EVANGELISM
In 1963, Martin Luther King made his historic ‘I have a dream’ speech on racial equality. Who could have believed that in January 2009 this dream would have become a reality to such an extent that a black man would be taking up the American presidency?
Now, I don’t claim to be in King’s league, but I too have a dream. I dream that one day every young person in Britain will meet with Jesus. When Roy Crowne took over leading Youth for Christ, the ministry was taking good news to ‘some’ young people in Britain. By the time he passed the mantle on to me this year, YFC was impacting ‘many more’ young people’s lives with the power of the Gospel. By 2015, I would like to hope that we are ‘taking the good news of Jesus to most young people in Great Britain’ and I dream that by the year 2020, every single young person will have had the opportunity to respond to the message of Christ.
I don’t know what you think when you hear my dream; whether it makes you want to laugh or whether you secretly long for the same, but whatever your response, I am confident that with our God the impossible doesn’t just become possible, it can become probable.
There is no reason to doubt God’s ability to make this dream come true, because when Jesus takes hold of a life He transforms it in an instant. When you see a deeply troublesome kid suddenly responding to the Gospel, and then the youth leader breaks down in tears (they never dreamt God would touch that member of their group) you are reminded again of the powerful, awesome presence of our Lord. When you try to raise your voice to speak over the noise and mayhem of young people filling a marquee with their chaos – who would expect over half of them to respond to Christ – suddenly silent and kneeling as they acknowledge their Father?
One of the things that encourages me is that so many of these young people are not only being transformed by God, but then they quickly go and get their friends -intent on sharing their faith with them. Something powerful happens at that age. Just consider the Christian heroes who were converted as teenagers: Charles Spurgeon (aged 15), George Whitefield (16), William Booth (15), Amy Carmichael (15) and Billy Graham (17); each one changing their surroundings for Jesus. Coupled with that is the fact that according to organisation Christian Research, 75% of Christians come to faith before the age of 20. If Britain is ever to really change, then it will almost certainly happen through a mighty move of God among young people. Let’s not just rely on young people to share Jesus, but as the Church let’s follow their example and take youth evangelism seriously.
A while ago, I met four wonderful ladies (all in their 90s) desperate to see the young people of their town reached for Jesus. They felt they had nothing to offer but we talked about the great needs of young people and I encouraged them to reach out. They bravely set up a youth group for those aged 11-14 arranging to meet once a week. Six months later, I was thrilled to receive a letter from one of the ladies saying that there were now thirty young people coming to their youth group on a Thursday evening. These old ladies prove it doesn’t matter what your age is: anyone can bridge that gap. It just takes a heart of compassion for young people and a desire to see the church have a future.
It is often said that one person’s challenge is another person’s opportunity. Where someone else would see a closed door, I want to see an open one. I dream that we as the Church in Great Britain can find a way to work together in local communities, in schools, in prisons, and in as many places as possible to reach every young person, no matter what their background, or special need, or country of origin. I would love to see all major denominations and church groupings affirming evangelism, as strongly as they do the nurture of Christians. We need more people with a heart and passion to reach a lost generation – and opportunities for them to do it. If every young person is going to hear the Good news, every Church needs to reach out and provide an environment where young people can come in and find significant relationships. I have a dream; will you join me in believing it can become a reality?