THE SERIES REVIVE US : Time to Implement

This past summer I was away speaking at a number of different teen camps and it has been an incredible experience. I have been learning so much as I began implementing and applying what God has been showing me through this Revive Us Series. For those of you who are new to Canadian Youth Workers, I started a new series just before the summer as a result of the startling responses from a grade 12 class project at a Christian School where they had to create their own church. Holy Spirit convicted me and opened the eyes of us ministry leaders that were in involved with that project. Our students know how to do church but they lack the heart of Christ which is the motivation for why we do what we do.

We have a crisis on our hands. There is a model of youth ministry that is producing church doers instead disciples as mentioned in Matthew 28. These church doers will not be able to withstand the global pressures and pop culture of this age or carry the torch after we are gone.

Revive Us is not about what we need to do to fix the students…No, we are the problem. Our students are a reflection of us. Youth Worker this Fall do not go back to doing youth ministry. Re-examine yourself. This year 'Consecrate yourself for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things amongst you.' Joshua 3:5

How?

1. Be Bold, Strong and Courageous. If He is for you, don't worry about who is against you. Think Big, Act Big, Be Bold. This is bigger than think Big Youth Ministry. When was the last time you prayed the prayer of faith and stuck around believing that God would heal that person right then and there? Yeah, that takes courageous.

2. Preach Jesus. The Gospel Message of God's Love Through Jesus is what makes darkness flee and students free.

3. Take Time To Hear What God Is Saying In The Morning. Are you still in love? Were you ever in love with Jesus or has your relationship with him been more out of gratitude, a Sinner to a Saviour relationship. Yes, that is the relationship Jesus died for but that is not all that He rose again and lives for. Do you love him? Love compels one to listen and seek to understand.

These factors are at the core of what we need within us to go make disciples who will remain standing through all uncertainties. We cannot reproduce what we do not have. It is time. Revive Us O Lord. 

* The purpose of this blog series is not to tear down the students projects for they worked hard on them.  This problem is not a reflection of a school or isolated to the specific city or an age demographic. The views and concerns addressed in this blog are bigger than our youth, I believe it is a reflection of how Christians young and old view the church and what we've sacraficed to make Jesus look cool. 

The Founder of the Young Woman of Power (YWOP), Alison develops programs that are designed to build girls confidence such as the YWOP PivotFWD workshop which she delivers in Calgary’s Youth Judicial System and a citywide Conference. Alison’s heart for young women is to see the statistics of violence against women decrease and to see females become counter culture/culturally dangerous by growing in true confidence. For more info or to book Alison as a speaker visit www.ywop.ca