The letters the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy were written to a young man. In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul writes, “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.” When a young person does something great for God, it amazes people that someone they thought was a little child can do something big.
MyGFA Campaign for Jesus Well
One young girl who is almost 7 years old is raising funds to provide a Jesus Well (clean water well) for a village in Asia through the ministry of Gospel for Asia (GFA).
Her motivation is amazing for a girl of her age. According to her myGFA campaign, “Kids get sick, hurt, die, and miss school because clean drinking water is not easy for them to get. I want everyone to have clean drinking water. And I want everyone to learn about Jesus’ love. Supporting Jesus Wells helps people in Asia get clean drinking water through the local church and hopefully learn about Jesus’ love for them.”
When I was a child, I never did anything like this. It just goes to show how even the youngest among us can have a great impact.
Short-term Mission Trips
Mission trips may be the most impactful experiences in my life. From middle school on, I went on multiple mission trips to places ranging from Mexico to St. Louis.
My former youth leader is now a short-term mission director of an organization called Can-Do Missions.
“I have seen a number of young people grow in their faith and go into full–time ministry because God rocked their world on a short-term mission trip,” she said
Mission–trip participants should intentionally debrief after the trip, if not every day during the mission trip. In this way, people will remember the impact the mission trip had on their lives.
Taking One or Two Years to Serve God
Many ministries don’t require people to have a college education to serve them. Gospel for Asia (GFA) is one of them. GFA’s School of Discipleship is a one- or two-year program designed specifically for young adults to help those who minister in Asia, while also growing in their own faith and relationship with God.
The School of Discipleship website says, “Experience a Christ-centered gap–year program at Gospel for Asia’s School of Discipleship. You’ll be challenged to a deeper walk with Christ and be equipped to make an eternal impact for God’s kingdom.”
Pray for the Nations
In the book of Ezekiel it says that, God is looking for one who would be an intercessor for the sake of the nation of Israel. “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.” (Ezekiel 22:30). In the same way, today God is looking for those who will intercede on the behalf of those who don’t know Him.
There are a couple of different ways to pray for the different nations of the world. One way is through getting a copy of Operation World, a resource which has statistics and prayer suggestions for each nation on the globe. Children can also get a copy of Windows on the World, which is the children’s version of Operation World, so they can pray for the world along with their parents.
A second way to pray for the nations is to get a world map, and put your finger or hand on a specific nation and start praying for it. This could be in addition to reading Operation World.
There are numerous other ways to get involved by financially supporting workers on the field, but these are just ideas to get you started in growing your passion for those who don’t know Jesus.
School of Discipleship: Get your School of Discipleship Information Kit- Free
