GOD'S CALL TO THE NEXT GENERATION

Naim Choi, RockPointe Intercultural Site Pastor

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." 1 Timothy 4:12, NIV

Paul knew the heart of Timothy – a young leader passionate for the Gospel, yet one who would face challenges due to his youth. Paul encouraged him to boldly embrace his calling to proclaim the Good News and to further God's Kingdom on Earth. Timothy himself had started his ministry journey at a young age, traveling alongside Paul. Paul was confident and unwavering in his belief that young people could be powerfully used by God to impact others for Christ.

Contrary to popular movie depictions showing Jesus calling twelve grown men in their 30s or 40s, the disciples were, in fact, likely young men – younger than Jesus, and possibly all under the age of 20. Throughout the Gospels (Matthew 11:25, Mark 10:24, Luke 10:21, and John 13:33), Jesus affectionately refers to His disciples as "little children" or "little ones."

There is further evidence drawn from Exodus 30:14-15, which requires every male over the age of 20 to pay a tax for the maintenance of the Sanctuary (Temple). In Matthew 17:24-27, when questioned about this tax, Jesus instructs Peter to pay it – but only for "me and you." Though all the disciples were present ("they came to Capernaum," v.24), only Peter and Jesus paid the tax. From this, we can reasonably conclude that the remaining disciples were likely under 20 years old and thus exempt.

Despite their youth, God used these young men mightily; they impacted humanity, and through them, He changed history and established His Church.

Throughout history, God has continued to call young people into His service. In the early 1880s, a group of young college students in England known as The Cambridge Seven ignited one of the most effective mobilization movements of all time: the Student Volunteer Movement (SVM).

Move the calendar ahead to 1956 when 20 year old Lorne Cunningham had an encounter with God through a vision that led to the founding of Youth With A Mission (YWAM). YWAM’s mission has been clear ever since: "Launching waves of missionaries into the world since 1960." These are just two powerful examples of how activating young people can lead to significant global impact for Christ.

Over the years, RockPointe has seen many of its own youth respond to God’s call to the mission field through various training and deployment organizations. These young men and women have strengthened their faith and lived out the Great Commission beautifully, as written in Matthew 28:19: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

Today, Calgary is seeing the nations come to us – immigrants and refugees flooding into every part of our city. RockPointe’s faith-filled youth no longer need to travel across the world to enter the mission field — it is literally on our doorstep!

As summer approaches and the school year winds down, RockPointe’s Intercultural Site is inviting all interested youth to join us in serving the least-reached nations right here in our own city. If you know any young people, please consider shoulder-tapping them and encouraging them to discover and use their gifts to share the love of Jesus with those who have yet to know Him.

Last summer we even helped high schoolers earn academic credits – an added blessing for those who committed their time to serve in such an impactful way.

For more information or to arrange a time to come see what's happening at RPI, please contact Pastor Naim by emailing [email protected].

In closing, I want to share a quote from Swiss theologian Emil Brunner, a powerful reminder of our call:

"The Church exists by mission, just as a fire exists by burning. Where there is no mission, there is no Church, and where there is neither Church nor mission, there is no faith."

Lord, help our faith and love for You to burn like a fire – a fire that spreads Your light and truth to all who come near its warmth and presence.