A Passion For Souls

Posted by on October 1, 2000 under Bulletin Articles

God blesses me by allowing me to be a part of you. This weekend we had 515 teens, teachers, youth ministers, and interested adults who attended Crosswalk.

We regard it as incredible when (1) Sunday morning attendance grows by 75 or (2) two hundred adults attend a Saturday seminar for 4 hours when the Hogs are playing. Five hundred fifteen people met Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to about 9:30 p.m.

What did they do? They worshipped. Have you listened to over 400 teens declare in song to God, “I stand, I stand in awe of You”? Or listened as they ask God to “Light the fire in my soul”? When you do, be ready for “goose bumps” and tears. Terry Davis is an incredible song leader. When you sing with Terry, you worship.

They listened to powerful lessons urging them to let Jesus make a difference in their lives. Craig Hicks is a well trained, well educated man. How he connects with young people! He makes scripture come alive (because scripture is alive to him!).

They attended classes. Specific, directed studies were taught by teachers committed to youth work. Harding University’s Theatron made thought-provoking applications of biblical principles in the form of modern parables.

Consider this interesting situation. (1) Have every adult Christian of each congregation represented witness the day. (2) Ask each one a simple question: “What did you see?”

I saw adults with a passion for souls fighting for our teens’ minds and hearts. I saw Christians fighting to make Jesus the most powerful force in our teens’ lives.

In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees and Sadducees had a passion for (1) tradition (their old paths), (2) the institution (the temple and its priests), (3) regulations and procedures (elevated to the status of law), (4) heritage and culture (more essential than the person), and (5) the preservation of forms (identity was godliness!).

Jesus’ passion was for people (hurt people, sinful people, rejected people, insignificant people, hopeless people). The primary difference between Jesus and the Pharisees or Sadducess? God’s priorities. All agreed that God’s will was preeminent, but their understanding of God’s priorities was radically different.

Probabilities: Our teens (1) know more teens from divorced or single parent homes than with their mom and dad; (2) know many sexually active teens; (3) know many teens who experiment with alcohol and drugs; (4) know some teens who had an abortion.

Jesus’ church needs Christians who, like Jesus, have a passion for souls.