One day, I went to the movies alone. I stood in line like I always did, I purchased my ticket like I always did, I found my seat and sat down like I always did. The lights went dim and the movie began, just like it always did. But nearly halfway through watching The Passion of the Christ, God spoke to my heart so profoundly.
Before I stepped into the theater and took my seat, I thought that I knew for certain that I loved God. I grew up in the church, so I thought that I surely had a relationship with God. I knew all the church lingo and the order of service at church, so I was in right standing with God, right? But I was so wrong. Within an hour into the movie, God would show me two things: who I really am, and how much he really loves me.
God’s Love in the Gospel
I’ve seen plenty of movies with violence which never had a lasting impact on me. Similarly, I’ve heard plenty of times that Jesus loves me and that he died for my sins, and I thought I understood what those words meant. But as I saw the soldiers begin to beat Jesus before he was crucified, my heart broke. I tear up in movies all the time—that’s nothing new for me. A good underdog story will bring me to tears easily, but this was different. I wasn’t just tearing up, but weeping—sobbing, even. As I saw what Jesus endured for my sins, I could not stop crying. With every lash he endured, I kept saying, “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry.”
“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit” (1 Pet. 3:18 KJV). Every time the soldiers drew back their hands and plunged their whips into the flesh of our Lord, I saw that it was because of me that he had to face this pain. It was because of me that he had to endure this torment. He had done nothing wrong. He was the just, and I was the unjust.
When I used to hear the word “gospel,” I thought of the music sung at church services or a preacher standing behind a podium belting out Scriptures in between hoops and deep breaths. After watching this film scene, I understood the gospel to be the greatest news one could ever receive: God’s love for us is so great that he would endure the most horrific and devastating treatment. The Father would allow them to put his Son to death as a sacrifice for our wrongdoing so that we could be freed from the penalty of sin. We no longer have to face the eternal punishment that sin brings if we accept the gift of salvation that Jesus’s death paid for.
The Passion of the Christ was more than a movie for me; it was the moment my life changed forever. The phrase Jesus loves me took on a whole new meaning for me. After this encounter, John 3:16 became more than a popular Bible verse that I could quote: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV). God didn’t send a priceless artifact from heaven or even an angel to pay my ransom. He sent his beloved Son Jesus to trade places with me and to pay the horrific price so that I could return to him.
I know that God made a great sacrifice for me so that I can have a place in the family of God. With new eyes, I can see who I once was, but more importantly, who I really am now. I was a sinner saved by grace and because of his grace, I am now a son of the most high God.
God’s Work through the Gospel
Dying for our sins is only part of the story. All men die, but what makes the gospel so encouraging, inspiring, and life-changing is what happened after Jesus died. When Jesus breathed his final breath and they removed his limp body from the cross and placed him in the tomb, it felt as though all hope was lost.
But God wasn’t done! Even the religious leaders remembered that Jesus said that he would rise again. “‘All right,’ Jesus replied. ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up’” (John 2:19 NLT). That is the beauty of the gospel. Nothing can stand against it.
As a youth minister, you must articulate the impact that the gospel has had on your life and how it can also transform the lives of the students in your care. Our youth are surrounded by darkness in their daily lives. Their schools, peers, and sometimes homes bombard them constantly with messages that seek to pull them away from Christ. When they can see us live out the gospel before them, we can encourage them to courageously do the same. We must constantly remind them of the power God places within them when they make Jesus the Lord of their lives—the Holy Spirit, who will empower them to withstand opposition and temptation in their lives.
We become walking Bible verses for those that we lead. They watch us, learn from us, and ultimately will emulate what they see and learn. When we live out of gratitude for what Jesus has done for us through his sacrifice on the cross, we become excellent examples for our young people. When we refuse to take for granted how the gospel has completely changed us, it will also change how we lead others. We will be able to see how precious our students are in the sight of God as we disciple them and show them how walking with Jesus daily is the best decision they will ever make.
God has shown both his love and his power through the gospel. Because God loves us, Jesus came down from heaven to take on a human form as a baby in a lowly manger in Bethlehem. He endured all of the hardships and temptations that we face. He chose to endure undeserved ridicule, abandonment, torture, and death. Because God loves us, Jesus took on the punishment for all the sins of everyone in the world. He rose from the grave on the third day and invites us to join him. God invites us to rise above the sin of our lives by the power of his Spirit at work within us. He invites us to live with power and dominion over our flesh and its desires.
Because of the gospel, I vowed to the Lord that day that I would live my life in a way that honors him and shows my true gratitude for what I watched him go through just for me. It is because of the gospel that Paul writes to the church in Rome, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1 KJV). Because God loves us, we can live for him.
At Rooted, we believe that the gospel is essential for every part of youth ministry. Check out Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry: A Practical Guide to learn more.
