Reflections on Youth Lectures

Rusty Miller

“Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love.”

Even now, it is difficult to express what it means to be able to sing those words in praise to our God joined by a chorus of over 500.

Our recently concluded Youth Lectures afforded us an opportunity to do just that, as we were blessed by attendance of more than 500 on each of the three days of the meeting. And while the Lectures are not about numbers, the growing success of this endeavor is reflected by that sustained attendance. When the Youth Lectures began in 1995, crowding over 300 people into our old building on Pioneer Drive, it was next to impossible to imagine such a large group of people (young, old and in-between).

Perhaps what has been most rewarding is that this has been accomplished without resorting to the tricks of proponents of the “fun and games” gospel. Not only that, but when surveyed about what was best about Youth Lectures, respondents overwhelmingly (more than 2-to-1) answered, “The preaching.”

And they have not come for cotton-candy preaching, or to soothe their “itching ears.” In the past, young people have been asked to consider evangelism, the life of Jesus, concepts about the church and the Sermon on the Mount, as well as exegetical studies from at least four books of the Bible (including Revelation). This is no “dumbed down” version of the gospel.

This year’s Lectures were no exception, as those in attendance will keep in memory the lessons taught. On Friday, David Banning’s thoughts on parents were solidly based in scripture (bolstered by his vivid image of listening to those who had passed through the wreckage before you), while Paul Sheehan’s inimitable humor drew listeners closer to understanding Biblical concepts of friendship.

Saturday was marked by Bubba Garner’s call to serve God right now (“Christianity won’t wait”) and Mike Wilson’s thoughts on spending time with God in prayer with the illustration of its vital nature when he discussed his wife’s cancer treatment. On Sunday, this writer asked that we consider just what it means to be adopted as children of God, while Mark Roberts painted striking mental pictures of Heaven and living in the presence of our God.

Still, it keeps coming back around to that number: Over 500 Christians all gathered to sing praises to our God and to listen to His word! It is greatly encouraging, especially to see large numbers of young people committed to serving God and desirous of discovering more of His will for their lives. Just as the dog days of Summer arrive, as young people begin to prepare to return to school where the message from their peers can be so wrong-headed, more than 500 Christians were reminded that they are not alone. They were reminded that great numbers hold fast to the same principles that guide their own lives, and that there is great joy in giving one’s life to God in service.

We at Westside want to thank all those who attended. We look forward, if the Lord wills, to next year’s Youth Lectures, on the theme of “Questions Jesus Asked.” Dates are not finalized yet, but mark the last two weekends in July. It will be one of those weekends, depending on when school starts and other matters out of our control. We will post the date on our website as soon as we can, and we hope you will join us. If you were here this year, we are sure you will be back. If you have never been to our Youth Lectures, we hope you will give consideration to joining us. You will be glad you did!