the battle against isolation

A couple of weeks ago, I was in a prayer room in Jakomäki, Helsinki, worshiping and praying. At some point, my focus shifted to the army of young people that God is raising up in Finland and across Europe.

Now, when you think about it, an army is made up of lots of small groups. Different groups have different functions, but the ultimate aim is the same, and the parts work together, much like a body. This army seeks to establish the rule of a Kingdom in different places. This Kingdom is within us, and it is established through prayer - in word and action.

In an army, the soldiers have to train, or they won't be prepared for when the real battle begins. In the same way, we must not simply wait for the 'real battle' to begin. Our daily lives are the training ground; we learn to follow Jesus in our basic, everyday experiences of life.

In Finland especially, the spirit of isolation is very strong. Even within the Church we easily become separated and isolated from other followers of Jesus. This is the enemy's strategy to 'divide and conquer'. Therefore we must actively work and pray against it - this is spiritual warfare we must live out. We must be intentional in coming together, praying together, being truly open and honest with each other.

I spent some time that morning in the prayer room crying out to God to break down the walls of isolation and separation. And then it dawned on me that part of what network4youth is really about is putting that prayer into action. We are actively working against the spirit of isolation by seeking to connect young people. And as we connect young followers of Jesus who encourage and inspire each other, then an army is raised up that will reach out to others who are lost, isolated and in need.

One of the questions in my mind is "How can we network young people?" And I figured that perhaps resurrecting the blog could be one small part of that. So, I'm gonna aim to write here regularly, and I'd welcome the contributions of others.