Kids love to gab, and Pastor Setia considers that a great quality that’s worth developing.
While some adults would prefer that the younger generation learn to be still and quiet, Setia recognizes that the young people in his church are highly connected and have spheres of influence in the community to which he may not have access to. So, this church planter has found a healthy way to capitalize on the chattiness of his church’s youth by training them to talk about someone great to their friends and family members – Jesus!
Earlier this year, Setia, one of FMI’s supported church planters on the island of Java, Indonesia, established a special youth group geared to empower kids to share their faith in creative ways. There are now about 15 teens attending the group meetings. “Some of these kids themselves have come out of Muslim backgrounds and have recently become followers of Jesus Christ, so they are eager to talk about Jesus and the forgiveness of sins that he offers; they just need a few communication tools and an understanding of how to point people to Jesus.” Setia explains. “But all members of this group have friends or family members who know nothing about Jesus. This generation will be able to make opportunities for evangelism that I may never have.”
The pastor’s strategy has shown itself effective on two fronts: While he is multiplying the number of voices heralding the gospel in his area, Setia is also discipling members of this group. Whether through social media or in face-to-face conversations, the kids are truly growing more vocal about their faith with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:13). Galang, a 14 year old boy says the meetings have been a fun place to learn more about Jesus and boost his confidence to share what he knows. “I shared my testimony and told three friends about Jesus last month,” Galang says. Setia requests your intercession for these young people to have the courage to remain in the church even if some of their family members don’t attend, and that they would boldly and lovingly point the way to Christ to those who are spiritually hungry.
The Lord is using your prayers to fortify men like Setia and kids like Galang. Thank you so much for your prayers for the lives of those whom Christ is using to reflect light of the gospel across the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nations!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.