Growing Together

Acts 2:17 says, “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.’” One of the greatest gifts given to humanity was the gift of vision. Sight is the function of the eyes, but vision is the function of the heart. Nothing remarkable on earth has been accomplished without vision. No invention or deed has occurred without the inspiring power of this mysterious source called vision. It is the vision that makes the invisible visible and the unknown possible. Vision gives us hope.

On the day of Pentecost, after receiving tongues of fire as evidence of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Peter preached in the power of the Spirit to thousands of people in Jerusalem. The early New Testament church was undoubtedly a Holy Spirit-empowered movement, and the Spirit-filled youth would have visions! Young men and women full of God have a mission to fulfill here on earth, and they are ready to be deployed.

In Education, Ellen G. White says, “With such an army of workers as our youth, rightly trained, might furnish, how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming Savior might be carried to the whole world!” What a vision!

Through the young adult department and in collaboration with our entire team, the Texas Conference established an important initiative called Growing Together. Utilizing the resources found in the book Growing Young: Six Essential Strategies to Help Young People Discover and Love Your Church, it is a method that teaches church leaders how to position their congregations to reach out and mentor younger generations in a way that revitalizes the entire congregation.

If you are already mentoring the youth in your church, I applaud you for making an impact! If you are not mentoring youth at this time, I invite you to pray about how you may get involved. It is an honor to mentor young people. It can be a short-term approach that bears fruit for a lifetime. Is this something you could implement in your church today?

By Elton DeMoraes, President