Outreach is important. We need to be reaching those far from God, but if that is our primary focus, it can have some unexpected consequences on our youth.
Conversion is the beginning point, not the end goal of our faith. It is when we are united with Christ and become a new creation that the real mission starts. That mission is to work with Jesus as he establishes the Kingdom of God. But what does that mean?
The Kingdom of God is the rule of God over the earth. We enter the Kingdom through faith in Jesus. We express the Kingdom by living the life that God intended for us from the beginning. The Kingdom is expressed to God through thankfulness, praise and obedience. The Kingdom is expressed to the world through love, service, justice and truth. We treat those in spiritual bondage in such a way that they may gain freedom and life.
Jesus commands us to love and lay down our lives for the world. We are not to judge (that is God's privilege), but to hold out the light of life to a crooked and depraved generation. Paul saw this as the great adventure of the Christian life. He formed his life around it. He was willing to change the way he lived his life and his own comforts so that Jesus could be exalted in new lives.
We are to bring inspiration to both the hopeless and the dreamers. Don't forget the dreamers. They will shape the world. If we can't spark their imagination with a vision greater than anything the world can offer, then we are finished.
Too much of what we hear from Christians in the public arena is about fear and self-protection. Do we really believe the rules have changed? Do we believe the enemy is stronger than the Spirit of God? Do we think politics and legislation are ever the answer over the inspiration and life changing power of the Spirit? Today it seems that we are turning to politicians and political pundits before we support and do the work of missionaries. It seems like many Christians are listening to TV and radio gurus more than they are to Scripture and godly teachers. Perfect love casts out fear, but fear has overcome God's wisdom and vision in too many instances (I will have more to write about this later).
Why do I care about inspiring the dreamers? Because youth are the dreamers. They are just waking up to life and beginning to move beyond themselves. This is an important moment in anyone's life. During these years lives are molded. People can become lovers and life-bringers, or they can become jaded, angry, greedy, disillusioned adults. The enemy wants the latter. He wants spirits to be crushed during adolescence. It is our job to give youth something better, bigger, and nourishing. A vision that can steer a life. One that includes the real suffering and pain in the world while still bringing change and hope.
Conversion is the doorway. The Kingdom of God is where we are invited to live. From there we are invited to heal a wounded and dying world. Youth without vision will perish, but Jesus' dream for us will feed us forever. So teach youth to dream with Jesus.
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