How to give Young People a Sense of Purpose
How do we give young people a sense of purpose and adventure in the Christian walk, without using worldly propaganda like extremists and/or looking like Mormon missionaries and turning the world off, instead of drawing them in? 44,F, PA
Young Christians should have a purpose and goal for their spiritual walk with Jesus. Every Christian that follows the word of God will be inclined to shape their Christian walk in every facet of living; physical, spiritual and mental. The Bible is full of examples from Genesis to Revelation, on how our entire lives should reflect the character of God. That being said, I believe that each aspect of our lives should have a plan of action to follow according to God’s word.
Personal: set goals for yourself in the areas of diet, exercise, Bible study, academic and career. Develop your core qualities that will equip you for doing actions of faith. Become as healthy, strong and vibrant as you can, physically, spiritually and mentally. This will require discipline as we all know that exercise and diet can be challenging.
Relational: as you build up your core areas, you will discover other people treading the same path as you. Join in with other groups that have similar interests. Birds of the same feather flock together; so get with others who you can work out your mind, heart and body. Help each other reach your goals. Remember, only work with people who have similar goals and who are actually acting upon them. Don’t get distracted. Having small group discussions at a local coffee shop or park usually works. Or a work out group at the park.
Missional: now that you have found fellowship in your core areas, it’s time to develop your plans for action. Decide to do something each week. Make it a simple, easy to do action that everyone in your group can be involved. When you help others in your community, people will notice. Maybe a bike club, or hiking club through different parks in your area and pick up litter. A pastor from Alaska had a bike ministry, that started out as a bike club, and eventually grew to 100 members from the community. They go riding and have prayer and study together. They would actually nail spikes into their tires to ride in snow and ice. Make an event for once a month. Something a little bigger; maybe volunteer at a shelter/kitchen. Maybe gather funds to help a local charity, collect canned foods and deliver them to the local food bank. Then plan a big event for once a year. Maybe a mission trip to China, Brazil or Kenya. As a group, save up your money toward a common goal and keep each other accountable. There is strength in numbers so when everyone is encouraging each other, everyone will be strengthened.
Having a sense of purpose and adventure for Christ must be discovered as you grow and mature toward Christ. Let that relationship be personal to begin with, but let your faith experience in Christ also lead you to friendships with others. Discuss as a group your passions, calling and vision. As you share, you will discover where God is leading you. Remember GPA: Grow, Plan, Act.