'Let's Not Sacrifice the Gospel for Coolness': Greg Laurie on Reaching America's Next Generation

Greg Laurie has become one of the most well-known preachers in America. He's the founder of Harvest Crusade and Harvest America and the pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, but the well-known faith leader wasn't always a believer. In fact, his early years were characterized by a lack of faith, drugs and generally moving in the "wrong direction."

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Laurie, author of the new book, Jesus Revolution: How God Transformed an Unlikely Generation and How He Can Do It Again Today, recently appeared on PureFlix.com's "Pure Talk" to reveal his spiritual journey — and his quest to reach youths with the Gospel.

"I was a 17-year-old kid. I was using drugs every single day. I was going in the wrong direction in my life," he said, noting that he stumbled upon a Bible study one day on the lawn of his high school, and it changed everything. "I sat down close enough to eavesdrop on what was being said."

That's when Laurie heard someone proclaim a truth that stuck with him: "Jesus said, 'You're for me, or against me.'" The statement struck him and he wondered, "Am I against Jesus?" He was so moved that he decided to embrace Christ that very day.

Read more about Greg Laurie on The Christian Post.