I’m grateful for technology. I really am. I’m so grateful Covid-19 struck in 2020, not 1995. Fax machine and pager church might have been a bit less fun than meeting on Zoom. But as a communicator who loves being in the room with people, speaking to the circular lens next to the white light on my computer just wasn’t the same. But now and again, there were champagne moments of grace and wonder. One of them came when I was preaching live one Sunday morning to a church I’d never been to a people I’d never met.
The live streaming software allowed messages to come up on the screen in the aftermath of the talk. I had finished my talk and was already thinking about my dinner when some words came up from someone listening to the talk that caused my eyes to fill with tears.
‘Phil’s Dad, Martin Knox, brought me to Christ in my student halls back in 1980.’
My dad was a lawyer. He tragically died aged 48 in 2004, and here was a man, Richard Roper, who remembers his influence on his life.
Mission matters because in 1980, Richard’s eternal destiny was changed. I have no idea what has happened in the last 42 years of his life, but I imagine he has been a huge blessing to his church, lived generously and tried to bless the world around him. And my dad played a significant part in his journey.
Student mission matters because in the UK 84% of people become Christians under the age of 26. Sociologists talk about a phase of life that has emerged in the last few decades that they call ‘emerging adulthood’, in which people’s worldview, beliefs and mindset become fixed for the rest of their lives. The student years are critical for living and speaking the good news of Jesus. They are a fruitful mission field that we must continue to invest in, wisely and lavishly, as the church.
We also know that Richard’s story is illustrative of most people’s journey to faith today. When Christians were asked who had played the most important role in them choosing to follow Jesus, the most common relationship was a friend. We all get to play a part in the faith journeys of our friends who are not yet Christians. If they are going to encounter the hope of the world it is most likely going to be through us.
If you are a student, my encouragement to you is to throw yourself into praying for your mates, inviting them to stuff, sharing your story, and keep going. I was at Uni almost 20 years. One of my mates has recently given his life to Jesus.
You will never know the impact of your life. When I get to heaven I hope, by God’s grace, there will be some there with me whose journey I have played a part in. I pray for you that you may know the same. There are thousands of Richards desperate for hope.
That’s why mission matters. Go for it.
This blog was written by Phil Knox, who is part of the team at the Evangelical Alliance and the author of Story Bearer, how to share your faith with your friends.
