Youth – Are We Willing and Ready?
In today’s society, the voice of the youth rings louder than ever. Gone are the days when the opinions and views of young people were disregarded as irrelevant and wishful thinking. You don’t need to look far to see people like Greta Thunberg and a few others – who are internationally known and acknowledged for their stance on a range of different causes. It is now normal (and even encouraged) for young people to skip school and other responsibilities to march on the streets in droves to declare their message of hope.
To clarify, I’m not trying to advocate for them or what they stand for; my point is to highlight how our society is ready to promote and support the views of these young people, even though some of these views were relatively unpopular a few decades ago. This is mostly due to the fact that we live in a post-modern society – which believes that all people deserve to be heard, regardless of any factor that makes up someone’s identity – including age.
This cultural shift brings a wave of new challenges and opportunities for young Christians. One could argue that our main challenge is that we are forced to conform and embrace world views and lifestyles that are against the Bible. While the main opportunity is that it allows for us – young followers of Jesus – to also make a stand on matters of Biblical truth in a society that is now willing to listen even if they disagree (at best) or despise it (at worst).
So what does this mean for us? There are two key things to consider:
First – it means that we need to be willing to be ostracised, hated and falsely accused for following Jesus (Mark 13:13). Yes – the gospel is the message of hope and the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16) but this message is also offensive and nonsensical to those who refuse Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:18). Second – it also means that since a platform has been created, we need to be ready to share our message of hope (1 Peter 3:15). This hope is greater than any worldly cause, offering infinite joy to those who receive it and infinite despair to those who reject it.
You don’t have to march on the streets or debate with government officials to make a stand for Jesus. You can start at home with your family, at school or university with your peers, at work with your colleagues and even online with your gaming crew.
We have the platform and we hold the message that the world needs to hear. Are we willing and ready to make a stand?