Don't Scroll

Evangelism in the Digital Age

Brian Barcelona

• Publisher: Chosen Books
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9780800762445
• eBook ISBN: 9781493437177
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Ministry

The Method Has Changed, the Message Has Not.

After twelve years of ministering to students on public campuses, Brian Barcelona's world turned upside down when public schools shut down in March 2020. He wondered if his ministry was over until two teenagers challenged him to minister using his smartphone and digital platforms--methods he had no idea how to use effectively.

With passion and humility, Brian shares the incredible story of how God helped him go from reaching thousands of students locally to preaching to over five million globally each month. He gives practical tips and best practices from his and others' experiences on how you, too, can instantly reach more people than you ever thought possible, leading others in salvation, healing, deliverance and even baptisms digitally! 

Don't Scroll is the inspiring how-to manual for powerfully sharing the Gospel using the digital tools already in your hands, as well as the heart and language for what Jesus is doing in this generation. 

"I have seen firsthand the fruit of what this ministry does. I recommend anyone to read and live out what this book entails."--NICK VUJICIC, New York Times bestselling author

"May this book open our eyes and break our hearts afresh for Generation Z and give us bold faith to believe for the Gospel to save millions."--BRIAN "HEAD" WELCH, New York Times bestselling author

1
Jesus Is for Everyone

There was a buzz on the East Los Angeles high school campus. The week before, the Jesus Club had announced a free giveaway of the expensive Dre Beat headphones. As the lunch bell rang, we opened the doors to the gymnasium. This was the gym that a year prior God had told me He would fill with His presence.

As the doors flung open, hundreds of kids poured in. These were kids from different religions, economic backgrounds and nationalities. But they all had one thing in common: their Creator was waiting to have an encounter with them.

As we started the meeting, I did what I have done many other times. I began to preach with passion and faith. I spoke about the Gospel of Jesus Christ—the value of each person, the price Jesus paid, how Jesus defeated sin and how He now offers a new way of living.

As the time grew near for us to end the meeting, I knew that the kids were anxious for the giveaway we had promised. After all, these Dre Beat headphones were worth hundreds of dollars. Who would not want to walk away with them? We only had one pair. So as the time was coming near to close, I stopped my message and said, “Who would like these free headphones?”

As expected, the crowd erupted with kids waving their hands in hopes that I would pick them. What they did not know was that I had taken the headphones out of the box and wrapped the empty box. After asking the crowd who wanted it, I grabbed this empty box and placed it in the middle of the gymnasium. These students got ready to jump out of their bleachers to run down.

As they expected, I said, “On the count of three, the first one to come down here and grab these headphones is going to get to walk home with them today.” Before I even began to count, kids began to get out of their bleachers.

I said, “No, you need to sit down. On the count of three, the first one up here gets these.” I knew in that moment the kids were going to lose their dignity. No one was going to care how they looked because there was something that they wanted.

I counted slowly, “One. Two. Three.”

As soon as I said three, a kid who was in a gang and sitting in the front row stood up. When he stood up, everyone else sat down. With the slow walk that most gangsters have, he walked to the middle of the gym and picked up the box. I followed him with the mic in my hand and faith in my heart that God was about to do something special.

Into the microphone, I asked him to do me one favor. I asked him to open the box in front of everybody. And like a kid on Christmas, he ripped open the paper—only to find that the box was empty.

With a disappointed face, he said in front of the whole gymnasium, “This box is empty.” He did not realize that he had set himself up for a great explanation of the Gospel.

I replied, “You’re right. It is empty, just like your life. Without Christ you’re a nicely packaged box, but you have nothing inside. Although everything may look good on the outside, you’re empty on the inside.”

The crowd began to make noise as though they could not believe what I had just said to this guy. I quickly said to one of my team members, “Bring me the headphones.” She brought me the headphones, and I handed them to him.

He replied, “Are these real?”

I said, “Of course they’re real. But I have two questions for you before you sit down.”

I asked him, “Do you know me?”

He replied, “No.”

“Do you deserve these headphones?” Now, that second question I asked him probably made him think a little bit more. He possibly pondered the many mistakes he had made in his life and the things he was not proud of.

He responded, “No. I don’t deserve these.”

I pulled the mic back to my mouth quickly and said, “That’s just like the love of God. You don’t know Him, you don’t deserve His love, but He wants to give it to you anyway.”

I handed him the headphones, and he took his seat. I knew at this moment that God was about to do something special. His presence filled that gym. And through this simple example, people understood that the gift of God—salvation—was available for them. They understood that knowing God prior or deserving His love were not qualifications for receiving salvation.

With boldness I yelled into the mic, “If you walked into this room and you’ve never received Christ, there is a free gift of salvation today. You may have walked in here broken, but you can leave healed. You may have walked in here depressed, but you can be set free.” As I looked at the crowd, I could see hope in their eyes.

I said, “If you’ve never received Christ and you would like to, on the count of three I want you to stand. Do not bow your heads or close your eyes on the greatest decision you’re going to make.”

And as I did before when I counted for them to run up and get the headphones, I counted to three for them to come and receive a gift that would not break, that would not rust and that would not become outdated or old. This was a gift that was given, a gift that was slain before the foundations of the earth. This was the gift of Jesus. As I began to count, my heart began to pound. Would they respond?

“One. Two. Three.”

As I said three, the response of the room was not what I expected. Nobody stood up. But it was not because they were not compelled or eager to receive this gift of Jesus. It was as if they were waiting to see who would go first. It seemed as if only after that first person would stand that they would have permission.

The long silence was finally broken by the gang member who had received the headphones. As he stood up and began to make his way toward me, he was joined quickly by more than four hundred others. I remember the sound of hundreds of shoes thundering the bleachers as kids came down. They circled me, and together we prayed the prayer of faith—an invitation for Jesus to be Lord and Savior in their lives and for them to follow Him wholeheartedly.

That day many were added to the Body of Christ. Jesus became available for anyone who was willing to follow Him. Why? Because the Gospel is for everyone.

From Darkness to Light

Have you ever wondered what it looks like in the spiritual realm when a soul comes out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of light?

On earth, we see it in the form of someone choosing to follow Jesus through an altar call or a personal prayer proclaiming Jesus as Savior and Lord. But since God created both the visible and the invisible, that transaction must be one of the greatest spiritual battle scenes in world history. When the disciples went out, preached and then came back to Jesus excited about what they had seen, Jesus said, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning” (Luke 10:18). Jesus responded to their natural actions of preaching and casting out demons with something that took place in the spirit realm. He pointed out that Satan’s domain fell as the Gospel went forth.

Every time someone chooses to follow Jesus, his or her choice extends much further than words that are whispered in a prayer. As weak as our yes is, it is still a yes to God. This yes breaks the hold of the ancient demonic realm that has been here from the beginning of time. In a moment, we become seated with Christ in high places (see Ephesians 2:6).

In a moment, we are grafted into the family of God. In a moment, we become kings and priests. We who were once sinners and enemies of God are now His friends. The heavenly Father rescues us from the domain of darkness and transfers us into the Kingdom of His beloved Son (see Colossians 1:13).

I love that the Bible paints for us this picture of salvation as an epic rescue moment from the kingdom and domain of darkness. In the natural, however, it could be as simple and as powerful as a few stories that I will share with you.

The message I want you to get is that Jesus is for everyone, and He comes to people in many ways. Whether you or a person you love comes from a background of atheism or another religion, there is hope. Jesus loves you and welcomes you to come to Him.

I have seen Jesus meet people in public high schools, in church services, at skate parks, in restaurants, and, in the past two years, on TikTok and Instagram. He meets people where they are and however they need to experience Him.

God’s methods change consistently. He is not boxed into a system or a particular method. If we understand this, we will understand why He is now moving using digital platforms. The stories you will read in this book are all unique. They are from people who come from totally different lives, backgrounds and cultures. What is the common theme? Jesus is for everyone! Even a child can encounter almighty God.

Let the Little Children Come

When, Zoe, my oldest, was three, she hopped into the car excited about something that had happened earlier in the day.

“Dad, you will not believe what happened today. I had so much fear. When I told Mommy, she said Jesus would take away my fear if I would give my life to Him.” This is true, of course, since perfect love casts out fear (see 1 John 4:18).

I said, “Go on. What happened?” With great joy, Zoe began to tell me how she had asked Jesus into her heart and that she wanted to follow Him. She talked about this decision so simply, not really realizing what had happened. She did not understand that she had been ripped from the kingdom of hell and welcomed into the Kingdom of light.

As she told me this, my heart nearly burst with joy.

I said, “That’s amazing! You’ll never regret giving your life to Jesus. I’m so proud of you. Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you.”

For those of you who would ask, “How can a child know of the decision they are making?” remember that salvation has little to do with your mind and much to do with your heart. There is a reason you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. But nowhere does that verse say that your mind plays a part in your salvation. Jesus welcomes the young and innocent who come to Him in simplicity and faith.

As I spoke with Zoe, I could not help recalling when I was her age. Memories flooded my mind as I tried to recall one godly moment from my childhood, but I could not think of any. I only remembered experiencing depression and sadness. I could only think of the times I had sat in a corner screaming, angry at all the things I had grown up seeing. I remembered the times when I wanted to end my life, because I thought everything was my fault. I recalled the period around age fifteen when I spent time in a hospital because I stopped eating and developed anorexia. My life had been very different from Zoe’s. I did not grow up with an ideal home situation.

Godless and Broken

Before I share my story, I want to say that my father and mother were young and did their best. Today they are both amazing, changed and loving parents who have grown so much, and I honor them. Most of what I went through as a child was because our home was godless and broken.

I was a surprise to everyone but God. My mom was fifteen, and my dad was a few years older. When they found out my mom was pregnant, from what I have been told, they were both terrified to tell their parents, because they did not know how they would react. That fear was so strong that they ran away from San Jose, California, to Anaheim, California, nearly six hours away by car.

My mom told me that they loaded up my dad’s blue Ford truck with his camper shell on the back and just drove. They did not tell anyone they were leaving. When they arrived, my parents had no money and no place but the camper shell to live. Being the hard worker that he is, my dad got a job at a grocery store working night shifts while my mom slept in the car.

What I remember the most from my childhood is my parents fighting, the anger, the yelling and the times when I felt worthless. I did not have a godly father or mother at that time. I do not ever remember feeling safe. And I thought my parents’ situation was my fault. After all, if I had not been born, they would not have been in all this trouble.

My younger brother came into the world, but that was still not enough to get my parents to love each other. After all, they were missing the One who is love.

Although my family was majorly dysfunctional and full of brokenness, it still was my family. I dreamed of my dad and mom getting along and loving my brother and me. Somewhere deep inside the kid who would cry himself to sleep was a small flame of hope that having a normal family was possible.

But things only got worse. When I was nine, after many years of seeing my parents not getting along, they decided to get a divorce.

Divorce, no matter the reason, destroys. Among its many casualties are the children. I am not saying that you should remain in a bad home situation if you are in one, but the moment a divorce happens, everything within a child that dreamed of change, every ounce of hope that they would have a normal life, and every bit of faith for a loving home is gone.

To think that divorce does not affect children too much could not be further from the truth. It does not simply affect children; it destroys them. And although these words seem very strong, this was the reality of my life before Christ. It is important that you understand that truth as you read this, because this has been what has kept me in the faith all these years. I am thankful for where Jesus has brought me, but I am more grateful for what He has taken me out of.

The word divorce ripped all hope from my life. What seemed like years of court battles quickly shifted everything I knew. Finally, my dad won the court case, and the every-other-weekend cycle began. If you do not know what that term means, that is when a child’s parents become divorced. and the child sees one of his or her parents every other weekend.

Through a series of unfortunate events and lies, I found myself no longer believing that my mom loved me. I did not see or hear from her for five years. That was from the ages of ten to fifteen.

Fast-forward—I am fifteen and am hanging out with the wrong crowd. While at an event with my friends, I ran into someone I did not expect to see. It was Lupe, my old babysitter.

“Your mom has been looking for you!” Lupe told me. “She’s been sending cards and calling.” As she said that, I could not recall one call or card in those five years.

“Lupe,” I said, “let me call my mom.” And although I was nervous because we had not spoken in so long, I felt a wave of emotions. Anger, confusion, but deep down inside I wanted to know if this was true. Did my mom really want to talk to me and see me? Because what I had heard was the complete opposite.

As the phone rang, it was as if the world around me slowed down. I was about to hear the voice of my mom for the first time in five years, and she was about to hear mine....

Table of contents

• Cover
• Endorsements
• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction
• 1. Jesus Is for Everyone
• 2. Live with No Plan B
• 3. When God Looks Different
• 4. Digital Missions
• 5. What Is the Gospel?
• 6. Long-Term Evangelism
• 7. The Rules Have Changed
• 8. The Word of Your Testimony
• 9. Character to Carry the Call
• 10. Decentralized and Unified
• Afterword
• Acknowledgments
• Appendix: How to Lead Someone to Christ
• Notes
• About the Author
• Back Ad
• Back Cover