Dear Youth and Young Adult in Greater New York Conference:
I am glad 2009 is here!!! If last year was a good year for you, your family, and your ministry, we must praise God and thank Him for the blessings of 2008. However, if it was not a good year, you did not live up to the expectations you had set up for your life, you could not meet your goals, you lost family members, and perhaps also lost your employment; if you were not involved in ministry and your spiritual life drifted away from Jesus and you feel like you’ve failed, I have great news for you. Jesus is giving you 2009, a brand new year filled with new mercies and opportunities. Sit down for a moment and envision where God will take you in 2009, only if you follow His lead and live in the center of His will for your life. The sky is the limit.
I also rejoice because with each year that passes we get closer to the Second Coming of Jesus. This is the one promise that gives me hope every beginning of every year and through each entire year. Jesus came once and was born, lived a perfect life, died on our behalf, resurrected, and ascended to heaven; there He intercedes on our behalf and prepares our place because He has promised that He will come again for us; that promise gives me lots of hope. This is why I would like to add, we have nothing to fear for the future, except we forget the way the Lord has led us in the past, it will be OK.
One of my favorite Bible verses says: "At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book” (Daniel 12:1). We must also keep in mind that this world will not come to an end as a result of a computer failure (Y2K), a war, or a financial meltdown. We, the people of the Book, know that Jesus said: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14)
As God’s people in the capital of the world, as the people of the Book, we must cherish the opportunity to live during these times filled with opportunities and hope. We ought not to be afraid of the end, the end is the Second Coming and at the same time it is the new beginning with a resurrection and eternal life; it will come when the Gospel is proclaimed. This is why our AIM, “The Advent Message to all the world in my generation” is more relevant today than it has ever been; I pray that our generation working together with our parents’ generation and under the powerful influence of the Holy Spirit, will be able to finish this challenging but possible task.
One thing is clear; we cannot expect to get different and extraordinary results doing the same things we have been doing for generations in our church; that is madness. If we want different and extraordinary results we must be opened to set aside traditions that are not working, our own thoughts, arguments, and agendas that have kept our church stuck for years and move forward with vision, hope and faith in Jesus. One of the young visionary founders and a prophet of our church wrote: “New methods must be introduced. God's people must awake to the necessities of the time in which they are living. God has men whom He will call into His service,--men who will not carry forward the work in the lifeless way in which it has been carried forward in the past…” Ellen G. White, Evangelism, (p. 70, paragraph 1).
This is why today, on the first day of 2009, I would like to call on you to accept the challenge that God sets before us in such a time as this: “Be the Bridge… Love, Study, Witness, & Pray.” Why this challenge? Why this theme? As we sat together around the table with our Adventist Youth Ministries Leadership Team on the first weekend in December and prayed we were impressed that it is time that we become a Bridge that connects generations, races, nationalities, languages, communities, and of course, non-believers with Christ and His Church.
Be the BRIDGE
This is not a time for complaints about how young people get treated, it is time for young people to step up and become relevant in the local church and its community regardless of the obstacles. Fighting between youth and adults has been around for too many years and yielded no positive results and lots of losses. Different generations and groups utilize different approaches and look at life from different perspectives, we are not asking for uniformity, God does not want uniformity, if He did He would have created us looking the same and thinking the same; God wants unity. Be the Bridge.
Some of you have spoken and written to me about the difficulties of implementing new methods as you seek to minister effectively. At times you have expressed sadness and discouragement as a result of criticism which comes from people who don’t seem to understand the need to retain our youth and even adults in our churches; people who do not seem concerned to bring to Jesus the millions who no one is reaching in this big city. Do not get desperate, most of these people who criticize are very good people who are just used to the status quo; however, when presented with the relevancy of God, the Bible, the message of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and the urgency of these times, they too can be mobilize and involved in vibrant ministry in the church and its community. When this happens, you’ve built the bridge.
Remember, the times do not allow for us to be arguing about issues, fighting amongst ourselves, and dividing the ministries of the church, while so many are being lost in the streets of New York and many on the pews of our churches. Please, do not be discouraged, Jesus had people who wanted to argue with Him about traditions all the time; Paul had people who followed him to every city, just to argue; HMS Richards, founder of the Voice or Prophecy in 1942 and our own Greater New York’s William Fagal, original speaker of Faith for Today in 1950, were called liberals when they went on the radio; some early Adventists did not allow organs in their churches. Today, there are still people who specialize in arguing and critiscism, and don’t realize the awesome task before our eyes. Don’t waste your time arguing; pray with them, love them, pray for them, and Be the Bridge.
LOVE
In order to be a Bridge we must love people, regardless of their age, race, nationality, language, background, orientation, and denomination; we must also love those who don’t accept there is a God. Jesus also called on us to love even our enemies; break the cycle, repay evil with good, catch people doing something right, and recognize the positive things people do. The wall comes down and the bridge is built when there is love.
STUDY
Study the Bible, we are the people of the Book, however many times we do not know what the Book says, I encourage you to read, or hear the Bible in 2009. It’s in the Bible that you find the unchanging Biblical principles and practical solutions for your daily life. The Bible also reveals Jesus and His incomparable love for the human race, and His plan to end the miseries that make us anguish.
WITNESS
Make sure you witness in any way possible and in many different ways. God has given each one of us gifts, use your gifts, you don’t have to witness like Pastor Jose does, however, you are called to witness on a daily basis. Evaluate your effectiveness, see what works, change approaches if you have to, see what other successful witnesses are doing, adopt new methods, but make sure that you witness. It’s OK to change a method, as long as you are able to proclaim the unchanging message of love and hope of Jesus. Use prophesy to bring hope for the future not fear of the future, remember heaven is not a fire escape. In 2009 we have called on every youth group, young adults group, AY Societies, Pathfinder and Adventurer Club to find a way to witness to their community and friends outside of the walls of the church. Find people who are not been reached, witness to them, and invite them to accept Jesus and join your church. Be the Bridge.
PRAY
Pray through the day, pray for yourself, your family, your church, your colleagues at work, your mates at school, your pastor, elders, fellow church members, Conference leaders, our country and its leadership, our outgoing President, our incoming President and their teams. Pray at home, in bed, kneeling down, standing up, seating down, lying down, when walking, when driving (just don’t close your eyes for this specific prayer), when you see something bad happening, when you see something good happening. Pray during the sermon, in Prayer Vigils, in your Small Group, before a test, for an interview. Always pray before you reply to a critic or an insult; pray before you write a letter. Tell Jesus all about your day, your concerns, your sorrows, and your joys; even tell Him when you don’t feel like praying. Create a Prayer Room in your church, a special prayer area in your bedroom. Make sure you are in regular touch with your Maker, Savior, and Friend Jesus.
I close this note with anticipation, lots of expectation, and hope for the great things that God will do through us in Greater New York and its suburbs during 2009 and beyond. The whole idea of the Bridge was His in the first place, He sent Jesus to be the Bridge so we could have salvation and everlasting life. Now, it’s our turn, and we got all of heaven’s support as we set out to do it.
Be the Bridge…Love, Study, Witness, and Pray!!!
Blessings!!!!
Jose
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