Passionate Ministries Produce Passionate Followers of Jesus

It’s pretty simple.  Dead ministries produce kids and families that are luke warm at best.  Dry baptistries produce spiritually dry young people.  Prayerless ministries produce young people who do not have a heart to walk with God.  Fruitless ministries produce fruitless kids and families. 

Kids who grow up to follow Jesus for a lifetime are kids who have seen God do miraculous things in the ministries they grew up in.  

They have seen people with addictions set free.  They have seen hardened hearts changed by the power of God.  They have seen God provide finances for the work of the ministry.  They have seen bold prayers answered.  

They have seen people healed from diseases.  They have seen the baptistry waters stirred on a regular basis by new followers of Jesus. They have often seen tears shed for the lost. They have seen marriages restored. They have been part of a ministry where people truly do love God’s Word and daily read it.  They have seen the Holy Spirit come and do mighty works in the hearts of people.  They have been in a ministry where people are on fire for God. 

Passionate ministries produce young people
who are passionate about following Jesus.
I have seen living examples of this over the years.  I have been blessed to serve in passionate churches.  One of the churches where I served really, I mean really, really really believed in children’s ministry. The church decided to build new children’s ministry facilities (you can tell if a church really loves the next generation by where they invest their money).  And so the fund raising began.  People gave sacrificially to invest in the next generation.  

In the children’s ministry, there was a 3rd grade boy.  We’ll just call him Roger.  As he saw the church’s passion to reach kids and families, he felt God begin to speak to his heart about giving some money toward the new facility.

Where would the money come from?  Here’s what happened. His birthday was coming up and he and his family had been saving up for a big trip to Florida to celebrate his birthday.     

Roger called a parent / kid meeting.  He told them instead of spending his birthday money on a trip to Florida, instead, he wanted to give the money to the new children’s facility.  Wow! His parents gave their blessing and he gave his birthday vacation money to the building project.  God used it to encourage many other people in the church to give sacrificially toward the building so they could reach and disciple more of the next generation.

You have to ask yourself...what would cause a child to do that?  The answer is obvious to me.  He was in a church that was passionate about reaching the next generation and God used it to stir a passion in this child to serve Jesus.  By the way, that has been well over 20 years ago and he is still following Jesus now as an adult.

I wonder if many of those who have walked away were in cold, dead churches where you rarely saw God at work?  Lots of empty seats.  A baptistry that is dry.  Going through the motions of worship with no real joy.  People dozing off during the message.  No outreach to the community.  No tears for those who don’t know Jesus. Who wants to be a part of that?

Vibrant churches produce kids and students who have a vibrant faith.  Dead churches produce kids and students that can’t wait to get out of church completely once they are able to make the decision for themselves.

You teach what you know.  
You produce who you are.

The next generation wants to see God at work in the church.  They want to see His power transform people’s lives.  They want to see a church that is like a hospital rather than a museum. Think about it. A hospital is where the sick and hurt and those in pain come to get help.  It’s messy and bloody at times, but it’s where people’s lives can be saved.      

The next generation wants to be part of a spiritual hospital where people come to find forgiveness, healing and a second chance.  Yes, it gets messy at times.  That happens when you’re helping people who desperately need Jesus.  

But that’s what inspires the next generation. When they see drug addicts set free, marriages restored, lives changed through the power of Christ, people seeking God in earnest prayer and people passionate about reaching out to people outside the four walls of the church, they will be willing to give their lives to that cause. 

They have no use for churches that are a museum where “perfect Christians” are on display for everyone to see.  They want to be a part of something that is making an impact in people’s lives. Hospital or museum?  Which would best describe your ministry?

Where is the passion level in your ministry?  Is it high?  Low? Bland? Mediocre? On fire? Compelling?  Is time to stir the passion for Christ in your ministry?  The future of the next generation could very well hinge on your commitment and passionate love for Christ.

This is an excerpt from my newest book - "Fertile Soil...See Kids' Faith Grow and Flourish for a Lifetime."  It will be released in the next couple of months.  We've all seen the stats about how many kids walk away from the church when they get older. This book unlocks what it takes to see kids follow Jesus for a lifetime.  It will be a game-changer for ministries who read and implement the truths found in this book.

You can pre-order the book at this link.