Wondering how to ignite teens’ passion for God? Want to break through spiritual barriers? The good news is that teens are eager to hear and share the gospel. Learn three ways to spark excitement about faith and evangelism.
Every year I connect with thousands of youth leaders. The vast majority have one thing in common. They long to see their teenagers on fire for Jesus Christ.
But this holy desire can lead to real frustration. Teen apathy can bar the door to the furnace room of spiritual revival in the heart of typical churchgoing teens. How can you break through this spiritual barrier and help students catch the fire?
3 Ways to Ignite Teens’ Passion for God
Here are three ways to ignite teens’ passion for God:
1. Pray for teens by name every week.
I’ll never forget meeting John. The Florida youth leader was super-frustrated with where his five teenagers were at spiritually. He began to pray for them each by name for two hours every Thursday afternoon. He prayed for various aspects of their lives that he knew about. But more than anything, he prayed for their salvation and transformation.
One by one, each of these teens came to Christ and was set on fire. Soon their friends were attending church too. Within a year, John’s group had grown to 50+ kids. And all the new teens came to Christ through youth group members reaching out with the Gospel!
When I asked John if he was still praying for two hours every Thursday, he said no. Surprised, I asked why. He explained that because his schedule was getting too busy in the afternoons, he had to start praying an hour early every morning. He went on his daily prayer walk, but instead of just jamming to tunes, he engaged in intercessory prayer.
John shared amazing answers to prayer he had seen. And as a bonus, he lost 25 pounds!
Whether you choose 10 minutes, 30 minutes, “Sweet Hours of Prayer,” prayer walks or finding prayer pockets (not to be confused with Hot Pockets) throughout the day, DO SOMETHING! Make intercessory prayer the engine, not the caboose, of your youth ministry efforts.
2. Get teens evangelizing ASAP.
Next, realize that when teenagers share their faith, they’re in a position of risk. They can lose face and friends. As a result of their evangelism efforts, teens face teasing, marginalization and even ostracism … just as Jesus’ disciples did (Matthew 5:11-12.)
But this same sense of risk puts teens in a position to trust Jesus like never before. Now kids aren’t just sitting in a meeting listening to you tell stories of faith heroes. Instead, they’re in a strategic position to become faith heroes!
Just as Jesus led the early disciples on evangelism campaigns, we must do the same. It gives teens a sense of mission, adventure and danger. The stark act of evangelism fills people with excitement. “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name’” (Luke 10:17).
The disciples evangelized from town to town, witnessing amazing miracles as a result. Jesus reminds them the biggest miracle isn’t demons fleeing someone’s body but the Holy Spirit invading someone’s soul!
