YWAM Sunshine Coast

I guess it’s a bit silly to apply for a course when you are not sure what it really consists of, never mind flying half way around the world to turn up to a school without fully understanding what the organisation stands for. Arriving in Australia for my Discipleship Training School, I was full of anticipations but also a bit nervous because I had realised shortly before I left that I actually didn’t know much about Youth With A Mission as a whole, and was about to spend 5 months of my life subscribing to whatever it did stand for. Thankfully we did spend time in the first week looking at the story of how it all began and the values at the heart of YWAM international and YWAM Sunshine Coast. At the Sunny Coast base, they quickly tell you that they live by a set of values rather than rules. This stems from an expectation that we are all adults and able to look after ourselves without having details of our lives dictated to us. It is a call to a higher standard of living, one that requires you to think about how you act and how that will affect those around you rather than just blindly following a set of rules. Their belief is that learning to follow rules won’t make leaders, it just conforms you to a certain way of doing things. There is no thinking behind your change in behaviour, therefore it won’t last once you have let that situation that enforces it.

One of the most interesting things I have been taught here so far is that the Bible is not an instruction manual – that’s a popular description I have been brought up with, that it tells you how to live properly. It’s also one of the biggest criticisms I have heard from non-Christians, that they don’t want to subscribe to a set of rules. But if you think about it, the Bible doesn’t tell you what to think or do – there are so many situations that just aren’t covered, especially in modern culture!! Rather, it shows you how to think about what you do. Romans 12 v 12 talks about a renewing of your mind, and the Bible is a tool for transformation of our minds to a more Godly way of thinking, rather than for constricting them with a set of rules.

Answers eliminate the need for trust. If God desires a relationship with us, to see us grow and develop, then He is not going to just give us a load of do’s and don’ts because if that’s what we have then where do you go from there? There is no engagement in that scenario. Instead He challenges us to a lifestyle of values, constantly using our judgement and knowledge of Him, within the context of a loving relationship, to affect the world around us in a positive way.

Sweet.