REACTION PAPER ABOUT YOUTH AND EVANGELISM

PRREPARED BY MERCY KAMAU

SDA LANGA LANGA CHURCH
CRVC/SYL/2021 /2022

God has commissioned every Christian to evangelize so that people will learn
about Jesus Christ and accept Him as their personal savior. Matthew 28:19 states,
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”.
If you are old enough to be baptized, then you are old enough to win souls. Who
better to reach one youth or young adult for the Lord than another youth or young
adult? There is no higher work than this. “The work above all work,—the business
above all others which should draw and engage the energies of the soul,—is the
work of saving souls for whom Christ has died. Make this the main, the important
work of your life”—The Youth’s Instructor, May 4, 1893.
To do this requires some fundamental principles to energize the youth and young
adults into becoming that “army . . . rightly trained” who will help finish the work
of the gospel and hasten Christ’s coming.
In its most basic application, youth should want to witness for Jesus because they
want their friends to experience what they themselves have experienced. Help
them grow in their own relationship with God and provide opportunities for them
to share their faith. Encourage them to become personally involved and develop
friendships with non-believers while maintaining supportive relationships with
other Christian youth who are committed to sharing God’s love.
Many youth don’t invite others or share their faith because they don’t feel positive
about being a Seventh-day Adventist. Help them feel proud about their church by
involving them in a program, or supporting something they are interested in by
sponsoring or hosting an event. They will be more inclined to invite their friends
and be able to point with pride and say, “Yeah, this is something my church is
doing.”
We need to encourage our youth and young adults to ask themselves, “How can I
use my love for ____________ in a ministry?” Whether sports, art, or music, the
possibilities are endless for ministry if we allow them to think outside of the box
and be open to their ideas—ideas which may be a bit unconventional to some of
us, but may in fact open doors to creating relationships and opportunities for
youth to witness to those they might not have met otherwise.
Being transparent is not an easy thing to do. Disclosing a relationship with Jesus
Christ—something that is very deep and personal—can be extremely difficult for
some. Many feel inadequate about sharing scripture or giving Bible studies.
Experience is the best teacher, and some suggest that information should be
provided as necessary, parallel with involvement. Youth “must be taught how to
labor for the Master. They must be trained, disciplined, drilled, in the best methods
of winning souls to Christ. . . . Let different branches of missionary effort be
systematically laid out, in which they may take part, and let them be given
instruction and help”—Gospel Workers, p. 210.
Presenting the gospel does not need to be complicated. In fact, the more
simplistic and plain the better, and it is something in which everyone—young and
old—can participate.
There is urgent need for more intense soul-winning efforts to be put forth for
young people especially; and there is perhaps no field of labor more productive of
results in baptisms and in stabilizing Christian experience. The youth in their
immaturity are the objects of Satan's constant attack; they are continually
confronted with temptations of a nature which test the faith and courage of the
most experienced Christian, and they will usually welcome any sympathetic inter-
est and offer of help in their problems. Our youth need the constant support of
parents and ministers.
Many times a young person passes through the eventful period of decision
without being definitely and personally invited to accept Christ. He listens to the
appeals to accept Christ which are made in the churches, but he may conclude that
such appeals are for those who are older and more experienced than he. Instead
of searching him out and making a personal appeal to him, it is often the case that
parents and ministers, who should enter into his experience in a definite and
helpful way, assume that "everything is all right" with the young man or woman
who attends church and has heard the general call for consecration. But everything
is not all right, and suddenly there is a turning to the world on the part of the
young people, causing sorrow and regret to the church.
How often our youth come up through the Sabbath school and the church school,
and perhaps follow the right way until they are fifteen or sixteen years of age. At
this period of life they are faced with the problems of doubt, and must often
secure employment and find new associations outside the home. Unless, at such a
time, there is a rich current of Christian faith flowing into their lives through the
influence of home, church, and ministry, they will become bewildered and
confused, and be very liable to drift out into the current of the world. It is vitally
necessary for every Christian worker to have "a happy acquaintance" with the chil-
dren and youth within the range of his influence.
It would be of decided advantage if ministers in general would arrange to hold
regularly a short series of meetings, similar to the services held during the Week of
Prayer In schools, with the definite object in view of bringing the young people to
decide for Christ and become established in the message. These efforts should
reach the youth in churches where there is no connection with our schools or
institutions; for it is these young people who, because of lack of funds or for other
reasons, fail to receive the guidance and encouragement of Christian teachers in
their school life, and are in the greatest danger of drifting into the world.
These young people in the home churches are greatly in need of spiritual help,
and far too little effort is put forth in their behalf. The result of definite evangelistic
effort in the churches in behalf of the young people always shows a large fruitage
in souls won in proportion to the expense involved. For example, the students faith
evangelism hosted by our conference in August, 22 saw a lot of young people give
their lives to Jesus as their personal savoir and that’s very encouraging.
In every church, at least once a year, a revival effort in behalf of the young people
should be definitely planned for and conducted. The evangelism of our youth holds
first place in importance in the onward movement of the church for the
evangelization of the world.