Nick Vujicic: The Basics of Starting a Fire to Reach 8 Billion People
If Gen Z is for Jesus and suicide free—as a few new ministries boldly proclaim—then its people must embrace the basics of the Christian faith in order to fulfill God’s plan for this generation.
That is only part of Evangelist Nick Vujicic’s message to Gen Z, which recently gathered for a four-day “Jesus Woodstock” in Texas with baptisms, communion, outreach, 24-7 prayer, worship, gospel proclamation and Bible teaching.
Vujicic, who was born without arms and legs and attempted suicide when he was 10-years old, says the basics include faith in Jesus and Bible reading, which empower people to live in freedom and victory over the enemies of sin, depression, addictions and the devil.
The Australia-born evangelist preached the gospel recently at a large gathering aptly named Gen Z For Jesus in his home state of Texas. Vujicic’s message was live streamed to the world.
In addition to Vujicic’s proclamation of the gospel during a 12-hour, non-stop gathering, Gen Z For Jesus was preceded by prayer, worship and outreach within the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Live streamed from the 6,000-seat Comerica Center in Frisco, the event allowed Vujicic to invite online viewers to receive Jesus as Lord, along with scores of people inside the stadium who stood up to express their desire to accept Him.
Vujicic is married with four children and, by the time he was 40, had preached the gospel to 433 million people. He’s written several books that proclaim the good news of salvation through Jesus, including “Life Without Limbs.”
“I want to tell you that I love you,” Vujicic told the Texas audience—a mix of Gen Z, older people and several ministry collaborators including One Voice Student Ministries, Awaken The Dawn, UPPERROOM Dallas and Lou Engle Ministries.
Besides his salvation by Jesus Christ, Vujicic told the crowd that his wife and four children—who also attended Gen Z For Jesus—are gifts he dared to believe for, despite people’s opinions that he wouldn’t amount to anything, much less marry and start a family.
“As beautiful as it is when we talk about different things, especially when we talk about revival, we must be careful to make sure that we are talking about the same basic thing,” said Vujicic, who doesn’t pray for revival in America.
Instead, he intercedes for the bride of Christ to follow the clear job description contained within the Bible.
For example, even if America repents for the 77 million babies that were killed under Roe v. Wade, “there are another—and I’m going to estimate—300 sins of our country,” Vujicic said.
“When you understand there are Christians who come here, raise their hands but have forgotten basic things like breaking addictions, you realize they are self-justifying,” he told the multi-generational audience. Watch Gen Z For Jesus here: (75) Live at Gen Z for Jesus 2022 – YouTube.
Christians must understand that, in praying for revival fire, they already possess knowledge, understanding, wisdom and discernment from God to start one.
“We sometimes want God to move in our country, but we have not gathered dry wood, doused it with kerosene or got a lighter. We don’t read our Bibles, we say the “F” word and we sleep with our girlfriends or boyfriends,” he told Gen Z—people born between the years 1997 and 2012.
When an Islamic believer asks a Christian, ‘Why is it that your God is different than my god?’ he or she doesn’t always know the answer, Vujicic lamented.
“The basics of starting a fire to reach eight billion people is you telling someone how God—the God of love—allows bad things to happen to good people, rather than just inviting them to church or offering prayer.
“That’s not enough,” Vujicic added. “Some of us don’t actually know what we believe. Some of us need to go back to the basics.”
The bride of Christ, if doing what Jesus commands, looks like Christians who don’t gossip, Vujicic gave as an example.
“If you’re a Christian, then you need to tell someone the truth in love. When someone asks you something and you don’t know the truth, then find out,” Vujicic said.
In returning to the basics, Christians should understand spiritual warfare but stop blaming everything on a spirit—a spirit of suicide, depression, death or fear.
“That’s false. There’s a table with God on one side and the devil on the other. The devil will say, ‘Be anxious. You’re ugly and alone. God doesn’t love you, and He’s not with you. You’re always going to be depressed.’
“That’s not a spirit of depression; that’s the devil,” Vujicic said.
Sometimes noted for suicide and depression, Gen Z will find answers to these problems in the Bible.
“When someone’s suicidal you can pray, but do you know what’s really good? Ask ‘why are you thinking of giving up?'” Vujicic said.
Vujicic often quotes Psalm 139 which reads, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
When the devil tells him he can’t do something, Vujicic quotes Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Often, Muslims, Buddhists, Shintoists and atheists tell Vujicic, “You have no arms or legs and you have a smile. How did you get that smile?”
“I say, ‘Let me tell you a story. My history is His story; now I’m going to tell you His story.”
Other basics include the church adopting unwanted babies and providing homes for kids in foster care.
“Make sure that you’re trained to go out and preach the gospel, too. That’s why I love this gathering,” Vujicic said. {eoa}
Steve Rees is a former general assignment reporter who, with one other journalist, first wrote about the national men’s movement Promise Keepers from his home in Colorado. Rees and Promise Keepers founder Bill McCartney attended the Boulder Vineyard. Today Rees writes in his free time.
