Tattoos and Tennis Shoes: Reaching This Generation for Jesus

By Matt Upchurch

God uses Matt Upchurch, an evangelist and pastor with a heart to see revival across America, to preach the Gospel message to this generation. Matt is passionate about reaching people who are struggling with drug addictions,
who have been hurt by religion, and those with tattoos and body piercings who feel uncomfort

• Language: English
• Publisher: Matt Upchurch Ministries
• Release date: Aug 25, 2017
• ISBN: 9781633082816

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Skateboarders and Scholars

But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

Matthew 23:13

We lived about three miles outside of town in Missouri one summer in a predominantly Pentecostal denomination area. A knock at our door revealed three men standing on the front porch. They had a glow about them, and immediately I knew these were church folk . I had grown up in church and recognized the Holy Spirit in them. As they gave me an invite to their church, little did they know that God had already been speaking to me, calling me back. I was in a backslidden state, so I agreed to attend one of their services. I knew I needed to go back to church and answer God’s call on my life. As a result, many things happened that I want to share with you.

As I look back on my church experiences, a major theme threads through them: The church people in general, and leaders in particular, always tried to mold me and make me conform to what they thought I should be. It could have possibly been due to their traditions, or maybe they just lacked wisdom from the Holy Spirit. Nowadays, evangelicals would identify this trend as The Religious Spirit.

Much to my surprise and great relief, Jesus had a whole lot to say to people who enforced religious laws that were concocted by humans but not found in the Bible. Throughout the Gospels, we read of incidents in which the Pharisees accused and murmured against Jesus, and rebuked Him for communing with common sinners. Jesus did not run from the hypocrites. Instead He confronted them. But He never went on His own accord, but only did what the Father told Him to do. I’m sure the churches I went to thought they were doing God a service by cleaning me up. However, whatever cleaning up I needed was the Spirit’s work.

Never clean fish before you catch them.

It never works. I realize now God put me in some situations to reveal what my calling and ministry would be in the Kingdom. My wife and family were extremely different than the people in the places where God seemed to put us. Instead of embracing our differences, people tried to change us. God put my wife and me in churches where we didn’t fit in, and we did our share of complaining about it to one another. But I believe God had us suffer this rejection to reveal this revelation:

Wherever God finds skateboarders and scholars worshipping together in unity, you can be sure a harvest of souls is sure to come through those doors.

We were in what was probably a Holiness Pentecostal-type church one Sunday evening, and God’s Spirit was moving on His people. There was no denomination sign over the door, but most of the women attending wore dresses. The pastor’s wife came and sat down beside my wife, and I listened to the following conversation and had a hard time believing what I heard. It went like this:

Pastor’s wife: Do you wear dresses?

Amanda (my wife): No, I don’t.

Pastor’s wife: Why not?

Amanda: I guess I’ve just never felt comfortable in dresses.

Pastor’s wife: Would you wear a dress?

Amanda: Probably not, I just don’t wear dresses.

Pastor’s wife: Are you just refusing to wear one?

Amanda: No, I’m not refusing, I just don’t wear dresses. I’m more comfortable in jeans.

Pastor’s wife: If we buy you a dress? Would you wear one?

Amanda: No, Sorry, probably not.

Pastor’s wife: What size dress do you wear? We will buy you one.

Amanda:" I’m not sure what size I wear in dresses, so I wouldn’t know, but I’m fine. I really don’t