Week 26b (22 - 28 June): Reflections on the Youth and Young Adults Mission Trip (Part II)
Through our study of the Book of Acts, Peter, Paul and the other disciples continuously wrestle with a question that we still ask today: “How can we effectively grow and nurture the Church?”
The study of Acts seems to suggest that growing the church is simpler than we think. When we let God move, there is nothing that He and the Holy Spirit cannot do. The death of Stephen in Acts 7 fragmented the believers; his martyrdom led to the persecution of the church in Jerusalem and scattered Christians everywhere in Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:3). Yet, this became an unimaginable force of good, leading to the establishment of the first Jew-Gentile church being planted in a place previously known as the “Las Vegas” of the Roman era. Later in Acts 10, Peter still struggles with unbelief that the Gospel ought to be for Gentiles too, but preaches to a Roman centurion and saves Cornelius and everyone else gathered in his house. That encounter paves the way for the Gospel to spread to Caesarea, the command centre of the Roman empire. As we reach the end of the first missionary journey in Acts 14, multiple churches have been planted in Iconium, Lystra, Derbe and Pisidian Antioch. Luke highlights that the new church plants faced some pushback, especially from the Jewish believers. What were they to do with these new believers, who they never expected would join in their faith or community? Peter firmly addressed these concerns in Acts 11, saying that if Cornelius’s household could encounter the Holy Spirit the same way the Jews did, who were they to deny that God had also chosen the Gentiles to be His own? Perhaps the best way to nurture the Church is through reconciliation of all believers in the Spirit, bolstered by the appointment of elders that protect the faith of their congregations (Acts 14:23).
In truth, when we were asked to go to Pontianak this year, the youth weren’t fully certain. It was not because we shared the doubts of the circumcised believers in Acts 11, but rather because we were unsure if we would be able to nurture the youth there or to minister in the Spirit fruitfully. The Indonesian youth we saw on the first and second night were so open and enthusiastic in their praise that it was easy to doubt if we could meet them in their desire to encounter God. But as we watched all 120 of them simply stretch out their hands and receive God on the first night, it hit me that God had already planned for their encounter and to use this camp to beckon His children home. We just had to have faith that healing and restoration had already been done, even before we even uttered a word. That combined with the faithful encouragement and empowerment from all the elders and the stewardship of the young adults who supported us as we prayed — it was undeniable how God began to move in Pontianak. I think I speak for all of the elders when I say it was amazing to see the youth just step up in various ways, even when they weren’t sure. That is the faith we sing about — that even when we don’t see it, we know God is working. We show up in faith.
As a final note, please join us in praying that on our return, we continue to remain open with a heart of worship and that we continue to make room for God to move in our lives. There is more for us as the next generation, but more importantly, so much more opportunity for the old and young or experienced and new to simultaneously partner in the Spirit. Together we can love all of His people, just as He intended so many years ago.
On behalf of the youth,
Zoe
All photos by Kegan and Edmund
Video by Kegan
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