Falling in Love with Jesus

Growing Up in the Church

I grew up in the church. My dad is a pastor, so I'm a PK. From a very young age, I really loved God and had a desire for him. I remember prayers as a kid that my mom taught me, like the Lord's Prayer. You guys know it. 

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever amen

I would say prayers like that as a child, and I had such a joy for God. I picture this in my mind all the time: I was sitting in one of the back pews of our church watching my dad preach, and I thought, "I want to do that." I had a desire right then to be a preacher. That love for God was pure. I saw him, or at the very least, I heard stories of how he moved in my family's life and comforted me whenever I needed peace. It was a very real connection.

I believe a lot of the students who went to camp this past week experienced God in a similar way. They experienced God through their hearts, seeing what Christ had to go through on the cross for them.

John 16:32-33 says:

"Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

The Encounter at Camp

These students experienced that truth at camp. They watched a play where a younger guy who led a Bible study and lived for the Lord was invited to a party by his brother. He went, got drunk because a girl came along with him, and ended up in a car accident where the girl passed away.

The play then showed him in prison. His brother stepped in and said, "No, he doesn't deserve that. Take my place instead," and went to prison for him. From there, the play transitioned to Christ taking our sins and taking our place. We watched as he was whipped, beaten, and bruised for our transgressions on that cross. He willingly died for our sake, crying out, "Father, why hast thou forsaken me?"

Seeing this, the students had a real heart encounter with God. They learned, "Wow, this is who Jesus is and what he's about. He took our place." They left with a deeper understanding of God.

If I'm being honest, I don't think the majority of people who claim to be Christian read their Bible weekly. Some never pick it up at all. That is why these encounters—allowing students to come to church, experience God through these events, and see his sacrifice—are absolutely life-changing.

Misplaced Identity and the Fight for Control

Growing up, I never had a youth group or the opportunity to go to camp. But in elementary school, I decided three things in my mind: One, I'm always going to love the Lord. Two, I'm always going to be goofy and have fun. And three, I'm going to be successful and rich.

I tied my identity and purpose to making money, achieving financial success, and God. It created a split in me. I went to church every day, but I had no one discipling or mentoring me. By my senior year of high school, I found myself stuck in a depressing cycle because I was failing to achieve that financial identity. My values were entirely focused on making money quickly at all costs.

At the same time, I was secretly struggling with a pornography addiction that started back in middle school. I felt completely trapped. I would pray, "God, get me out of this continuous loop," because nothing was working out. I didn't have a license, a car, or a job. I would just go to school, go to track practice, come home, watch TV, look at pornography, pray for forgiveness, go to sleep, and restart the next day. I was so sad, begging God to do something different.

In high school, I took a class called Making of Men. The teacher asked everyone what they wanted to do when they grew up. I confidently said I wanted to study architecture and get into real estate. I had forgotten my childhood desire to preach because I was solely focused on financial goals. The teacher looked at me and said, "So basically, you want to do everything your dad does."

Even though my dad didn't study architecture, the truth was that I wanted a career that gave me total control over my life. From a young age, I felt like I had no control. That is a reality we all face, and many of us try to force control by picking arbitrary goals just so we can say we accomplished them.

But God was incredibly gracious to me. He didn't give me the lifestyle I was vocally begging for in prayer because he knew what my heart actually needed. I defined success by a financial position, but money wouldn't have fulfilled my true desires. Deep down, I desired to be seen, known, valued, to have a real purpose, and a stable foundation. And I found all of that in Christ.

Surrender and a New Direction

While praying for something fresh, I spent a month watching YouTube videos of an American walking into Chinese restaurants and grocery stores, shocking everyone by speaking fluent Chinese. It was so fascinating to me that one day I thought, "I can do that." I started spending an hour a day studying the language and culture.

Surprisingly, that simple action shifted my relationship with God. It replaced my old, toxic identity of needing to be rich and freed up my heart. I stopped worrying about money and focused on this new passion that gave me purpose. My relationship with God shot ahead, and I became bold and unashamed for Christ because I finally surrendered that area of my life to him.

The Greatest Commandment

Matthew 22:36-37 says:

Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 

The word for love here is agape—the highest form of godly, sacrificial love. It isn't driven by emotion or personal gain; it prioritizes God and others. 

To love God with all your heart means surrendering to him daily. It means choosing to trust him first to see how he responds, rather than demanding he earn your trust before you fully surrender. We often guard our hearts against people, but we must never guard them against God.

Loving God with all your soul means loving him with your entire being. It means it is your faith, not your parents' or grandparents' faith, choosing to love him.

Loving God with all your mind means choosing to wrestle with Scripture daily. It means having the courage to face things you don't understand or initially disagree with about God, and choosing to study, pray, and discern them anyway. It is an intellectual pursuit of knowing his character. Many Christians are afraid to truly know God because they are terrified of losing the version of God they created in their own minds. We have to be willing to cling to him and pursue the truth.

An Exhortation to the Flock

Many students today are exactly where I was: they know of God, they go to church every Sunday, and they might even feel a general love for him, but they don't truly know him. They might have an intellectual understanding without a heart connection, or their true identity is completely separate from who God called them to be.

When I fully surrendered, God began doing the deep inner work. Over time, he allowed me to overcome my porn addiction, gave me the boldness to proclaim his name, and taught me to love him with my mind and heart.

The apostle Peter offers a direct exhortation for the church in 1 Peter 5:1-4:

"So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory."

God is calling us to be shepherds, and that starts with your personal choice to love God sacrificially with all your heart, mind, and soul. That love will naturally overflow into how you treat your neighbour. It calls you to lead by example, not by yelling or domineering, but by living the Christ-centred life you want them to live.

Peter continues:

"Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith..."

Conclusion and Invitation

This is a powerful word for the younger generation searching for identity and purpose. The motto for camp this week was Overcomer, based on John 16:33: "Take heart, for I have overcome the world." Jesus tells us this because we are guaranteed to face struggles, trials, and temptations in this life that we cannot defeat on our own strength. I had to learn that the hard way. But we can take heart because Jesus has already won the battle.

If you haven't surrendered your life to Christ and trusted him, John 3:16 reminds us, "For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." If you are ready to stop hiding, stop fighting for control, and begin loving him with your whole heart, soul, and mind, I invite you to come forward. Our elders are standing up front, ready to welcome you, pray with you, and bring you into this church family. God desires you, and he loves you.

by: Darius Petties; Youth Pastor