Vision Logo Circle
Vision Logo Circle

Connecting Young People with The Great Commission

by | Thu, Jan 26 2023

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Many Christians tend to put off the preparation they require in order to serve God more effectively. There are opportunities to help everywhere we turn, whether it is through the local church, the corporate community, or more broadly through a mission endeavour.

One of the great challenges facing this generation is connecting young people to the Great Commission. Nathan Crory serves with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) based in Brisbane, and he recently joined us on 20Twenty to talk about what it actually means to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

The Hands and Feet of Jesus

‘Our heart is definitely for young people in particular,’ says Nathan, ‘and seeing the lost set free and saved. We mainly focus on evangelism and what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus. There is also a bit of training on what it looks like to be a missionary.’

Most Christians are familiar with the Great Commission, preaching the gospel and making disciples of all nations. But sometimes we don’t think deeply enough about what it really means. A lot of what YWAM does puts people in different cultural contexts and gives them a taste of what we read about in Acts 1:8.

‘Our local area is Brisbane for us,’ says Nathan. ‘Judea and Samaria being rural Australia, and to the ends of the earth being the ends of the earth. It’s something that’s really applicable for us to see what it looks like to actually fulfill what Jesus said in Acts 1:8.’

Nathan says the discipleship training school can be summed up in these words: to know God and to make Him known. We have to know who God is for ourselves before we can make Him know to others. Young people first need to have an encounter with God. YWAM’s aim is to activate young people to become powerful missionaries.

Strong Biblical Foundation

‘We want people to have a strong Biblical foundation,’ says Nathan, ‘and to know that God is who He says is. We really believe that the 12-week lecture phase is enough to equip them to have an understanding of who God is and have confidence in His character. And from that place, being able do a 12-week mission’s outreach.’

Nathan believes there’s a humility that happens when we see other cultures and nationalities interact differently than we do. We have to adapt and change what we present in order to best suit their needs. Jesus is calling all of us to be in unity, but what does that look like if we don’t speak the same language?

‘We meet people on the street who have no context of who Jesus is,’ says Nathan. ‘We can bring them into an environment where they like music for example. They might not understand what worship is, but through that, we’re able to lead them on a discipleship journey that brings them to the Lord. We are passionate about using the arts to communicate the gospel in an effective way.’

‘Our main focus is seeing young people taking six months to focus on God and their relationship with Him, and then taking their next steps.’

Listen to Nathan’s full interview on 20Twenty below: