"Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."
I Timothy 4:12
Jesus himself was only 30 when he started his ministry. Timothy was a key leader as a young adult. King Josiah reformed Israel at 26. Martin Luther started the reformation at 34. John Calvin wrote the Institutes at 25. George Whitefield helped start the Great Awakening at 24. CT Studd shocked England by giving away his vast inheritance and becoming a missionary at 25. Evan Roberts started the Welsh revival at 26. The Asbury College Revival was begun by college students. The Jesus Movement saw thousands if not millions of people come to Christ, most under 25. Much of the church planting going on in our country that seems to be bringing a quiet revival is being led by young people.
Don't be discouraged, my younger brothers and sisters, but show us what it looks like when Christ is at work through his church!
1 comment:
Dear Pastor Paul,
I am thankful for your comments and words of encouragement, especially quoting 1 Timothy. On behalf of myself and other young people, I'd wish to point something out from our perspective: That is, having encouragement that others have done great things at/around our ages is wonderful, and your charge at the end of your post is truly inspiring for some (myself included), but often it's a lack of vision and mission that pursued us to be discouraged. Often times we lack purpose and direction. We know that it is possible through God to do great things... but how do we know when it is our time to make a large impact on others, like those great young people you mentioned in your post? Furthermore, what does it look like to pursue this motivational change, and how do we gauge it? I think that often times we are told we can do anything, but that can be a hindrance because we don't know where to start, or know if we're even doing anything of use.
Highest regards,
Seth
Post a Comment