What if people said..."they've been with Jesus"?

Oh that we, and therefore our youth, were motivated at the beginning of the 3rd Millennium as our spiritual ancestors were at the beginning of the 1st Millennium. These men and women were the eyewitnesses of the life, words, powerful deeds and teachings of Jesus Christ. These experiences were those which changed their lives forever and a fact they could not hide because they were so passionate they could not shut up and their actions were so powerful they couldn’t hide them.

My thoughts were spurred by a passage that was briefly mentioned in church this morning—2 Peter1:16: “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made know to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses to His majesty”. At the beginning of 1 John (1:1, 3), the Apostle John writes in a similar mindset: “that which was from the beginning which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life…that which we have seen and heard we proclaim to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and…with the Father and with His Son.”

It was said about Peter and John early in their public ministry that they Jewish leaders “when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and they perceived that they were uneducated common men, they were astonished. And [the Jewish leaders] recognized that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 5:13)

Oh that people would observe the boldness, outspokenness, bluntness and confidence of the Christian youth of the Springs and perceived and acknowledge by the evidence of their lives, words and actions that our youth have been with Jesus Christ!

What are the characteristics of these men who had been with Jesus?

• Confidence. They were bold and outspoken when it came to the claims and work of Jesus Christ.
  
• Ability. They possessed skills and abilities that outstripped their natural talents and abilities as well as their education, training, age and social position.
  
• Results. the results of power of Jesus Christ through them were undeniable.
  
• Lives. Their lives were completely altered. Their occupations, dispositions, life foci were changed to fulfilling Jesus’ commands and to living out the characteristics of Jesus.
  
• Love. The displayed an uncommon sacrificial love for all—especially for other Christians (with whom there was a unity and common mindset that isn’t seen apart from Jesus Christ).

But how did they come by it? They were born again, Spirit-filled, community based men and women who prayed and fasted and read the Scriptures and…..well, in Jesus’ words they “loved the Lord their God with all their hearts, souls, minds and bodies and they loved their neighbors as themselves”. (Mark 12:30-31; Deut. 6:4-5)

Oh that the Christian youth of the Colorado Springs would love God and pursue Him above all else and that they would love their fellow man—especially other Christians. The result of this would be seen as described above and when the church of Jesus Christ is so focused people naturally come into the Kingdom. The results of this outpouring of love for God and mankind will not only result in a greater sense of unity among the Christian high school students in our city, but will ultimately result in a greater number of high school students coming into the Kingdom for the first time!

• I believe that the first harvest that we will see when this happens will be an increase in the number of Christian high school students going to church and participating in God’s work on their campuses[1].
  
• I believe that the second harvest will be an increase in the numbers of high school students going to church and participating in God’s work on their campuses as the result of them coming to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.
  

Oh, God, raise up this generation to be lovers of God, lovers of their fellow man and unified in Your Name—as You prayed for us to do! Raise them up in unity, power and might that they would as a unified army year after year after year bust the Gates of Hell bringing many to Jesus Christ.

Additional verses: John 13:35; John 17; Acts 2:42-46; 4:32-37; Acts 4:13-14 and so many more

[1] I believe that the role of campus ministries (church related or para-church; formal or informal) is important to assisting our youth in living their lives for Jesus Christ on their campuses. However, the primary emphasis should be involvement in a local church in some way, shape or form so that they create a habit of participation in God’s ordained Body that will continue into adulthood.