When Jesus Steals the Show
WELCOME to Issue #302 of The Seedhead from Alex and Hannah at Dandelion Resourcing
- a weekly confidence booster to help you step into naturally supernatural discipleship and mission!
Why Gen Z and Gen Alpha
respond to encounters with God
A quick note: Alex was recently asked to write a short piece for a group of high-level leaders, and we thought you would enjoy it too. Fair warning, though: it is challenging!
This year we’ve had a number of invitations to equip teens to hear God's voice, and something beautiful and unexpected keeps happening.
After showing how hearing God’s voice is rooted deeply in Scripture and sharing some ways to recognize when Jesus speaks, we walk teens through some simple activation exercises. By the end, almost everyone has received, and often shared, words of encouragement and life from the Lord. You can feel the excitement and joy in the room, sometimes accompanied by tears of amazement.
Now comes the fascinating part. After being challenged by several youth pastors, we’ve then begun offering an invitation to those who are not yet saved to commit to Christ, and we’re seeing numerous real salvations take place.
It seems that personally experiencing the voice and presence of Jesus is tipping many young people into receiving Him as Savior and Lord.
Experience as an Entry Point
Mixing prophetic encounters with evangelism isn’t just a passing strategy built on sociological insights.
The New Testament insists that our best witness is an intentional mix of demonstration and declaration.
Jesus repeatedly sent the disciples to heal the sick, drive out demons, and proclaim the Kingdom at the same time (e.g., Matthew 10:7-8, Mark 6:12-13, Luke 10:1-11).
Acts records around 20 occasions when naturally supernatural actions by the disciples directly grew the church (e.g., 5:12-14, 9:35, 9:41-42, 13:12).
It should therefore come as no surprise that lost people are often wide open to authentic spiritual experiences.
Sociologists tell us that Gen Z and the emerging Gen Alpha are the most experience-driven generations we've seen, which certainly tracks. Jordan Biere at Alpha USA commented to us that young people frequently experience the thief described by Jesus in John 10:10. However, once the room fills with the presence of Jesus, they say, “I want THIS!” So the invitation to follow His presence in the room is an easy one.
It’s then important to give young people an actionable step to embrace Christ’s mission. This generation wants to do something with what they’re experiencing, to find ways to live differently, to test it out for themselves. The challenge for us as leaders is that our instinct is to make them do multiple training classes first! Yet if Gen Z and Alpha operate differently, we need to be effective missionaries and adjust our strategies.
The enemy might later say to a teen, “That was just an emotional moment, you were being manipulated!” But if that young person has immediately been pointed to go and live this in their place of mission, they will become deeply dependent on Jesus. We need to intentionally activate them to be led by the Spirit into the mission field from day 1.
Why We Miss It
Most leaders simply don’t trust the presence of the Spirit.
This leads to the preaching of a powerless gospel, where we rely on human wisdom rather than the power of God (by contrast, notice Paul’s apologetic in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5).
Even if we say we value God’s presence, we rarely slow down enough to give young people, and everyone else, the chance to recognise the voice of God. Are we actually discipling Gen Z and Gen Alpha in the skill of hearing Jesus speak? Or are we more interested in scratching our teaching itch by talking at them for 95% of the time?
As we consider how we are to reach this generation with the Gospel, we need to create spaces where they can experience God’s love for themselves in naturally supernatural ways. For instance, we should become communities where the sick are healed, demonic oppression is broken, generosity explodes, mission is constant, and prophetic direction is a given.
As leaders, we must trade control for obedience, and predictability for risk. We don't manage the Spirit - we follow Him.
The presence of God is the attraction.
His gifts are the method, not a bonus feature.
Let’s stop acting as if our words are more impactful and anointed than His.
Next Steps
Observe: Where are the young people in your context already hungry for spiritual encounter, and are you giving them any real space to find it?
Cut 10: Identify one upcoming gathering. Cut 10 minutes of content and replace it with waiting on the Spirit, through initial silence and then prayer ministry. See what happens.
Name your fear: If leading naturally supernatural spaces makes you nervous, say so out loud - to God, to a trusted friend, to your team. Then do something about it.
Be honest: Are you actually discipling people in the skill of hearing Jesus speak? Or are you just teaching them facts about a God they've never met?
With love,
Alex + Hannah
ALEX AND HANNAH ABSALOM
