A Call To A Young Twenty-Something: You Can Make A Difference Right Now

You do not have to wait until you’re 58 years old to make a difference. You can start right now.

Paul had this in mind for Timothy when he wrote, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).

Consider the following examples:

• D.L. Moody began his ministry at age 21
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer began his ministry at age 25
• Charles Spurgeon began preaching at age 16
• Billy Graham began preaching at age 19
• Jonathan Edwards began preaching at age 19
• Charles Whitfield began preaching at age 25
• John Calvin wrote his classic book at age 22
• Mark Driscoll planted Mars Hill Church at age 25

The point of this aforementioned list is not to discourage us or beat us down with guilt, but rather open our eyes to show and encourage us that God has, can, and is willing to use a young buck for his glory.

But where do we start? The answer is — we start with our local church.

In his book, A Call to Resurgence, Mark Driscoll says: “If you are a young person who loves Jesus, do something with a church. If you are not ready to do something, get ready and then do something. If you do something and God does not bless it, do something else.”

The problem with us twenty-something’s are usually two-fold: we either try to do too much (usually rooted out of pride and selfish-ambition), or we don’t do anything. The former, God will not bless; the latter, God cannot bless. The former we do because we think we can do everything; the latter because we think we aren’t ready to do anything. But God can and wants to use us and it begins in the context of the local church.

Are you serving your church? Are you giving time, money, energy, and your efforts to your local church?

It doesn’t usually start in the pulpit, but in obscurity, and God is willing to bless our work as we work to be a blessing to others. Even in our twenties.

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