Musings: Steve's Articles

Thinking Big: Training for the Future Through Transformation in the Present

It’s a common refrain heard in churches throughout the world – the young people are our future. This is undoubtedly true. Long after most of us have gone, our young people will remain to shine God’s light into this dark world. This, however, is an incomplete picture. They are not only the future, our youth are also integral members of the present. They are our future precisely because they are part of our present.

In fact, if our desire is to see our youth be people of influence for the glory of God way into the future, we need to train and equip them to be that now. This is what JAMA as a ministry strives towards as we join with, and serve the Churches. We long and pray for the day when a great revival of God breaks out throughout Sydney, Australia and the whole world. We yearn to see a flood of humanity stream into the churches spread throughout this nation of ours, all bowing down before the One True God in worship. In preparation for that day, our aim is to serve God by serving the churches in training and equipping our young generation to love and honour and serve God with everything they have from this very day.

Looking towards the future and making it a vital part of the present makes perfect sense. In fact, the business world is adopting this very strategy. Within many large-scale multi-national corporations, there is a cultural shift taking place. In days past, the core of the executive talent was concentrated on established businesses and clients that accounted for the profits of the present. Today, they are now re-directed to the risky new efforts that represent the company’s future. The rationale behind this shift is that the growth and future of a company is too important to entrust to novices. The best of the company, the thinking goes, must be invested into the future, not the present, if it is to continue to grow and thrive.

This is the very model, the very mindset that we hold as a ministry. Giving our youth responsibility to be change-makers only once they graduate from their schooling is far too late. This is why the ministry of raising our youth not only for the future, but also for the present is so vital. Our ministry is not just about seeing how many young people are saved. Teaching and bringing them to a saved relationship with Christ is of vital importance. This cannot be diminished in the slightest. But it is important as a first step. This must not be all that we aim for, as biblically, it is not an end, but a beginning; the beginning of an incredible lifelong journey of discipleship. That is why we who are serving in the JAMA ministry endeavour to equip and empower our youth in their growth and development as Christians so that they will be committed followers of Christ not only in the future, but right here in the present.

We have seen first hand the incredible change that has taken place among our youth ever since the first JAMA Jr Retreat 3 years ago. We have had the incredible privilege of playing a part in that change. And this privilege has also been your privilege because you have partnered in this ministry through your prayers. We are raising up a generation of godly men and women who will truly count for God in this world both in the future, precisely because they desire to do that in the present. There can be no doubt that God has incredible and miraculous things in store for our children in the years to come. He truly is up to something big and amazing.

As you read this, please continue to pray that JAMA will be greatly used by God to help serve the churches by equipping and raising up a generation of passionate followers of Christ who make a difference for God in the future because they have made a difference for God now. Above all, pray for the upcoming JAMA Jr retreat, that it will be a place where God comes to meet, transform, bless and lead our youth in all parts of their lives.

posted by Steve @ 4:31 pm