Godly sorrow brings...

2 Corinthians 7:10 "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."

What an appropriate verse on the heels of tonight's service. One of my favorite things about serving in North Park youth is the intentionality of what is done. Numbers are tracked weekly, which is absolutely fine and probably necessary. However, those numbers are not the driving motivation of this youth team and its leader. They are absolutely not the priority.

Tonight's message was perfectly clear. I am not making an emotional appeal to you to turn your heart to Christ. I do not seek people who will proclaim their faith now, based on feelings of fear or guilt, but forget it completely in three days. The appeal tonight, as it is every night, was for genuine heart change. Change that can only be accomplished by God Himself. Change that cannot be explained by anything short of Jesus Christ's miraculous powers. Godly sorrow brings repentance. That leads to salvation without regrets or false emotions. An emotional appeal to scare a person may lead them to change, but it is only temporary and ultimately leads to "death." God's words, not mine.

I hope that we stay very focused on genuine, Spirit lead heart change. I love serving with a leader who understands this. More than that, though, I love serving a God who seeks "real." I can walk an aisle 472 times and not experience even a scent of life change. One true encounter with Jesus Christ, however, and my life is flipped upside down. Freakin awesome! Got to see that in action tonight. What a blessing!