Equipping The Next Generation for Ministry

Matthew 28:18-20 ESV – “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

What we do with the short years God gives us on this earth matters more than we can imagine.

We all have the opportunity to decide who and what we're going to live for. For our generation, this begins with investing in the lives of future leaders of the church and nations.

Our job is to equip the next generation with a thirst for what God has called them to. This is the job description for those who know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. That job is to walk with Him, know Him, and give Him away. It’s that simple.

College ministry and its impact on future generations

I was already madly in love with God when I got to college. I was getting discipled by Michelle Bose at that time. I thought her job was to preach Jesus to all these sorority people, but that wasn't her approach. Her approach was to invest in me so I could invest in my peers.

Michelle equipped me to go into this very secular and borderline dark place to do the work I thought she was supposed to do. I would have conversations with my peers about Christ. Michelle trained me to minister the best way I knew how. Several people joined me at the beginning, and we started a little Bible study where we would pray for the sorority house and try to give Jesus away.

We started individually sitting down with friends that we thought were going through a hard time or might be open to Jesus, but not much happened. We were all awkward, and our friends were baffled by our approach. Most of them did not respond or change. So, our attempts at evangelism felt fruitless.

I now lead a massive ministry and am in a position to give Jesus away to lots of people. And yet, I consider my college ministry more fruitful than my work today.

Several people have approached me to ask if I remember them from college. They tell me they love Jesus now, and so do their kids. They tell me all the ways following Jesus has improved their lives.

The seeds we planted during college grew much later. I was never part of that story, but generations of people I ministered to as a college student follow Jesus Christ today. So, I have evidence that my college years mattered. I have evidence that following Jesus and having a heart to give Him away mattered in that season.

You can also plant those seeds during your college years. Have those awkward conversations with your classmates, roommates, or sorority sisters and brothers. Pray for people because it changes lives.

Relying on the Holy Spirit during your evangelism

Zechariah 4:6 ESV – “Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”

This generation of believers is zealous for Christ. They are in love with God and have a strong desire to go on the mission field and live their lives well. They are eager to teach about Jesus and give Him away in whatever context God's calling them to. It’s our job to encourage them to continue down that path.

If you’re on the journey to give Christ away, consider these words of encouragement:

1. Depend on the supernatural power of the Spirit of God.

Pray huge prayers. Pray, believing that people around you will get saved. Pray, believing that sin patterns and strongholds that people have been stuck in can be broken. Believe that you have been given divine weapons with the power to demolish strongholds.

The Spirit of God can change lives; believe it. I've seen it happen in my life and the lives of others.

I've seen Jesus turn darkness into freedom, joy, and knowledge of God. But that requires the Spirit. It is not in your will, fancy words, or knowledge of everything; it is because the Spirit of God changes lives. If we humble ourselves and pray that God uses us, He will do it. So, depend on the supernatural power of the Spirit of God as you go and give Him away.

2. You are not a victim.

One of the greatest lies the enemy will tell you is that you are a victim. He will try to convince you that you're not good enough and that your circumstances or mistakes define who you are. He’ll make you doubt your ability to tell somebody else about Jesus when your own life is a wreck. But the enemy’s lies will never prevail upon your life.

Instead of being a victim, you'll invite people into the mess. You'll tell them your mistakes, why you feel disqualified, and how Jesus rescued you. You'll share the hope that you hold on to when all the circumstances around you feel dark.

A brave moment of candor over playing victim can open doors for more conversation about Jesus.

We have to show the source of our hope to others. If you believe you have everything promised to Jesus as a co-heir of Christ in heaven, then you are not a victim. Scripture says we are more than conquerors. We have this fierce fire in us because Jesus has overcome the world.

We don’t share the Word and love of God because everything works out for us. We do so because we're not victims of our circumstances.

We have hope and joy set before us, and we get to give that away.

3. Discipline does not equal legalism

If you follow the patterns of the Spirit and what He calls you to – holiness, repentance, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control – then you'll live in life and peace. So, be in the Word, meet with Jesus, and train yourself in godliness.

Strive to take up your cross daily and work out your salvation. Strive to discipline your body and bring it under submission. Hebrews 12 tells us to make every effort to live in peace with everyone and be holy. Scripture shows that all fruits of the Spirit live on a road of choice, training, and discipline. So, be disciplined.

Wake up and open your bible in the morning. There will be an overflow in your life because you walk with Jesus. You will have peace, patience, kindness, and goodness because that's what He does as we walk with Him.

Open the bible, get on your knees, commit and submit to a local church, and choose accountability instead of idolatry. Choose submission to accountability, wholeness, and healing.

Sometimes it's hindrances that we have to submit to accountability. Perhaps you struggle with mental illness or past abuse. Those burdens have to be submitted to God, not because you did anything wrong but because you need help. We need community and people to help us run the race that is set before us and fix our eyes on Jesus.

As you find those hindrances, figure out what you need.

Do you need counseling, a doctor, or an open conversation with your parents? Find somebody you can entrust with the hardest things you're going through because your obedience to God might be to discuss your struggles with your parents.

God has set a race before you, but you've got to choose discipline to be able to run it and give Him away to your peers.

4. Quit dabbling with sin.

I John 3:9 ESV – “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.”

The small sins you choose day after day steal the power of God in your life. Perhaps you are so controlled by what other people think of you that you cannot obey God. Whatever your “small” sin is, let it go.

We often think of sin as these big things that are visible to everybody. But you might be dabbling with comparison, gossip, or people-pleasing so much that it has distracted you from the mission of God around you. This doesn't mean people of God will never sin. It means people of God hate sin and will never be comfortable with it.

Sin steals our joy and leaves us stuck. So, you’ve got to hate the sin that’s stealing the most important years of your life. Pray that God helps you stop dabbling with sin. Declare your need to live for Him so that His mission is the focus of your life.

Remember that you cannot walk with Jesus or fight your sin alone. There's not one thing we've talked about today that you can do without community. So, gather your people. Talk to your people about the way you’ve been missing God’s mission for you.

I hope you know that I'm praying and cheering for you. I believe in you, and I'm so honored to get to partner with you for however many years we have left to see God’s Word spread on this earth.