One thing I desire for our youth is that they may believe in their hearts the truths of the scripture.
Have you ever prayed the following prayer, “Lord help us know more about you”. Maybe a better way to pray would be “Lord help us to really believe the things we learn about you from the Bible.” When we believe the things God has revealed to us in the scriptures, it is more likely that our hearts and behavior will change.
The danger these days in youth ministry is that we may teach the students to modify their behavior only. Truth is, they are already good enough at “acting”. Students know how to behave at school, at home and at church. There is only one way anyone can move from acting according to the environment they are in to being the same godly person in all settings. And that is by having a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ, believing in their heart that He is the Son of God and by taking Him as His word.
Sometimes I have parents call and ask about my vision for the youth group. For a while I have been impressed with the sophisticated vision statements of others. Now I’ve come to the place where I realize that the best vision I can have for the students God has trusted me with is to have them become more like Jesus.
Yes I desire that our students are moral and well behaved, but above all I want them to know Jesus Christ personally. Morality and good behavior will not save anyone, but Christ saves all who believe in Him alone!