I recently had the chance to speak in a class at a Christian high school. The students essentially asked me the same question most young people ask: How do I grow in my relationship with God? I gave them a straightforward answer: "You need the power of the Holy Spirit in your lives." I shared Luke 24, Romans 8 and Acts 2, and encouraged the youth to pursue and study the person of the Holy Spirit.

After the class I was politely informed by an adult leader that I needed to be careful in talking on this subject because "we don’t want to offend anyone." Now, I’ve been a youth pastor for more than 15 years—long enough to know you usually need more tact in dealing with adults than you do with teens. But this time, I had to be blunt. I responded by simply saying the Holy Spirit is the central point of living the Christian life in the New Testament, no matter what denomination you are from.

The encounter got me thinking, though. What are these students being taught? More specifically, what are they not being taught? We have got to bring back the Holy Spirit to the youth ministries of America. No matter the cost. No matter the controversy. No matter the persecution. It has to be done. If we hope to see this generation saved, we can't go on without the Holy Spirit anymore. We can't be a lukewarm people trying to win the lost but having no success because we fail to recognize the ultimate Helper. He is here to show the power of the gospel, to win the hearts of this generation.

My experience in youth ministry over the years has led to one conclusion: It is the power of the Holy Spirit that keeps young people coming back. There's an old saying in ministry, "Whatever you do to get them there is what you'll have to do to keep them." That's become the problem. We've done everything apart from making the Holy Spirit the superstar of our youth services. We have stuck ourselves in a powerless wilderness of trying to get crowds rather than seeing a generation set ablaze by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Don't get me wrong: This is the greatest hour to be alive. The Holy Spirit is what makes youth ministry fun. He is our hope for changing not just the next generation, but every age group. Would you join with me and thousands of other dedicated youth ministers around this nation in preaching a
gospel filled with the Holy Spirit? I believe as we do, we'll see mighty demonstrations of His power. Just as important, we'll see our young people turned into flames of fire as they set their generation ablaze.