Uh, or college student or young adult. And you say, man, I've been praying, Lord, make much of my life for you. I do not believe in coincidence. I believe in God's providence and in his providence. He's called you to tune in. And man, what a great resource I have in my hand. Phone lines are filling up. We'll get to the phone lines in just a moment. Make it your ambition. Jeremy Reinbolt is the author. Seven Gottlieb Pursuits for the Next Generation. Before we get into those seven godly pursuits, I want you to respond to a verse of Scripture. Um, and a verse of scripture. Jeremy is Matthew chapter six, verse 33, but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Let's talk about that verse. But I want you to contrast that verse from what the cultural message that typically is given to young adults on what they should be pursuing in this season.
00:16:02
S2: Yeah. Right now. Um, and you mentioned it earlier as the show started, this generation is being labeled the anxious generation. And that is because, um, everything in it feels like everything in culture right now, everything in the world is just bearing down on them, bearing down on us to make us feel anxious. I, you know, I get up in the morning and, um, many times my phone is right next to my bed. And that is the first thing I grab in the morning. And I jokingly, I say it this way. I open up the anxious box. Uh, I just hop onto my social media and it's telling me, here's what you should be fearful and worried and nervous about today, and spend all your energy trying to overcome. And it's things that, you know, most human beings were never meant to bear the weight of the world and its pressures and issues at all. And so we start out our days with that kind of anxiety, um, and that kind of worry and concern rather than as Jesus contrasts it and says to us, what you just read there from Matthew six to seek first his kingdom. And he puts that in contrast with the statements about don't be anxious about what you wear, what you eat, what you drink, uh, what your impression is in the world or what other others are saying of you. Seek first my kingdom, he says, and my righteousness, and he will establish and take care of and equip and give you all those things. That's doesn't need to be your purview of concern. You put your eyes on the prize of Christ and His gospel and the rest he'll take care of.
00:17:34
S1: Um, and that's pretty liberating to me. Jeremy.
00:17:37
S2: Oh, absolutely. It really is. It's a freedom to be able to say, I can have one intention, one focus. Jesus Christ, knowing him, loving him, pursuing him with my life, and because he is the Lord of life, because he is God and everything good comes from his hand, I can trust him and I can be a faithful, diligent, uh, human being in the world laborer. Um, I can, I can serve the church and serve my neighbor with my gifts and my talents and skills. But, but Christ is my goal. And if I have his attention, and I do because of his grace in the cross and what he's done for me there, if I have his attention, everything else is settled. Let's just follow Jesus, get our eyes on him. And, uh, it's good.
00:18:18
S1: So. So there only needs to be one ultimate pursuit in my life. That is his righteousness, his kingdom, pursuing his glory, keeping him at the center. Everything else falls into place. Now, what do you say to those? And I promise we're going to get to the phone lines. But what do you say to to those folks who feel like, man, there's there's one specific thing in life that God wants me to do career wise, or there's one specific pathway God wants me to take vocationally. And if I miss that, I've messed up the whole thing. And they feel almost a prisoner to that. What do you say to those folks?
00:19:00
S2: I would encourage them to think a little bit more broadly. Categorically. The one thing that Christ has given us to do is to know him and to love him. That's that's it. And everything else, if we're pursuing that, falls into that thing. That's what the, uh, the, some of the church fathers, if you will, framing up the Westminster Shorter Catechism said, what is the chief end of man? It's to glorify God and enjoy him forever. So let's do that. Let's pursue that. But then there are things that, um, we have as interests and career, uh, that we desire and decide, um, and I think we can pursue finding out what that unique gifting and that unique area of life might be. But I would say the scripture gives us a wide open, um, place to be able to say, let me pursue it and let me test that with community. So I think that's one of the reasons the, the church is so important for me to sit down with, with other leaders in my life, with my pastors, elders, small group leaders, and to say, hey, I'm thinking through, you know, becoming an engineer, I'm desiring to be a nurse or, or an educator, whatever it might be. Does that seem to track with my personality, my giftings, my talents, um, my heart, um, and for others to be able to rightly with, with grace speak into your life and to say, well, you know, I've never seen you do math well, so I'm not sure an engineer would be your thing. You know.
00:20:25
S1: You might need to do a little math.
00:20:28
S2: Yeah. Or this or the person who says, I'm going to be a professional singer and, you know, they can't sing very well. Yeah. You know, they have that community will help them discern.
00:20:38
S1: And community is a big part of it. But I love the fact that this liberating sense of saying, as long as I am pursuing God and His glory. Mhm. Man, I don't have to be as fearful about man. Do I make the absolute perfect step here or there? His grace will cover me, and his grace will be sufficient. And so I can have focus. But I can also have freedom. Let's go to the phone lines. Now's Ohio. Bob is listening there. Hey, Bob, thank you so much for listening to equip brother. How can we best pray for you?
00:21:14
S3: I've been praying for my daughter for quite a long time, that she was saved when she was a child and she's fallen away. And I've been praying for her to get saved. But over the last couple of months, I've been praying real hard about not for her sake, but for her to come back, for God to bring her back. Yeah. And she won't listen to me. But this time now, things keep happening to her. Her stove broke, her washer broke, her dryer broke, her hot water heater broke. Now her furnace went out. And I keep trying to tell her that. You know, she won't listen to me.
00:21:51
S1: Well, let me just say to you, brother, it's your job as a dad and you're doing it to be obedient, right? You can't control, uh, your your child's response. I jokingly say so often, Bob, I was such a great parent before I had kids, right? Because you, you think before you have these kids that with enough willpower and focus, if I do the right things, almost formulaically that they're going to respond in, in kind. But yet we have this Bible that gives a story after story of God's journey with his children, um, with you and I and, um, and, uh, and not only that, these individual micro stories, if you will, I would encourage you to live in Luke chapter 15 over the next week. Just allow that to sink in to soak in your heart. Um, as you look at verses 11 through 32 there, you're going to see, uh, this powerful and famous story of the prodigal son. And, um, and what you're going to see is much like your daughter, uh, what, what happens in our lives when we do run from God instead of running to God, but also also you're going to see the grace of God at work, even in the tough things that she's experiencing. All of it is God bringing her back to himself. And so God is hearing your prayer, Bob. And I love the passion I hear in your heart for your daughter. What a sweet thing for her to have you in her life. So keep loving her and we're going to pray with you today for Angela. Lord, we just pray for Angela. Lord, we know you love her. You've redeemed her. She is yours. Brought with the blood of Jesus. Lord, I pray that you would use every means necessary to bring her back to yourself. And while she's on this journey, may she accumulate experiences and a testimony that will be used to help others to come to faith in Jesus in the days to come. In Christ's name we pray, Amen and Amen. Let's quickly, before we go to break, go to Lexi in Davenport. Hey, Lexi. Thank you. I want to get you in before a break. I got about 60s. How can we pray for you?
00:24:05
S4: Hi. Thank you. Um, I'm calling because my stepdaughter, she's having a hard time, um, going back and forth between her mom's and our house. And I just need a good prayer because she's asking questions and she's, she's conflicted, and she's saying it's hard for her because we tell her one thing and then her other family tells her another. And she's, she's really confiding in us. And I'm just need a good prayer. And what can I do to keep her on track and just pray for the best?
00:24:33
S1: Yeah. Well, I want to tell you the same thing I just told Bob, you can be faithful. You can continue to intercede. You're going to have to trust God. It won't always be easy. There's going to be some valleys in the middle of it. Uh, but that's true for your life as well. And the same grace that God showed in saving you, redeeming you, and keeping you even in the heart. Seasons. Lexi. He'll do it for your stepdaughter as well. It's not an ideal situation whenever families are broken. Uh, what's really important is for her to know that you love her and that Jesus loves her father. I pray for healing. I pray, Lord, that you would protect and preserve Lexi stepdaughter, and that you would ultimately get to glory in this family and in her life. In Jesus name, Amen and Amen. Make it your ambition. Get the book. Give it to a young person today. Go to equip radio.org. Here on equip, we're committed to walking alongside families facing the toughest challenges of our day, wherever they live, whatever their household looks like. When you become an Equipper, your monthly support helps us bring biblical hope and practical help to listeners just like you. Month after month on your station and beyond. Become an Equipper today. Call (888) 644-4144 or visit us online at equip radio.org. Chris Brooks here reminding you that today's program is prerecorded. While we won't be taking calls, we do want to connect with you on social media. Welcome back to equip with Chris Brooks. Jeremy Wright is my guest pastor of Woodside Bible Church in Plymouth, Michigan. Also executive director of Gospel Centered Discipleship. Hey, Jeremy, before we go back into the book. Make it your ambition. Talk a little bit about G, c, D.
00:26:30
S2: Yeah. Gospel centered discipleship exists to produce resources that make mature and multiply disciples of Jesus. And so we have an online content that we publish articles on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. And then we publish also small paperbacks to help Christians know Christ and walk with him. And so, um, been part of that for almost 15 years now. It's a great ministry to be able to serve, and we love to equip writers and pastors as well. We've got a preaching cohort coming up this next spring that we're excited about, and going to be sharing some resources there to help pastors grow in their skill in preaching.
00:27:05
S1: I don't know if you would agree with this, but I think everybody has one book in them that that everybody has at least one book in them. And, uh, I would love to see more pastors put pen to paper and communicate the gospel. We need it.
00:27:20
S2: Absolutely.
00:27:20
S1: And, uh, what a great ministry gospel centered discipleship is. Find out more@radio.org. About Jeremy. As well as the book Make It Your Ambition seven Godly Pursuits for the Next Generation. We've got a chance to pray for a few folks. We'll go back to the phone lines in just a moment, but I want to dive into these pursuits. We won't be able to get to all seven, but man, each one is powerful. But we're going to pick a couple that I think are really, really important. So if I'm parenting my my son or daughter, if I'm coaching them, if you're a pastor for students, um, let's start with number one, Jeremy. Make it your ambition to know and love God. Uh, explain that and why I start there.
00:28:03
S2: Right? Well, if the end goal is to, um, to pursue Christian ministry, we kind of have to do the basics of being a Christian. Uh, where do we start? So it's like, this is the, this is the dribbling drill for a basketball player. It's just learning to bounce.
00:28:19
S1: The.
00:28:19
S2: Ball. Yeah, exactly. Um, and that, that really comes from, uh, the gospel of knowing God and His grace for us and what he has done for us in Christ Jesus. How the cross and the resurrection are the necessary elements of our lives, and knowing him. And from that, and then finding our delight and our life joy in Christ because of who he is and what he's done for us. So you can't minister the gospel effectively if you don't know Christ yourself. And I want to help young adults. See, this is where we start in life. As I mentioned earlier in the program, you know, the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. And so knowing and loving God is that essential place of starting out on the journey of, of living a life for the glory of God and for the sake of the kingdom.
00:29:08
S1: I want to pray for those who are listening who, who are getting a vision here. Because again, I don't want you to miss this. This program is really unashamedly. We're not trying to hide it. We want you to pursue God in His kingdom. So you might know him, love him, and serve him. And ultimately, my prayer is that there'll be more. Who will say, man, I want to serve God with my life. And so if you're starting to get that, uh, if your imagination is starting to be ignited around, how can I serve God with my life, then you're starting to get exactly what this book is all about. And that's why I want to encourage you to go to our website, order your copy, make it your ambition, go to equip radio.org. Also question of the of the day. What will you do for the Kingdom? That's a question. And I think man, that purifies our motives. Jeremy. That gives us focus. It's such a powerful question. And I want to encourage you to go to our social platforms and answer that question. All right. So it seems so basic, but yet it is so powerful that I would start with knowing and loving God. But then from there you take us to the second pursuit. Make it your ambition to model Christ's character. Talk about that.
00:30:32
S2: Yeah. There's a sense, I think, in which there is many critiques against being a vocational Christian worker or having a career in ministry. I think some recent research has said that, um, uh, pastors are least trusted less than being a lawyer or some other vocation right now. We, you know, they're kind of down at the bottom. And some of that is we've earned it. You know, we've, uh, as a vocation, Christian ministry has suffered an integrity crisis. And yet we're called to uphold the holiness and the glory of God and be men and women of character in everything we do. In fact, every Christian is called to be a person who puts on the full armor of God and displays the fruit of God and the fruit of the spirit in and righteousness. And so again, it's, it's a foundational thing, but it's we have to say it. We have to speak it and say, if you're going to be someone who's God is using for the sake of his kingdom. Your character has to be their character matters. And so I want to encourage these young adults, and I really want to challenge my own self to be a man who who does what he says, to be a person who's imitating not just good morals, but really looking to Jesus and his his perfect character and saying, that's the person I want to become. Like I want to be like Jesus. And so in the way I speak, in the way my heart attitudes are towards others and the way I serve and love and care for other people. I want people to see Jesus in my life by my actions and behavior and heart. And so just to be able to say that to young adults, I think that is a powerful counter story to the way the world says, you know, just, hey, do whatever you want right now. Live however you'd like, be whatever you want. Um, no, we have a high standard in Christ for us. And if we're going to again uphold the gospel and minister it faithfully, our character has to match what we say and what we proclaim and preach.
00:32:30
S1: Yeah, I think well, before we answer the question, what will we do? We need to answer the question clearly and firmly. Who will we be? Right. Right. And we need to be men and women who model the character of Christ. Nothing is more heartbreaking to me than when someone's gifts have taken them to a place that their character can't sustain them. And you have so many examples of that that are heartbreaking. And that gap between your, um, yeah, your giftings and abilities and your character, that gap between the two is what we call hypocrisy. And so we have a lot of people who are gifted communicators, gifted leaders, gifted Infinite visionaries. Whatever the case may be, gifted creatives and their gifts are strong and wonderful, but then their character is not formed properly. Um. I'll never forget this and I want to go to the phone lines. I remember Jeremy when I first learned how to cook. I'm in college. My mom made this wonderful baked chicken dish and I wanted to make it at home, so I got all the ingredients. I said, mom, how do I cook this? And after she told me how to prepare it, she said, put it in the oven, set the oven on 375 and do it for 30 minutes. And I looked at this oven and it was the old fashioned kind of had a broil dial on it. And I said, man, that broil is about 550 degrees. I can cut this thing in half. I'll put it up under. And man, this thing will cook in 15 minutes instead of 30. I'll eat quick. And the worst thing about it, Jeremy, is that when it was done in the 15 minute time frame, it looked cooked on the outside, but on the inside it wasn't. And a lot of folks were looking cooked on the outside, but on the inside were not. Character matters. Let's go to Thatcher who's listening in Illinois. Thatcher, thank you so much for listening. Tell us a little bit about you and how we can pray for you.
00:34:33
S5: Yeah, I appreciate it. Um, well, I just I don't usually listen to this station. I just recently I quit a job that I was paying pretty well, but I just, I didn't feel very much peace about it. And then you said no such thing as a coincidence. And also you brought up Matthew 633, and I have that as my screensaver on my phone. I'm 23. Uh, and when I was younger, like really young, I was when I accepted Jesus, but I backslid for a while and, uh, recently, like it's, and it's no credit to me, but just Jesus has really been like, the spirit has been coming strong unto me and I like, gave up some addictions recently. And, uh, I don't know, I just, I really felt led to call when you, when you mentioned, uh, I asked God for confirmation. Then you brought up Matthew 633. And I, I just really felt like I was supposed to call. So I don't know.
00:35:31
S1: Uh, yeah. First off.
00:35:33
S5: I don't feel gifted in communicating, but, uh, that's what I wanted. The prayers, I guess.
00:35:39
S1: Well, God will gift you that. He he he can do that. So you don't worry about that. First off, I know I speak for Jeremy. What a joy to hear your voice and what a blessing. Secondly, I'm going to let Jeremy speak to you a little bit, but I do want you to stay on the line. We're going to get you a copy of this book and we're going to mail it to you. You stay on the line after we're done, and our producer will get your address and your information. Jeremy, what do you say to Thatcher?
00:36:06
S2: Yeah. Thatcher, thank you so much for calling in and just taking the being courageous to do that today. Uh, brother, I would just encourage you to keep. Keep your eyes on Jesus. I hope that you're connected with really good Bible preaching church. And let your leaders know just how they can encourage you and help you follow Jesus and walk with him. And don't discount the way that Christ has made you already. He's given you a particular interest and gifts, and serving him in the kingdom of God is. It's more than just preaching and teaching. There are so many ways in which God has called men and women to serve him through the unique giftings that he's given them, through the unique perspectives and, uh, joys and passions that they have. And so you just take it one day at a time and looking to Jesus and trusting him and continuing to walk with others in community. And you're right in the center of the bull's eye of his smile right now. I'm just so grateful that you called and happy that you're following the Lord and trusting him.
00:37:08
S1: That you need a good local church. You need a place where you can be, as Jeremy said, in community, where you have a shepherd who's teaching you the Word of God, godly men who can model Christ and help you to grow in formation of character, heart calling. So I want to encourage you, your, your, your prayer should be, Lord, place me in the local church. You may already be in one, but if not, that should be your prayer. Place me in a local church where I can grow in my understanding and knowledge and living out of my identity in Christ. Jeremy, can you. We got about a minute, but can you pray for Thatcher?
00:37:49
S2: Absolutely. Yeah. Our father in heaven, thank you so much for your grace today. Thank you that you have loved us in Christ and have made us your children by his blood that he shed on the cross for us and in his life and resurrection. Once again, I thank you for Thatcher, Lord, and for the courage he took to call into the program today. And father, I pray that you would continue to build him and grow him as a young man who seeks you with all his heart and his life. Lord, that the very verse that he has shared on his screensaver, Lord, that would be true of him, that he would seek first your kingdom, and that he would seek first your righteousness which you gift to him in Christ, and that he would find just that peace for his soul, that you would provide all those things for him and Lord, that you would continue to build him and grow him as a man of God, that you would equip him for building up your people and encouraging the lost and helping others see Jesus. Would you give him your peace today and would you encourage him? And I pray your blessing over him. Provide a local church Lord that can sustain, encourage, and disciple him. And I ask this in the name of our Savior Jesus. Amen.
00:38:55
S1: Amen. Do you stay on the line? Every mom and dad who has a son or daughter that you say, Lord, I really want you to use them. You can begin today to help them to have one high and holy ambition And to understand these seven Gottlieb pursuits for the next generation, start that journey today. This is the type of gift that impacts them forever and for eternity. Go to our website, equip radio.org. That's equip radio.org. If you're leading student ministries, you're working with high schoolers and you're looking for the next great book study. What an awesome study. You get a box of these, pass them out to the young people. Let's read through this together and let's leave a mark for Christ on our generation. Go to equip radio.org. We'll be right back. We all go through seasons where our walk with God feels more like smoldering coals than a roaring fire and the rekindled heart. Doctor Mark Yarbrough offers six essentials to help you reignite your passion for Jesus. If you're spending more time scrolling than you do in Scripture. This book will help you to get your priorities back in order. Request your copy with the donation of any amount. Call (888) 644-4144 or visit equip radio.org. Today's program has been prerecorded so our phone lines are not open. Time flies when you're having fun. Such is the case today. Nothing fires up my heart more than, um. Man, thinking about this next generation. It brings life to me because I'm such a firm believer that Christ is at work in and among the young adults in my life and in yours. I know it's so easy to be negative and down on this generation, but I don't think God is. And I think we're actually in the midst of a quiet revival, a mighty awakening. God's spirit is moving on college campuses with young adults. We're seeing young men come back to the church in droves. We're seeing a generation that's awakening to God's call and passion. If ever there was a time where this book, make it your ambition was needed, it is right now. So I'm grateful for Jeremy Ribot for writing the book. And I'm also grateful for you for listening and getting your copy. Again, if you haven't already done so, go to our website, equip radio.org. Jeremy, let's go back to the phone lines. One more call. Ray is listening in Indiana. Hey, Ray wanted to get you on. What's your question today, brother?
00:41:43
S6: Yes, sir. Hi. Um, I am, uh, been praying about this for weeks now. Um, my son approached me about a month ago and, um, he's 20 years old, had two boys and a daughter, but the older son and he, um, he wants to invest in my life and he wants me to invest in his life. He, um is very good financially with matters, financial matters. And, um, he wants me to invest in my calling with him being called to be a pastor about two years ago. So I'm still on the healing mend, getting healing and getting some industry opportunities. But, um, I've been praying about what, what to, what to read, what to read to him, what to go over, what to study. Sure. And this is a perfect opportunity. I didn't realize the book was out there, but I was going to ask you for what resource? But then I heard about the book, so.
00:42:36
S1: Well, I think there's your answer, brother Jeremy. You can obviously respond, but Ray, I do encourage get two copies of Make It Your Ambition. Read through it with your son. And what a great starting point. Play point that would be.
00:42:52
S2: Yeah, Ray, that was my experience with my own daughter as I was writing it. You know, I would hand her a chapter and say, hey, why don't you read this and let's talk about it? And we would talk about what that looked like, uh, for her life and the summer I was reading or writing it in was also a summer where with our church she went to, um, we have a kind of a youth mission service camp experience. We did at one time, um, in the summer. And so Allison went to that and the things I was talking about, she was also hearing about from her other youth leaders and the speakers at this camp and doing and, and it was in that time where a, I think a call for her in her life came as well to, to pursue Christian ministry. And she started thinking through ministry to special needs individuals. And I mean, I was just really encouraging to see God put those two things together. So, so I would encourage you, yeah, read this with your son and have those conversations with him talk through these chapters. Um, I think it'll be a blessing to you and your pursuit of Christ and your own pursuit of serving him in, in ministry and also to your son to hear his dad say, let's think through these things together. That was one of the things that was helpful for me with my dad was him helping me think through ministry as well, and praying for me and encouraging me to get further training and go to Moody Bible Institute and take those steps. So what a gift for a father and a son together to to walk through that.
00:44:17
S1: Well great parenting. Father, I thank you for Ray. His son loves the investment world. So I'm going to pray this prayer. Lord, let there be a tremendous ROI return on investment for every minute that Ray invests in his son spiritually. And Lord, I just pray that you would make much of his son's life for your kingdom. In Jesus name, Amen. Uh, Jeremy, we could talk about all of these, but let's just land the plane with pursuit number five. Make it your ambition to share the gospel in about a minute or so. What would you say about that?
00:44:52
S2: And what does our world need right now? We need we need the good news that there's a God who has loved us and who has dealt with our sin condition. Uh, and he has done that through giving the greatest gift he could ever give, that being his own son, the Lord Jesus, who came and suffered and died for us and was raised to life again on the third day. And that's the essence of Christian ministry, is sharing that good news. We are called to be ambassadors. So the results aren't in our hands. They're in the Lord's hands. But what a gift for us, and a privilege for us to be able to herald the good news of a great king who loves his people, who loves the world, and to share. There is freedom and there is forgiveness, and there is liberation, and there is joy and life in Christ. And I want I want more and more young people to be able to have the confidence, to tell others, to tell their lost friends and neighbors and classmates. Jesus is the Savior and the Lord. And what a beautiful thing. I mean, you talked about quiet revival. I think we could see that in a more outspoken way as the gospel is shared. So I want to encourage the next generation to grow in their ability to share the gospel, because that's where God gets so much glory.
00:46:01
S1: Could've talked about any of these pursuits. But I think that the three we talked about are very strategic. Can't do anything great for God if you don't know him and love him. Everything great you do for God will be undermined if you're not modeling Christ's character. And the greatest thing you can do for your neighbor, for your family, friends, loved ones, is to share the gospel. Jeremy Wright, you're off to hot seat, brother. Thank you for writing this book. I can't say enough how much I appreciate, love, and thank God for you. Friends, I want to encourage you to get a copy of this book. And father, we pray for everyone who called and listened that your grace would be theirs in abundance. In Jesus name, we pray for revival. And until we're together again next time, remember, equipped with Chris Brooks is a production of Moody Radio, a Ministry of Moody Bible Institute.
S1: Today's programme has been pre-recorded so our phone lines are not open. Well hey there friends, welcome to another exciting edition of equip with Chris Brooks. I am so fired up and thrilled that you've joined us today. Do me a favor. Strap on your seatbelt. We're going to navigate through the contours of culture, as always, with the lens of the biblical worldview on. But before we do that, let me remind you, this is the day that the Lord has made. He has given it as a gift so that you and I can rejoice and be glad in it. So let's do just that. Let's follow the words of the Apostle Paul. Let's rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say, rejoice. Well, for those of you who listen to equip on a regular basis, you know our extraordinary passion for reaching the next generation, the burden of our hearts to equip and empower young adults to be able to know their identity in Christ and to live it out to give relevant and biblical answers to the questions that this generation is asking. And it's that passion that really drives engagement. I spent a lot of time on college campuses. I tried to not let a month go by without having some type of form of engagement with young adults, and it spans the gamut of faith and belief from those who are strongly Christians, to those who are yet to believe, or those who are even skeptical about the whole gospel message. And while there are so many things that make each individual young adult unique, there are some common things that I see that emerge. And one of those common realities is the anxiety around young adults. This is an anxious generation. I think many sociologists have identified that. Certainly most of the pastors you talk to will say it. It's hard if you go on a college campus, university campus, or you're around a lot of young adults. One of the things that is palpable and it burdens your heart is seeing how much anxiety that they're living with. And a lot of that is tied to the uncertainty around how will I make a difference in this world? What? What is my purpose? What is my unique fit and meaning? How do I live a life that matters and navigate decisions in a way that allows me to honor God and also live a life of fullness and fruitfulness and faithfulness? And so I thought it'd be good to really have a program today that focused in on answering some of those questions. How do you live a life of fullness and fruitfulness and faithfulness to Jesus? Now, if you're a young adult, odds are you've probably been taught that man the young adult years are for having fun. Uh, certainly it's a time for figuring things out. Maybe you've been taught it's a time to knock out those educational goals and get started on your career path, and maybe lock down a spouse, and that's about it. But what if I told you God wanted to do something bigger with your life? Today, we really want to focus in on what will you do for the kingdom. So here's kind of the question of the day. If you're a young adult and you're setting goals for your life in this season, here's my question for you. What will you do for the kingdom? Ultimately, that's the question that every believer needs to ask young, old, and at points in between. And I have a phenomenal resource that I think is not only chock full of godly wisdom and insights, but I think is actually going to liberate you, bring you to a place of peace where you realize, man, I don't have to have all of these seeming pressures that are pulling me in a million myriad of different directions. All I need is one holy and faithful ambition. The name of the book is entitled Make It Your Ambition seven Godly Pursuits for the Next Generation, and the author of the book, Jeremy Writebol, joins me now. Jeremy serves as campus pastor, uh, pastor of the Woodside Bible Church, Plymouth campus. He is also the executive director of Gospel Centered Discipleship. He has written several books that I appreciate. He is a passionate writer. I've gotten the chance to highlight, uh, for the pastors who listen to us, uh, the book Pastor Jesus Is Enough that I think brings the same type of freedom and liberation to the souls and hearts of pastors by reminding us of what Scripture has to say. Well, he's taking all of that and poured it into a message for this generation, for young adults. Jeremy joins me now. How are you, brother?
00:05:06
S2: Hey, Chris. Thank you. I'm doing great today. It's good to good to chat with you. And thank you for having me on the program.
00:05:11
S1: Well, I, I told you before we came on air, we got the privilege. We have the privilege of working together shoulder to shoulder. And, uh, man, I just want to thank you publicly, as I often have privately for the enormous impact you, your, your family, your ministry have had on my in my life, my family. So I'm super grateful that we get the privilege of being brothers and also, uh, colleagues that work together. But I want to dive into this book. Every book has an origin story. Jeremy. So what's the origin story of Make it your Ambition? Why'd you write it?
00:05:50
S2: I had a conversation with, uh, mutual friend that we were thinking about the church, you know, ten, 15, 20 years from now. And what would it look like? And what would the needs of the church be? And one of the points that came up in that conversation was the shrinking pipeline of available vocational leaders in the church that we were seeing currently. And we just started playing that out in our minds down the road and thought, man, 15, 20 years from now, is there going to be anybody that's going to be interested in vocational ministry, whether it's being a pastor or a leader, a missionary, a campus minister, something like that. We just we were concerned that the church would be in real trouble down the road. And so we asked the question, well, what do we do today to begin to help alleviate that and set the future up for for growth and sustainability and the movement of the gospel. And the answer that I came up with was, well, we need to start calling young people, you know, Gen Z to vocational ministry right now. We need to put this in front of them and say, have you ever considered, um, pointing your life in the direction of becoming a pastor or being a missionary or serving music director, whatever it might be in vocational ministry? Have you ever thought about that? And that's a big question to ask somebody to ask a young person. I remember when the question was asked to my direction, and it was just like, that's an overwhelming career choice that I had never thought of. And so I realized just asking that question probably wouldn't be the starting point. I need to kind of go and work it backwards and start from, where are you just at in life? And, um, so what began with that big question of what will you do for the kingdom really starts back with who am I? And, and what, what is the trajectory of my life going to be?
00:07:38
S1: Well, you know, you just said, um, really the heartbeat of one of the greatest concerns of the church today. And that is this impending shortfall that we're already on the front end of, of, uh, of those who will make it their ambition to serve Christ, uh, in, in a local church capacity. But I think that what your book does and you resonated with this in your statement, um, you alluded to it is really think broadly is have you made it your ambition to serve God and, and to make that the focal point of your life. And I want to open up the phone lines and I want to open up the phone lines for two groups of people. Jeremy. One is certainly young people. Uh, and I would love for you to talk about your target audience, who you hope reads the book besides 7.8 billion people on the planet. Uh, but I want to talk about that. But if you're a young adult right now and you say, man, I want to know God's will for my life, even more importantly, I want to serve God. I want to do something, uh, for Christ and His kingdom that will impact my generation. We would love to pray for you, encourage you. It's not a coincidence. You're listening today. God sees you. He knows the pressure you feel. He knows the questions you've been asking. And today, I think he wants to answer those questions. But I also want to open up the phone lines. Jeremy, for the parents who are listening, if you are a parent and you're listening and you say, man, I really am praying for my son or daughter to get a vision for serving God in the future. Man, I remember my parents praying for me that I would serve the Lord. I don't know, you know, we talk about, uh, making serving the Lord Attractional for young adults. I wonder how many parents are out there praying right now. Lord, I pray that my son or daughter would be a pastor one day. Uh or, or a missionary or, uh, work at a local church or serve you in some capacity. Uh, certainly it starts with just praying that your son or daughter would be a godly man or woman. Uh, who, who loves the Lord with all their heart. If you're a mom or a dad or grandma or grandpa, you have been praying those prayers. Uh, give us a call, Jeremy. One of the sweet moments. You know my son Judah really well. And, um, one of the sweet moments this summer, uh, he came to me after attending one of our youth conferences and said, dad, I want to be a pastor. Yeah. And, uh, man, it was a sweet, sweet moment. And I praise God for that. But yet, uh, there are so many that are still, uh, not getting, not getting a vision for that. So let's just talk about the audience. Who did you write this book for? Who do you feel like is at the, the center of the bull's eye?
00:10:42
S2: Right. I'm thinking about those, um, maybe late high school students, but certainly early college, 18 to 25 year olds right now that are in maybe they're in college or they're thinking through what, what their career is going to be, where they're going to go. Um, and wanted to address them with, with helping them lay out kind of a roadmap for their adulthood and begin now to lay out some of the, the milestones and the particular categories that they would be, uh, be after. Certainly I'm writing for Christian young adults as well. Um, so I'm thinking of the Michigan State student right now who is in their engineering classes and they're thinking, man, is there just something bigger for me? Is this is good, but is there just something that God is impressing upon my heart? And how would I know that? And what would I do with that? And where would that go? And wanting to help connect them, I think, um, you know, I think student ministry leaders would be reading this and saying, hey, I saw this book and I think this might speak right to the questions you're asking as well. So the other people I had in mind were my kids. They're in high school. And, um, my daughter was my first reader. I call her that. You know, every time I wrote down a chapter, I'd hand it to her and say, Allison, tell me what you think is this? Is this resonating with you? And is this something that you're, uh, wondering about and trying to figure out as well? And so, um, I, I'm writing for the next generation because my own children are part of that generation and I want to see God glorified in them. I want to see the gospel advance in tremendous ways. And the Church of Christ flourished deeply.
00:12:24
S1: If you need your imagination, imagination ignited, and you're ready to discover what a life marked by a robust, gospel fueled, spirit filled obedience can look like, then make it. Your ambition is a book that you need to have. You must have. There are certain books we should not read, certain books we can read and certain books we must read. If you're a young adult, I put this in the must read category. Go to our website now. Equip radio.org. That's equip radio dot ORG. All right. When we come back, we're going to dive into these seven godly pursuits that the next generation needs to take up. We'll be right back right after this. As your spiritual fire fizzle, you're not alone. Life's ups and downs can leave even faithful believers feeling like their passion for God has cooled. That's why I want to sing you a book called Three Kindled Heart by doctor Mark Yarbrough, president of Dallas Theological Seminary. It offers six essentials to help you fang your faith back into flame. We'll send you this valuable tool with your donation of any amount. To equip, call 8886444144 or visit equip radio.org. Chris Brooks here reminding you that today's program is pre-recorded and we won't be taking your calls. Welcome back to equipped with Chris Brooks. Here's what I want to do. If you are a mom or a dad, a grandma or grandpa, you're listening to me right now and you have been actively praying. Lord, I'm praying that you would do something significant for your kingdom with the life of my son or daughter, my grandson or granddaughter. We want to join you as a prayer partner. Partner with you in prayer today for that prayer. Moms. Dads. Grandpas. Grandmas, you've been praying that actively you tune in today. I want to pray with you also. If you are a young adult listening to us right now, or I'll even, um, expand that a little bit if you're a high schooler listening to us right now. Uh, or college student or young adult. And you say, man, I've been praying, Lord, make much of my life for you. I do not believe in coincidence. I believe in God's providence and in his providence. He's called you to tune in. And man, what a great resource I have in my hand. Phone lines are filling up. We'll get to the phone lines in just a moment. Make it your ambition. Jeremy Reinbolt is the author. Seven Gottlieb Pursuits for the Next Generation. Before we get into those seven godly pursuits, I want you to respond to a verse of Scripture. Um, and a verse of scripture. Jeremy is Matthew chapter six, verse 33, but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Let's talk about that verse. But I want you to contrast that verse from what the cultural message that typically is given to young adults on what they should be pursuing in this season.
00:16:02
S2: Yeah. Right now. Um, and you mentioned it earlier as the show started, this generation is being labeled the anxious generation. And that is because, um, everything in it feels like everything in culture right now, everything in the world is just bearing down on them, bearing down on us to make us feel anxious. I, you know, I get up in the morning and, um, many times my phone is right next to my bed. And that is the first thing I grab in the morning. And I jokingly, I say it this way. I open up the anxious box. Uh, I just hop onto my social media and it's telling me, here's what you should be fearful and worried and nervous about today, and spend all your energy trying to overcome. And it's things that, you know, most human beings were never meant to bear the weight of the world and its pressures and issues at all. And so we start out our days with that kind of anxiety, um, and that kind of worry and concern rather than as Jesus contrasts it and says to us, what you just read there from Matthew six to seek first his kingdom. And he puts that in contrast with the statements about don't be anxious about what you wear, what you eat, what you drink, uh, what your impression is in the world or what other others are saying of you. Seek first my kingdom, he says, and my righteousness, and he will establish and take care of and equip and give you all those things. That's doesn't need to be your purview of concern. You put your eyes on the prize of Christ and His gospel and the rest he'll take care of.
00:17:34
S1: Um, and that's pretty liberating to me. Jeremy.
00:17:37
S2: Oh, absolutely. It really is. It's a freedom to be able to say, I can have one intention, one focus. Jesus Christ, knowing him, loving him, pursuing him with my life, and because he is the Lord of life, because he is God and everything good comes from his hand, I can trust him and I can be a faithful, diligent, uh, human being in the world laborer. Um, I can, I can serve the church and serve my neighbor with my gifts and my talents and skills. But, but Christ is my goal. And if I have his attention, and I do because of his grace in the cross and what he's done for me there, if I have his attention, everything else is settled. Let's just follow Jesus, get our eyes on him. And, uh, it's good.
00:18:18
S1: So. So there only needs to be one ultimate pursuit in my life. That is his righteousness, his kingdom, pursuing his glory, keeping him at the center. Everything else falls into place. Now, what do you say to those? And I promise we're going to get to the phone lines. But what do you say to to those folks who feel like, man, there's there's one specific thing in life that God wants me to do career wise, or there's one specific pathway God wants me to take vocationally. And if I miss that, I've messed up the whole thing. And they feel almost a prisoner to that. What do you say to those folks?
00:19:00
S2: I would encourage them to think a little bit more broadly. Categorically. The one thing that Christ has given us to do is to know him and to love him. That's that's it. And everything else, if we're pursuing that, falls into that thing. That's what the, uh, the, some of the church fathers, if you will, framing up the Westminster Shorter Catechism said, what is the chief end of man? It's to glorify God and enjoy him forever. So let's do that. Let's pursue that. But then there are things that, um, we have as interests and career, uh, that we desire and decide, um, and I think we can pursue finding out what that unique gifting and that unique area of life might be. But I would say the scripture gives us a wide open, um, place to be able to say, let me pursue it and let me test that with community. So I think that's one of the reasons the, the church is so important for me to sit down with, with other leaders in my life, with my pastors, elders, small group leaders, and to say, hey, I'm thinking through, you know, becoming an engineer, I'm desiring to be a nurse or, or an educator, whatever it might be. Does that seem to track with my personality, my giftings, my talents, um, my heart, um, and for others to be able to rightly with, with grace speak into your life and to say, well, you know, I've never seen you do math well, so I'm not sure an engineer would be your thing. You know.
00:20:25
S1: You might need to do a little math.
00:20:28
S2: Yeah. Or this or the person who says, I'm going to be a professional singer and, you know, they can't sing very well. Yeah. You know, they have that community will help them discern.
00:20:38
S1: And community is a big part of it. But I love the fact that this liberating sense of saying, as long as I am pursuing God and His glory. Mhm. Man, I don't have to be as fearful about man. Do I make the absolute perfect step here or there? His grace will cover me, and his grace will be sufficient. And so I can have focus. But I can also have freedom. Let's go to the phone lines. Now's Ohio. Bob is listening there. Hey, Bob, thank you so much for listening to equip brother. How can we best pray for you?
00:21:14
S3: I've been praying for my daughter for quite a long time, that she was saved when she was a child and she's fallen away. And I've been praying for her to get saved. But over the last couple of months, I've been praying real hard about not for her sake, but for her to come back, for God to bring her back. Yeah. And she won't listen to me. But this time now, things keep happening to her. Her stove broke, her washer broke, her dryer broke, her hot water heater broke. Now her furnace went out. And I keep trying to tell her that. You know, she won't listen to me.
00:21:51
S1: Well, let me just say to you, brother, it's your job as a dad and you're doing it to be obedient, right? You can't control, uh, your your child's response. I jokingly say so often, Bob, I was such a great parent before I had kids, right? Because you, you think before you have these kids that with enough willpower and focus, if I do the right things, almost formulaically that they're going to respond in, in kind. But yet we have this Bible that gives a story after story of God's journey with his children, um, with you and I and, um, and, uh, and not only that, these individual micro stories, if you will, I would encourage you to live in Luke chapter 15 over the next week. Just allow that to sink in to soak in your heart. Um, as you look at verses 11 through 32 there, you're going to see, uh, this powerful and famous story of the prodigal son. And, um, and what you're going to see is much like your daughter, uh, what, what happens in our lives when we do run from God instead of running to God, but also also you're going to see the grace of God at work, even in the tough things that she's experiencing. All of it is God bringing her back to himself. And so God is hearing your prayer, Bob. And I love the passion I hear in your heart for your daughter. What a sweet thing for her to have you in her life. So keep loving her and we're going to pray with you today for Angela. Lord, we just pray for Angela. Lord, we know you love her. You've redeemed her. She is yours. Brought with the blood of Jesus. Lord, I pray that you would use every means necessary to bring her back to yourself. And while she's on this journey, may she accumulate experiences and a testimony that will be used to help others to come to faith in Jesus in the days to come. In Christ's name we pray, Amen and Amen. Let's quickly, before we go to break, go to Lexi in Davenport. Hey, Lexi. Thank you. I want to get you in before a break. I got about 60s. How can we pray for you?
00:24:05
S4: Hi. Thank you. Um, I'm calling because my stepdaughter, she's having a hard time, um, going back and forth between her mom's and our house. And I just need a good prayer because she's asking questions and she's, she's conflicted, and she's saying it's hard for her because we tell her one thing and then her other family tells her another. And she's, she's really confiding in us. And I'm just need a good prayer. And what can I do to keep her on track and just pray for the best?
00:24:33
S1: Yeah. Well, I want to tell you the same thing I just told Bob, you can be faithful. You can continue to intercede. You're going to have to trust God. It won't always be easy. There's going to be some valleys in the middle of it. Uh, but that's true for your life as well. And the same grace that God showed in saving you, redeeming you, and keeping you even in the heart. Seasons. Lexi. He'll do it for your stepdaughter as well. It's not an ideal situation whenever families are broken. Uh, what's really important is for her to know that you love her and that Jesus loves her father. I pray for healing. I pray, Lord, that you would protect and preserve Lexi stepdaughter, and that you would ultimately get to glory in this family and in her life. In Jesus name, Amen and Amen. Make it your ambition. Get the book. Give it to a young person today. Go to equip radio.org. Here on equip, we're committed to walking alongside families facing the toughest challenges of our day, wherever they live, whatever their household looks like. When you become an Equipper, your monthly support helps us bring biblical hope and practical help to listeners just like you. Month after month on your station and beyond. Become an Equipper today. Call (888) 644-4144 or visit us online at equip radio.org. Chris Brooks here reminding you that today's program is prerecorded. While we won't be taking calls, we do want to connect with you on social media. Welcome back to equip with Chris Brooks. Jeremy Wright is my guest pastor of Woodside Bible Church in Plymouth, Michigan. Also executive director of Gospel Centered Discipleship. Hey, Jeremy, before we go back into the book. Make it your ambition. Talk a little bit about G, c, D.
00:26:30
S2: Yeah. Gospel centered discipleship exists to produce resources that make mature and multiply disciples of Jesus. And so we have an online content that we publish articles on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. And then we publish also small paperbacks to help Christians know Christ and walk with him. And so, um, been part of that for almost 15 years now. It's a great ministry to be able to serve, and we love to equip writers and pastors as well. We've got a preaching cohort coming up this next spring that we're excited about, and going to be sharing some resources there to help pastors grow in their skill in preaching.
00:27:05
S1: I don't know if you would agree with this, but I think everybody has one book in them that that everybody has at least one book in them. And, uh, I would love to see more pastors put pen to paper and communicate the gospel. We need it.
00:27:20
S2: Absolutely.
00:27:20
S1: And, uh, what a great ministry gospel centered discipleship is. Find out more@radio.org. About Jeremy. As well as the book Make It Your Ambition seven Godly Pursuits for the Next Generation. We've got a chance to pray for a few folks. We'll go back to the phone lines in just a moment, but I want to dive into these pursuits. We won't be able to get to all seven, but man, each one is powerful. But we're going to pick a couple that I think are really, really important. So if I'm parenting my my son or daughter, if I'm coaching them, if you're a pastor for students, um, let's start with number one, Jeremy. Make it your ambition to know and love God. Uh, explain that and why I start there.
00:28:03
S2: Right? Well, if the end goal is to, um, to pursue Christian ministry, we kind of have to do the basics of being a Christian. Uh, where do we start? So it's like, this is the, this is the dribbling drill for a basketball player. It's just learning to bounce.
00:28:19
S1: The.
00:28:19
S2: Ball. Yeah, exactly. Um, and that, that really comes from, uh, the gospel of knowing God and His grace for us and what he has done for us in Christ Jesus. How the cross and the resurrection are the necessary elements of our lives, and knowing him. And from that, and then finding our delight and our life joy in Christ because of who he is and what he's done for us. So you can't minister the gospel effectively if you don't know Christ yourself. And I want to help young adults. See, this is where we start in life. As I mentioned earlier in the program, you know, the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. And so knowing and loving God is that essential place of starting out on the journey of, of living a life for the glory of God and for the sake of the kingdom.
00:29:08
S1: I want to pray for those who are listening who, who are getting a vision here. Because again, I don't want you to miss this. This program is really unashamedly. We're not trying to hide it. We want you to pursue God in His kingdom. So you might know him, love him, and serve him. And ultimately, my prayer is that there'll be more. Who will say, man, I want to serve God with my life. And so if you're starting to get that, uh, if your imagination is starting to be ignited around, how can I serve God with my life, then you're starting to get exactly what this book is all about. And that's why I want to encourage you to go to our website, order your copy, make it your ambition, go to equip radio.org. Also question of the of the day. What will you do for the Kingdom? That's a question. And I think man, that purifies our motives. Jeremy. That gives us focus. It's such a powerful question. And I want to encourage you to go to our social platforms and answer that question. All right. So it seems so basic, but yet it is so powerful that I would start with knowing and loving God. But then from there you take us to the second pursuit. Make it your ambition to model Christ's character. Talk about that.
00:30:32
S2: Yeah. There's a sense, I think, in which there is many critiques against being a vocational Christian worker or having a career in ministry. I think some recent research has said that, um, uh, pastors are least trusted less than being a lawyer or some other vocation right now. We, you know, they're kind of down at the bottom. And some of that is we've earned it. You know, we've, uh, as a vocation, Christian ministry has suffered an integrity crisis. And yet we're called to uphold the holiness and the glory of God and be men and women of character in everything we do. In fact, every Christian is called to be a person who puts on the full armor of God and displays the fruit of God and the fruit of the spirit in and righteousness. And so again, it's, it's a foundational thing, but it's we have to say it. We have to speak it and say, if you're going to be someone who's God is using for the sake of his kingdom. Your character has to be their character matters. And so I want to encourage these young adults, and I really want to challenge my own self to be a man who who does what he says, to be a person who's imitating not just good morals, but really looking to Jesus and his his perfect character and saying, that's the person I want to become. Like I want to be like Jesus. And so in the way I speak, in the way my heart attitudes are towards others and the way I serve and love and care for other people. I want people to see Jesus in my life by my actions and behavior and heart. And so just to be able to say that to young adults, I think that is a powerful counter story to the way the world says, you know, just, hey, do whatever you want right now. Live however you'd like, be whatever you want. Um, no, we have a high standard in Christ for us. And if we're going to again uphold the gospel and minister it faithfully, our character has to match what we say and what we proclaim and preach.
00:32:30
S1: Yeah, I think well, before we answer the question, what will we do? We need to answer the question clearly and firmly. Who will we be? Right. Right. And we need to be men and women who model the character of Christ. Nothing is more heartbreaking to me than when someone's gifts have taken them to a place that their character can't sustain them. And you have so many examples of that that are heartbreaking. And that gap between your, um, yeah, your giftings and abilities and your character, that gap between the two is what we call hypocrisy. And so we have a lot of people who are gifted communicators, gifted leaders, gifted Infinite visionaries. Whatever the case may be, gifted creatives and their gifts are strong and wonderful, but then their character is not formed properly. Um. I'll never forget this and I want to go to the phone lines. I remember Jeremy when I first learned how to cook. I'm in college. My mom made this wonderful baked chicken dish and I wanted to make it at home, so I got all the ingredients. I said, mom, how do I cook this? And after she told me how to prepare it, she said, put it in the oven, set the oven on 375 and do it for 30 minutes. And I looked at this oven and it was the old fashioned kind of had a broil dial on it. And I said, man, that broil is about 550 degrees. I can cut this thing in half. I'll put it up under. And man, this thing will cook in 15 minutes instead of 30. I'll eat quick. And the worst thing about it, Jeremy, is that when it was done in the 15 minute time frame, it looked cooked on the outside, but on the inside it wasn't. And a lot of folks were looking cooked on the outside, but on the inside were not. Character matters. Let's go to Thatcher who's listening in Illinois. Thatcher, thank you so much for listening. Tell us a little bit about you and how we can pray for you.
00:34:33
S5: Yeah, I appreciate it. Um, well, I just I don't usually listen to this station. I just recently I quit a job that I was paying pretty well, but I just, I didn't feel very much peace about it. And then you said no such thing as a coincidence. And also you brought up Matthew 633, and I have that as my screensaver on my phone. I'm 23. Uh, and when I was younger, like really young, I was when I accepted Jesus, but I backslid for a while and, uh, recently, like it's, and it's no credit to me, but just Jesus has really been like, the spirit has been coming strong unto me and I like, gave up some addictions recently. And, uh, I don't know, I just, I really felt led to call when you, when you mentioned, uh, I asked God for confirmation. Then you brought up Matthew 633. And I, I just really felt like I was supposed to call. So I don't know.
00:35:31
S1: Uh, yeah. First off.
00:35:33
S5: I don't feel gifted in communicating, but, uh, that's what I wanted. The prayers, I guess.
00:35:39
S1: Well, God will gift you that. He he he can do that. So you don't worry about that. First off, I know I speak for Jeremy. What a joy to hear your voice and what a blessing. Secondly, I'm going to let Jeremy speak to you a little bit, but I do want you to stay on the line. We're going to get you a copy of this book and we're going to mail it to you. You stay on the line after we're done, and our producer will get your address and your information. Jeremy, what do you say to Thatcher?
00:36:06
S2: Yeah. Thatcher, thank you so much for calling in and just taking the being courageous to do that today. Uh, brother, I would just encourage you to keep. Keep your eyes on Jesus. I hope that you're connected with really good Bible preaching church. And let your leaders know just how they can encourage you and help you follow Jesus and walk with him. And don't discount the way that Christ has made you already. He's given you a particular interest and gifts, and serving him in the kingdom of God is. It's more than just preaching and teaching. There are so many ways in which God has called men and women to serve him through the unique giftings that he's given them, through the unique perspectives and, uh, joys and passions that they have. And so you just take it one day at a time and looking to Jesus and trusting him and continuing to walk with others in community. And you're right in the center of the bull's eye of his smile right now. I'm just so grateful that you called and happy that you're following the Lord and trusting him.
00:37:08
S1: That you need a good local church. You need a place where you can be, as Jeremy said, in community, where you have a shepherd who's teaching you the Word of God, godly men who can model Christ and help you to grow in formation of character, heart calling. So I want to encourage you, your, your, your prayer should be, Lord, place me in the local church. You may already be in one, but if not, that should be your prayer. Place me in a local church where I can grow in my understanding and knowledge and living out of my identity in Christ. Jeremy, can you. We got about a minute, but can you pray for Thatcher?
00:37:49
S2: Absolutely. Yeah. Our father in heaven, thank you so much for your grace today. Thank you that you have loved us in Christ and have made us your children by his blood that he shed on the cross for us and in his life and resurrection. Once again, I thank you for Thatcher, Lord, and for the courage he took to call into the program today. And father, I pray that you would continue to build him and grow him as a young man who seeks you with all his heart and his life. Lord, that the very verse that he has shared on his screensaver, Lord, that would be true of him, that he would seek first your kingdom, and that he would seek first your righteousness which you gift to him in Christ, and that he would find just that peace for his soul, that you would provide all those things for him and Lord, that you would continue to build him and grow him as a man of God, that you would equip him for building up your people and encouraging the lost and helping others see Jesus. Would you give him your peace today and would you encourage him? And I pray your blessing over him. Provide a local church Lord that can sustain, encourage, and disciple him. And I ask this in the name of our Savior Jesus. Amen.
00:38:55
S1: Amen. Do you stay on the line? Every mom and dad who has a son or daughter that you say, Lord, I really want you to use them. You can begin today to help them to have one high and holy ambition And to understand these seven Gottlieb pursuits for the next generation, start that journey today. This is the type of gift that impacts them forever and for eternity. Go to our website, equip radio.org. That's equip radio.org. If you're leading student ministries, you're working with high schoolers and you're looking for the next great book study. What an awesome study. You get a box of these, pass them out to the young people. Let's read through this together and let's leave a mark for Christ on our generation. Go to equip radio.org. We'll be right back. We all go through seasons where our walk with God feels more like smoldering coals than a roaring fire and the rekindled heart. Doctor Mark Yarbrough offers six essentials to help you reignite your passion for Jesus. If you're spending more time scrolling than you do in Scripture. This book will help you to get your priorities back in order. Request your copy with the donation of any amount. Call (888) 644-4144 or visit equip radio.org. Today's program has been prerecorded so our phone lines are not open. Time flies when you're having fun. Such is the case today. Nothing fires up my heart more than, um. Man, thinking about this next generation. It brings life to me because I'm such a firm believer that Christ is at work in and among the young adults in my life and in yours. I know it's so easy to be negative and down on this generation, but I don't think God is. And I think we're actually in the midst of a quiet revival, a mighty awakening. God's spirit is moving on college campuses with young adults. We're seeing young men come back to the church in droves. We're seeing a generation that's awakening to God's call and passion. If ever there was a time where this book, make it your ambition was needed, it is right now. So I'm grateful for Jeremy Ribot for writing the book. And I'm also grateful for you for listening and getting your copy. Again, if you haven't already done so, go to our website, equip radio.org. Jeremy, let's go back to the phone lines. One more call. Ray is listening in Indiana. Hey, Ray wanted to get you on. What's your question today, brother?
00:41:43
S6: Yes, sir. Hi. Um, I am, uh, been praying about this for weeks now. Um, my son approached me about a month ago and, um, he's 20 years old, had two boys and a daughter, but the older son and he, um, he wants to invest in my life and he wants me to invest in his life. He, um is very good financially with matters, financial matters. And, um, he wants me to invest in my calling with him being called to be a pastor about two years ago. So I'm still on the healing mend, getting healing and getting some industry opportunities. But, um, I've been praying about what, what to, what to read, what to read to him, what to go over, what to study. Sure. And this is a perfect opportunity. I didn't realize the book was out there, but I was going to ask you for what resource? But then I heard about the book, so.
00:42:36
S1: Well, I think there's your answer, brother Jeremy. You can obviously respond, but Ray, I do encourage get two copies of Make It Your Ambition. Read through it with your son. And what a great starting point. Play point that would be.
00:42:52
S2: Yeah, Ray, that was my experience with my own daughter as I was writing it. You know, I would hand her a chapter and say, hey, why don't you read this and let's talk about it? And we would talk about what that looked like, uh, for her life and the summer I was reading or writing it in was also a summer where with our church she went to, um, we have a kind of a youth mission service camp experience. We did at one time, um, in the summer. And so Allison went to that and the things I was talking about, she was also hearing about from her other youth leaders and the speakers at this camp and doing and, and it was in that time where a, I think a call for her in her life came as well to, to pursue Christian ministry. And she started thinking through ministry to special needs individuals. And I mean, I was just really encouraging to see God put those two things together. So, so I would encourage you, yeah, read this with your son and have those conversations with him talk through these chapters. Um, I think it'll be a blessing to you and your pursuit of Christ and your own pursuit of serving him in, in ministry and also to your son to hear his dad say, let's think through these things together. That was one of the things that was helpful for me with my dad was him helping me think through ministry as well, and praying for me and encouraging me to get further training and go to Moody Bible Institute and take those steps. So what a gift for a father and a son together to to walk through that.
00:44:17
S1: Well great parenting. Father, I thank you for Ray. His son loves the investment world. So I'm going to pray this prayer. Lord, let there be a tremendous ROI return on investment for every minute that Ray invests in his son spiritually. And Lord, I just pray that you would make much of his son's life for your kingdom. In Jesus name, Amen. Uh, Jeremy, we could talk about all of these, but let's just land the plane with pursuit number five. Make it your ambition to share the gospel in about a minute or so. What would you say about that?
00:44:52
S2: And what does our world need right now? We need we need the good news that there's a God who has loved us and who has dealt with our sin condition. Uh, and he has done that through giving the greatest gift he could ever give, that being his own son, the Lord Jesus, who came and suffered and died for us and was raised to life again on the third day. And that's the essence of Christian ministry, is sharing that good news. We are called to be ambassadors. So the results aren't in our hands. They're in the Lord's hands. But what a gift for us, and a privilege for us to be able to herald the good news of a great king who loves his people, who loves the world, and to share. There is freedom and there is forgiveness, and there is liberation, and there is joy and life in Christ. And I want I want more and more young people to be able to have the confidence, to tell others, to tell their lost friends and neighbors and classmates. Jesus is the Savior and the Lord. And what a beautiful thing. I mean, you talked about quiet revival. I think we could see that in a more outspoken way as the gospel is shared. So I want to encourage the next generation to grow in their ability to share the gospel, because that's where God gets so much glory.
00:46:01
S1: Could've talked about any of these pursuits. But I think that the three we talked about are very strategic. Can't do anything great for God if you don't know him and love him. Everything great you do for God will be undermined if you're not modeling Christ's character. And the greatest thing you can do for your neighbor, for your family, friends, loved ones, is to share the gospel. Jeremy Wright, you're off to hot seat, brother. Thank you for writing this book. I can't say enough how much I appreciate, love, and thank God for you. Friends, I want to encourage you to get a copy of this book. And father, we pray for everyone who called and listened that your grace would be theirs in abundance. In Jesus name, we pray for revival. And until we're together again next time, remember, equipped with Chris Brooks is a production of Moody Radio, a Ministry of Moody Bible Institute.
