How To Take Camp To Campus
Have you ever been watching television or listening to the radio when the emergency broadcasting system comes on the air?
That can certainly be annoying. But the purpose of that interruption has been designed to save thousands of lives.
Similar to when the television or radio program is interrupted by an emergency broadcast, God will do the same thing in our lives. And one of those settings where God interrupts us is Camp.
Often, God will use a week of Camp to interrupt our regularly scheduled lives. As we have completed the 2024 Camp season, here's a look at how God interrupts our spiritual lives. And how we can take Camp to Campus.
Many salvations
Dozens of healings
Students and leaders filled with the holy Spirit
Important conversations with leaders
Powerful stories of broken addiction
MOVEMENTS NOT MOMENTS
Camp can be one of the most impacting moments in our spiritual lives. I believe in moments that create movements that create maturity in our lives.
Look at it this way. We know that God works through our Strategies and our spiritual disciplines. But, do you realize that God also works through His Suddenlies and spiritual interruptions?
Camps are definitely the most important time of my ministry every year. I set aside months of planning and prayer and wellness to prepare myself for these weeks. The responsibility that we carry in the Summer is humbling, thrilling, and wearisome all at the same time.
I know that some people see no value for Camp. They say that Camp is emotionalism. A quick read through the Book of Acts would prove to be a lot of emotionalism and some pretty life-altering moments too. Why do I believe in Camp? It really is simple. There is a pattern in scripture where God steps into time and speaks in a way that He does not normally.
I think there are many ways that God works in our life. Let me give you two: suddenlies and strategies.
STRATEGIES
One of the easiest ways to take Camp to campus, or, to take the experience of Camp back home with you, is to practice the things that you did at camp - being in the Bible, worship, prayer, and accountability daily.
There is power in a systematic STRATEGY of spiritual disciplines in our life. The written work of God speaking through His Word. The spiritual work that we put in over time, such as bible reading, prayer, fasting, worship, and accountability or mentors in your life are proven strategies.
In Matthew 16, Jesus talked about the importance of 'taking up your cross daily' in order to be a disciple. The word for disciple is part of the root of discipline, or, beating yourself under control.
If you are practicing things that are producing sin, you have to stop.
Are you willing to practice at home the things you practiced at camp? Bible reading, prayer, fasting, and godly mentors are all a vital part of your spiritual success.
There is no replacement for spiritual patterns and discipline. There are some attitudes and vices that you will never be able to get rid of in your life unless you are willing to die daily to these things. You cannot cast out the flesh in your life. It's not that simple. You have to crucify it.
Spiritual strategies produce spiritual maturity.
But, there is another important part of your spiritual success. And it is the opposite of strategies.
SUDDENLIES
There is also power in the interruption of SUDDENLIES into our life. And this is why I believe so much in Camp.
A week of Camp is time away from what is familiar to us - such as time away from jobs, and teams, and practices, or, even from the friends that distract us. And, a week of Camp is time in an intentional setting charged with anticipation and faith.
This anticipation that students and leaders show up to Camp with, charges the setting of Camp for moments that impact our lives like no other time.
God’s Spirit can do more in a moment of our hunger and anticipation than in our entire lifetime of familiarity. Just look at a few of the many references of suddenlies in the bible:
Joshua 11 – Joshua’s army strikes the king of Hazor out of nowhere suddenly
1 Kings 18 – The sudden death of the false prophets
2 Kings 2 – The chariot of God sweeps Elijah away suddenly
Proverbs – Destruction comes upon the foolish suddenly
Ezekiel 37 – The Spirit of the Lord came upon the valley of dry bones suddenly
Matthew 28 – Jesus appears suddenly on the road after the resurrection
Mark 1 - The Spirit came upon Jesus suddenly at His baptism
Mark 13 – The sudden return of Christ catching up those who are asleep
Luke 2 – The Angel hosts appear suddenly to the shepherds announcing the birth of the Christ
Acts 2 – The Church began with an outpouring of the Spirit upon mankind
Acts 16 – The sudden earthquake that opened prison doors for Paul and Silas
Acts 9, 22 – Paul telling of the Light of the Lord that cam upon him suddenly
Game-changing
The word suddenly is also similar to an Epidemic or a breakout. It captures how quickly God can move. In athletics, we call it ‘mojo’. Or, when a team ‘get’s on a roll’. A basketball team has a 16-2 ‘run’ and the outcome of the game is changed.
An interruption stops everything and gets our attention. Like a TV or radio announcement. Other terms that describe this idea of suddenly are viral, pandemic, contagious, rapid, or instant.
Sometimes when we become familiar or settled in our relationship with God we can lose interest or passion and become apathetic. And it usually depends upon my hunger for God and my willingness to seek Him.
For example, just like with a person who might need the defibrillator to rescue them from a life-threatening cardiac arrest, sometimes we need to be shocked into awakening or revival. And the work of God in suddenly moments accomplishes that in the Camp setting.
It has happened throughout history.
FINALLY
In a tragic way, the flu epidemic in the Spring of 1918 began on the east coast and 6 months later 24 million people were dead worldwide. Because of a cough in a public restaurant or bathroom or school house!
And, in a productive way, the Hush Puppies organization was going to close in 1984. A struggling company had only sold 30,000 shoes in its first decade of existence. Fearing closure, the company Called an emergency. In that meeting, they came up with an idea.
Make a few small changes by placing a logo of a dog on the shoe! The next year they sold 430,000 shoes. The following year, 1996, they sold 2 million pairs of shoes!
Both of these examples prove the impacting power of sudden change.
Here are 4 things you can do to create long term spiritual impact after Camp:
Plan a post-camp discipleship weekend for an intensive 24 hours of theology, worship, and response
Produce a post-camp discipleship manual with the camp messages in mind
Prepare multiple video (or live) stories of students and leaders and the impact on their lives from camp
Preach a series in the Fall on the camp theme to bring back some of the moments from camp
Schedule the camp speaker to preach in your church or youth ministry
Allow God to interrupt your regularly scheduled life. Don't under-estimate the power of suddenlies to create spiritual maturity in your life