Rachel Stevens is Baptist Mission
Australia ’ s Next Generation
Specialist . Rachel is passionate about engaging with young people as they explore who God is and who He has made them to be .
“ Behold , I am making all things new .” These are the triumphant words declared by God from His throne as He ushers in a new creation in Revelation 21:1-5 . This is an incredible glimpse into the hope that we have , for a new creation where there is no more pain , suffering , crying or death .
While we look forward to the day when God ’ s Kingdom comes in full , Jesus commissions His church to be bearers of this new creation in the here and now – as the apostle Paul declares in 2 Corinthians we are new creations now , the ambassadors of Christ set apart to be the examples of God ’ s goodness , justice , mercy , love , kindness and compassion , so that a broken and fallen world might be reconciled to their creator .
Yet sometimes our tendency is to separate the telling and the doing of the Gospel , in a way that can undermine both . One is incomplete without the other – as we share about Jesus in word , we must also demonstrate His restoration in our love and care for others . God ’ s renewing work deals with the whole of the person , and so our witness to Jesus must also be holistic .
There is a term for this in mission circles : Integral Mission .
Micah Network defines integral mission as “ the proclamation and demonstration of the Gospel . It is not simply that evangelism and social involvement are to be done alongside each other . Rather , in integral mission our proclamation has social consequences as we call people to love and repentance in all areas of life . And our social involvement has evangelistic consequences as we bear witness to the transforming grace of Jesus Christ .”
While the term may be a recent one , this missiological foundation has been present in Baptist Mission Australia ’ s ministry since the very early days .
Doctors , nurses and teachers were sent to East Bengal , India and Papua New Guinea to use their professional skills alongside the sharing of the Gospel . Word and deed together .
As an organisation , this conviction of word and deed going hand in hand has only grown in recent decades . And currently we see it in the ministries of team members such as Joyce and Jean-Claude in Malawi , Jit and Jan in Thailand , and Petra and Ben in the Silk Road Area ... just to name a few .
This work that lovingly responds to injustices in access to education , healthcare and more , is not just good platforms that enable the ‘ real ’ mission of evangelism , they are core to our communication of the good news of our God who desires to make all things new .
So how does this relate to the next generation ? Well the research shows that justice and integral mission align with young people ’ s response to God ’ s mission . We see in new worldwide research produced by Barna , World Vision and others , that Christian teenagers have a heart for justice , rooted in their understanding of Scripture .
The Barna team write , “ For today ’ s teens , addressing injustice in our world is a top priority — more than any other generation Barna Group has studied to date .”
78 % of the more than 24,000 teens surveyed were either very motivated or somewhat motivated to do something about injustices in society . And 65 % of Christian teens surveyed believed that they could make a positive difference .
As we look to raise up the next generation of go-ers and senders , it is clear that we must engage with their heart for justice . What an incredible opportunity for ministries and churches to catalyse Kingdom impact in the world !
RESONATE ISSUE 41 | PAGE 16