Back in Serge’s day, long before CTF Records released Rebranded—a program used to share the gospel through multimedia—he had to share the gospel on foot.
At times with suicidal people, on mission trips across America.
“My mother died last night. My apartment is right there,” pointed a man in tears after Serge and friends told him they were in Denver to share the gospel. “I was thinking of how can I shoot myself in the head without getting my brains on the wall. Tell me something about Jesus.”
Nineteen-year-old Serge and his friends did. They talked him out of committing suicide and prayed with him to become a Christian. They did such for six months, preaching the gospel sometimes one-on-one and other times to anyone within earshot. The group began their trip from California to Florida with a whopping $20.
They made it, though, and only needed to sleep outside twice. Serge rapped about the trip on the song “Bearing the Name” off his album Off Season. The song features Oscar Urbina, a CTF label mate and theology teacher who’s also on Rebranded.
Serge studied apologetics for five weeks before the trip. The knowledge he gained in training and passion that blossomed on the trip allowed him to be effective on the project CTF dropped this month, Rebranded.
To release it, the record label partnered with OneHope, an international ministry that Serge and CTF CEO Gus Cruz work for. Rebranded includes nine songs that tell Biblical stories, five of which are by Serge, and a video testimony which correlates with each song. Their goal is to use the language of urban youth, hip hop, to help underprivileged children memorize scripture.
CTF detailed the goal of Rebranded in a promotional video.
“At the end of the day, the biggest social justice is not feeding the homeless. The biggest justice is not building houses. It’s really transforming the hearts of children through the gospel,” Cruz told Rapzilla. “The gospel is the biggest social justice. The only way we can stop violence, drug activity and gang activity is if we bring the gospel to the kids.”
The same kids who Serge dropped everything for years prior.
Click here to receive “Rebranded’s” multimedia curriculum.
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