1. Who and why? 1 Timothy 4:12 - “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example
of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” (KJV)
Examples:
a. evil: Communist or Nazi movements
b. good: David Brainerd, Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, and Jim Eliot, Joan of Arc, Clara of
Assisi, St. Francis, Brigit of Kildare, Saint Patrick
A. Main Text:
Joshua 1:1-11 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the
son of Nun, Moses' assistant, "Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people,
into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I
have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river
Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man
shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave
you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers
to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded
you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the
Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according
to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not
commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever
you go." And Joshua commanded the officers of the people, "Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people,
'Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land That
the LORD your God is giving you to possess.'"
B. Each of us here has a Moses in our lives, a leader or mentor who went to the line for us.
C. What would happen if all the Christian Goths, Punks, Sk8ers, and outcasts turned to the
Lord?
Esther 4:14(b), “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Jesus Movement : Barry McGuirer “This is the answer to the Eve of Distuction. It is more
real to me today, because then I was singing looking forward in faith, now I sing looking backward in absolute reality, this
is the Truth because I have lived it for 25 years.” and Tommie Coomes “We learned something. People were
just afraid, they did not know God could move on a subculture like this.”
David Dellman told us at the first gathering back in 2004, “Today, God is pouring His Spirit
out on the Goths. Again the Church is saying, ‘That’s impossible. These people are dark and strange and not at
all the image of what God wants’” David continued,“God loves to do the impossible, to challenge the
expectations and rigid restrictions of His people. Today, God is pouring His Spirit on the darkness of all subcultures. God
is redeeming the subculture itself as well as the people in it, and we have the privilege of being part of this great awakening.”
D. These are not days to be fearful, to worry over the giants in the land, for our God shall
go with us.
We are those who dwell in the shaddowlands. We are those who have tasted of suffering, the pain,
the loneliness, and the sorrow of our people. Isaiah 53: 3-5. “3 He is despised and rejected of
men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed
him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him;
and with his stripes we are healed.”
E. These shaddowlands are our inheritance. As it says in Joshua
1:3(a), “Every place that the sole of your feet shall tread upon, I have given unto you as an inheritance.”
New Orleans: Morria: I remember well, back in the summer
of 2001 as I was walking the beautiful streets of New Orleans, I was talking with Sonshine, the first Christian Goth I had
ever met. Now I knew Goths, but I had been told, “You cant wear all black and serve God.” All at once,
my heart was burning with in me. I was praying this verse as the cry of my heart. Right there, on the brick streets of Voxie
Carrie, my calling was born. That passion has yet to die.
Rebv: “When I was 20, I headed out for New Orleans with just enough money to get down there.
I lived for 3 months in my van. During that time, I ended up hanging out with the homeless and street people. Back then, I
never thought that God would usethat, for the ministry I do today on the streets of Wichita.”
Example: Bread and Water Bottle
With just Garlic Bread, Water, and Bibles, Rebv takes the Word to the streets of Wichita. He spends his Saturdays fellowshipping,
praying, and just being a friend to the homeless.
When God is calling He is equipping. When He is equipping, He is preparing. When He is preparing,
He is sanctifying.
F. Our Gothic, Punk, Sk8er siblings are waiting for us. They are seeking for the spiritual, they
just don’t know what they seek is what we have! Hebrews 4:15-16 “15 For we have not an high
priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without
sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in
time of need.”
G. Our God is with us, and as we stand for Him… no one in this realm or the spiritual
realm will be able to stand against us!
We are in good company. I am sure there is noone here in this place, that when, as subculture believers, you have gone
to witness, to work at churches, to reach the lost of our people, has not suffered some form of persecution. Matt.
5:11-12 “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil
against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted
they the prophets which were before you.”
I Peter 2:21 “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us,leaving us
an example, that ye should follow in his steps:”
Samuel Meadows: “It’s plan as day that the Lord is really moving on this generation of
youth. I see youth who are ready to take off. They’re not lukewarm; they’re on fire. … And I believe the
fire is spreading, and that is what is going to release the revival in this land. … He is calling them to be His disciples.
Who are willing to go through hard times with Jesus and for Jesus. … Once the youth start, what is going to stop them?
… God is calling the youth to go far and beyond what they have seen. … The youth have the heart and the capability
to do it. You’ve seen how they dress. It scares you half to death sometimes. ‘What are they wearing?!?!’
THAT is the boldness that God has put in this generation. Grant it; it is scary sometimes. But once God gets a hold of them,
it is awesome!”
2. We are in a battle. When the Lord gave this mission to Joshua, the land was not empty of people.
The goth movement was born back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Before us today we do truly have a third generation
of Goths. There are Baby Boomers who are Goths, there are GenXer’s who are Goths, and there are Millennials, like me,
who are Goths.
A. What kind of battle are we in? A Spiritual one!
Isaiah 59: 16-17 “He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his
own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him. 17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet
of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.”
B. We must have a warriors mentality in this:
* Pursuing a common mission.
* Dedicating our whole lives.
* Seeking what is absolutely necessary.
* Finding courage vital.
* Having effect weapons to win the war.
* Knowing perpetration is key to not only surviving but also winning.
* Gathering fellow warriors.
* Focusing on the people, productiveness, and leadership, aimed at winning.
* Giving our time voluntarily for the good of our follow warriors.
* Regarding hardships as a soldier, including life threatening trials and persecutions.
* Facing real enemies.
John Eldridge say in Waking the Dead: “The world in which we live is a combat zone,
a violent clash of kingdoms, a bitter struggle unto the death. I’m sorry if I’m the one to brake this news to
you: you were born into a world at war, and you will live your days in the midst a great battle, involving all the forces
of heaven and hell and played out here on earth. … Until we come to terms with war as the context of our days will not
understand life. We will misinterpret 90% of what is happening around us and to us.”
C. How are we to respond to this?
Ephesians 6:13-18 “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil
day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate
of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances
take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and
supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.”
Truth: the unconcealed Truth of God. Righteousness: being made right before God. The Gospel
of Peace: the good message of Christ’s eternal peace. Faith: reliance upon Christ for Salvation.
Salvation: our rescue from sins. The Sword of the Spirit: the spoken word of God. Prayer:
to worship and make requests of God. These are our weapons in this war!
D. How real is this war?
Lebanon and Indonesia: Death to convert from Islam.
Littleton, CO:
Sonshine: The trench coat mafia that everyone was so afraid of was not really Eric and Dylan;
they were just people who hung out with the members. What was the trench coat mafia really? It was a bunch of Christian Goths,
Punks, and outsiders, who were reaching out. How did Sonshine know this? She graduated Columbine High School in 2001, and
was part of the mafia herself. In fact, Cassie , who was killed, was part of Sonshine’s band “Ska da be Christ”.
The Sunday Night before April 20th, 1999, Sonshine took Eric and Dylan to church with her. Someone spoke on youth,
and killings, and the boys went up for prayer…in tears. Only Sonshine and her pastor prayed with them. April 20th
dawned, a normal day. Cassie left for school with her typical bead necklace and black velvet doc martins on. No one knew when
she said “Yes.” to if she believed in God, it would be the last thing she said. Even fewer people know
that Dylan stopped Eric from killing a young woman. Dylan was telling Eric that they should stop, that it was wrong, and that
they were killing their friends when Eric killed him. Then Eric’s last words were, “Oh, my God, I just killed
my best friend! Forgive me!” That was a real battle for real souls, and who knows for sure in the end, if Dylan
and Eric were repentant, and if we will see them again? Only God knows the heart.
Amish Girls: Killed in the safety of their school.
E. What do we have to fear?!?
Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate
us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Jim Eliot: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
This day, in this host of people, we are to prepare ourselves. Tomorrow we leave to return to our daily lives, out there,
beyond this fellowship. The Lord is with us, the fields are ripe for harvest! Let us go with boldness, let us go with fire,
let us go out like the Joshuas we are! It is time to take the land! It is time to bring our people into the kingdom! So it
is, and so we shall DO! AMEN!
~ Morria Giolla
