The Lid Is Off

In recent years we are witnessing young people aspiring to do more and to be more. They are making strides towards breaking free from a system they have lived in most of their lives. In a patriarchal community system, they have often taken the back seat, kept quiet, and nodded with agreement - mostly fake. They have often been told what to do, how to act, especially who to vote for. But all of that is changing now even if on a small scale. Young people, some in their early twenties, are breaking the silence and deciding to make their own decisions. We are witnessing the beginning of yet another intellectual revolution that could possibly be called “tilling the land.”

Such an intellectual revolution is very instrumental in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. One of the big challenges we face sharing the Gospel is the family control over one’s beliefs and values. My family experienced this when we came to the Lord as we were “changing religion,” and that brought shame to the whole family. Most people do not really believe in anything, but “changing religion” will surely cause major problems. But as young people are allowed to think for themselves more and more, the chance of them being receptive to the Gospel grows. Now they are questioning everything, they are reevaluating what was passed down to them, and they are shaping their own identity.

Young people’s minds are like jars that have been filled with presuppositions, ideas, traditions and values. Then this jar was sealed to protect its contents. The lid, however, is coming off now, and young people seek to fill this jar with the things they want to believe in. This gives the Gospel a chance as now young people have freedom to choose from the “religion catalogue.” Where before, the Gospel had no way into the young person’s line of thought, now, at least, it has a very good chance competing with other belief systems. It is up to the body of believers now to make the case for the Gospel.

Making the case for the Gospel begins with making it true in our lives. One of my professors at Bible college kept using the phrase, “are you smoking what you are selling?” For some reason, Christianity is often defined by what rules to follow and, mostly, what not to do. But Christianity should step out in the same fashion Jesus did and intentionally touch the lives of people. We should realize that being good is by doing good, not by not doing bad. Young people are very smart, and simple walking-the-line won’t cut it. Christianity has to rock their world. It has to be so loud that they cannot escape it. It has to be so attractive, just as it truly is, for young people to choose it over all else. And above all fall in love with Jesus.