Let’s set the scene: You want to disciple students into leaders, but as you look around the church, you wonder if God provided the right materials for you to work with. You’ve been praying for articulate, bold, wise, and trustworthy students, so it’s tough to believe these are the kids God wants you to transform.
Macy breaks down crying if you ask her to pray out loud. Jimmy’s goldfish has died nine times this year, once on every scheduled outreach day. And Samantha is more interested in arguing with people than in sharing the Gospel with them.
In the Bible, God used all kinds of unlikely, flawed people. So don’t overlook these three types of unlikely young leaders:
1. The stuttering speaker
If you need someone to speak on your behalf, you probably select the most eloquent, confident orator you know. Yet to go represent His people before Pharaoh, God chose someone with a stutter.
Moses was so reluctant that he begged God to send another person:
Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”
The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”
But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”
Although Moses felt ill-equipped and incapable, God gave Moses everything he needed to speak His words and to do His will.
2. The unwilling missionary
We often talk about feeling called to do some specific aspect of the Lord’s will. But have you ever felt called to do something and refused. Jonah did!
But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.
But that didn’t stop God from using extraordinary means to fulfill His plan. Thanks to a storm and a big fish, Jonah ultimately shared a powerful message in Nineveh, where the people turned from their wicked ways.
3. The overzealous go-getter
Ever gave someone an inch and they took a mile? Or maybe someone took something you said and ran a marathon with it? I wonder if Jesus felt the same thing when some of his disciples quick to take what they heard or saw and jump into action without considering the intention of the words or the consequences of the action. Two of Jesus’ disciples, James and John, were even given the nickname the sons of thunder for their zeal.
When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them.
Because of their zeal, James and John were nicknamed the Sons of Thunder (Mark 3:17). But God harnessed the gusto of these two eager disciples. Through the Gospel, He redeemed and transformed them to be pillars of the early church.
Unlikely students, unlikely impact
Teens in your youth group might not be jumping on a ship to avoid evangelism or calling down fire on unbelievers. But you probably wish some of them were a bit quieter, more committed, or gifted in specific ways. Thankfully, God chooses—and uses—us just as we are.
How can you rely on God and His transformative work in your students’ lives? After you commit to relying on God, how can you encourage students to do the same?
