GAP Youth Preaching Camp

This past June, I worked my regular week at the GAP Youth Preaching Camp, held each year at beautiful Camp Wakatomika, just outside Danville, Ohio. This camp was the vision of Kevin Yeager, an outstanding preacher familiar to many of our readers. It has been my privilege to serve as part of the preaching camp staff since its inception in 2007. Without doubt, camp week has become one of the highlights of my year. 

Every year, at some point during the week, I hear a thought-provoking comment worthy of examination. This year, Mike Hawkins, long-time preaching camp staff member and Senior Minister at Southwest Church of Christ, Barberton, OH, supplied the topic. Speaking at our morning devotions, Mike used Paul’s message in 1 Timothy 4:1 to discuss the sad reality that some young people do indeed depart from the faith. Of course, Mike exhorted our twelve campers to not be included in that number. 

I confess that I certainly don’t know the solution to the why do young people depart from the faith issue. I will, however, share what Renee and I are doing with our now fifteen-year-old daughter, Madison. As she celebrated her birthday, I challenged her to embark on a four-year journey (i.e., until she turns eighteen and heads off to college) to turn her parent’s faith into her own faith. In other words, rather than ride the coattails of our faith, I challenged her to take personal ownership of her faith in Christ. To that end, we’ve emphasized three things. 

Foundation. First, the foundation of her faith must be in the trustworthiness of God’s Word and the resurrection of Jesus. The most powerful presentation I have heard of why one can believe the Bible is the Word of God was a message preached by David Faust at the 2001 Cavalier Men’s Retreat (at Camp Rudolph, Virginia). In defending his proposition, he used the acrostic CHRIST is a masterful way: 

C — Claims to be 

H — Historically accurate 

R — Remarkable style 

I — Indestructibility 

S — Scientific and Prophetic accuracy 

T — Total unity 

In my years of ministry, I have used his magnificent acrostic many times and have found it extremely effective. 

With Madison, we are also emphasizing the reality of the bodily resurrection of Jesus. Stated succinctly, His resurrection is the bullseye of Christianity. Jesus’s resurrection is central to the Christian hope (see 1 Peter 1:3). We want Madison to comprehend that the reality that Jesus being raised from the dead is the firm foundation of the Christian faith. 

Framework. Next, we continue to emphasize that God’s Word is the only reliable framework for life. Without doubt, Colossians 2:1-10 is one of my favorite Bible passages. As related to the Bible being the framework for life, Paul makes three pertinent observations. First, that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ. Life is challenging and wisdom is necessary to negotiate life’s demands. This much needed wisdom is found in the words of Christ. 

Second, Paul exhorts his readers to “walk in Him … established in the faith, as you have been taught.” It’s not enough to know the precepts and principles of the Scriptures, they must be put into practice. Since Christianity is a taught religion, young people must be taught the Word. 

Finally, Paul warns that the philosophies of the world are dangerous to the faith. Specifically, he says, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8). The word cheat means “to carry off as a prey, to make victims of fraud, to make captive of.” It’s imperative for all, young and old, to realize that, rather than providing a solid framework for life, the philosophies of the world take one captive. 

Fullness. Finally, with Madison we are emphasizing that only a life dedicated to Christ provides direction, meaning, and completeness. In John 10:10, Jesus teaches that He came that we may have life more abundantly. In describing the life that He gives, our Lord uses a word that means extraordinary in amount. It may sound trite but it’s true that the vehicle to a full life is living for Jesus. 

Considering the grace of God, we are to be living sacrifices. It is in just such a sacrificial life that real meaning is found. This simple, yet profound lesson we are striving daily to teach our daughter. 

As Mike reminded us that clear sunny morning in June, sadly some will depart from the faith. Although I realize that a foolproof method to prevent such is lacking, I’m confident our approach to raising Madison is sound. My prayer is that she, the twelve outstanding young men we had as campers, and all our youth will prove faithful unto death and receive the crown of life.