a life changing faith...

How can we do it?  How can we help youth experience the power of God's Presence and love?  I think I struggle mainly with that...   I believe that if my "kids" knew and felt God's Presence, and knew for themselves, apart from anything anyone else tells them, that God loves them...  I think if they knew that, they might want to begin to explore and grow in a relationship with the Lord...  they might want to see how faith can speak to their lives and the issues they face...  they just might be willing to try to learn how God wants them to live...  and they just might make a positive difference in their world...

In The Book of 1 Kings [Bible - Old Testament], there is a story of the prophet Elijah who challenged all the priests of Baal [one of the gods worshiped by Canaanites] to a "duel"...  Elijah would prepare a sacrifice to God, and the priests would prepare a sacrifice to Baal.  Then the priests of Baal would call on their god and Elijah would call on his God...   and those watching would know who truly was God by which sacrifice was consumed by fire sent from heaven.

To make a long story short, there was no response from Baal, even after hours of pleading calling and ritual dancing and cutting by the priests of Baal...   but with only a simple prayer, the God of Elijah sent fire and consumed Elijah's sacrifice.  And all those who watched, fell to the ground to worship Elijah's God... because they knew that Elijah's God, the God of creation, the same God that we who are Christ-followers proclaim today, was truly the only God!

 

In a world where bulls are no longer sacrificed as a way to worship God, what can be done to challenge the "gods" of our world today?  How can we live so that the "fire" of God's Holy Spirit will be seen in our lives and as a result, influence our youth to live a life of faith in God? 

Ultimately, youth must choose for themselves....  whether to follow the Creator and Redeemer God, who makes all things new....  or whether to follow the gods of the world whose promises lead to hopelessness and despair...