Chuck Bridges Blog

Our weekend trip to a place in the mountains of Tennessee proved to be the kind of God movement that all Christians pray for. To share in these kind of experiences with young people still fires me up. We knew it was a great experience for the 2 teenagers who were saved and the 40+ who made a commitment to be sexually pure from this time until they get married.

The power of God demonstrated among these young people in the mountains came back with them and met with us in the youth worship service on Wednesday night. The parents and other family members were asked to come and share in the celebration with these special young people. We had 111 people in this service. God moved in a powerful way and 4 more teenagers were saved. The altar was filled with youth and their family members praying for God’s help in keeping their vows to be sexually pure. Even a few adults came forward and took a white cloth indicating their desire to be Sanctified for God’s service. It was one of the most powerful and inspiring occassions I have experienced in a long time.

Over the years I have been a part of occasions similar to this when it just seemed that God touched everyone who was in the service. Following these special times, it seems like those involved stick with it for a while but then gradually drift back into the same condition they were in before the special visitation from God.

I am believing God to build on this Momentum that He has started. I am not going to wait to see what these young people and their adult leaders will do. I am claiming the many lives who will be influenced for the Kingdom of God because of these “changed” young people! I challenged them at the close of this service to be catalysts for Positive Peer Pressure in their schools (or wherever else they have influence). I believe God is going to use these Young People to inspire a deeper, more passionate walk with Christ among God’s people at Washington Avenue Church.

Only God will know how many people will become Christ-Followers because of the “seed” He has planted in these young people’s lives. They have been Transformed by God’s power to go out and become Transformers! They are NOT our leaders of the future; they are our leaders right now! I am one of the most privileged and blessed men on earth to have the opportunity to be associated with these kind of young people.

Many thanks go to our Youth Pastor Ricky Motes and his associate Lisa Freeman. As always, their sensitivity to God’s Spirit concerning the topic of study for the weekend proved to be a powerful force in these teen’s hearts. Also, much thanks goes to the other adults who served on this trip. We are blessed to have so many qualified adults to serve in this great ministry. And, last, but not least, as always our stomachs were blessed by Bradley and Catherine Davis who did an awesome job cooking.