Tony Campolo died about a month ago.  A sociologist and prophetic preacher, Campolo’s intellectual and pulpit gifts were astounding.  I heard him first as a young college student who had recently stepped back into faith.  His impassioned plea to “surrender to a force that creates a passion” intrigued me.  He was talking about the Holy Spirit who will create a passion to serve Christ within the believer’s life.  I had never heard it put that way.  It was only Friday evening of the conference I was attending, and already I knew God was at work.

The next morning, Campolo spoke again.  This time he asked poignant questions of us.  What were we majoring in?  Why were we majoring in it?  What did we plan to do when we graduated?  Were we only in college so that we could “get a good job” that would allow us to “buy a lot of stuff?”  Was that the purpose of our education?  His point was that the Christian life, the call to discipleship goes much deeper.  It affects every direction of our lives, and the best thing we could do is get an education so that we could know God better, more deeply, so we could love and serve him with all our “heart, soul, mind, and strength.”

This guy Campolo was getting to me.  I was at a very vulnerable and impressionable time in my Christian walk, and he hit me right where I needed it.  At the end of the conference, I walked the aisle at the time of invitation and surrendered my summer to become a summer missionary for our Lord.  The next year, I made the same commitment.  The year after, I surrendered to the call to vocational ministry.  Thirty years later, I’ve been a pastor for nearly twenty-five years.  Looking back, Campolo’s plea to view your life through the lens of the kingdom of God radically altered my worldview.  The purpose of my life was not to major in something so I could get a good job and then “buy a lot of stuff” I did not need.  It was to live in a surrendered fashion to Jesus Christ, to be filled with his Spirit, this force who creates a passion to pursue life for his glory.

I’ve matured spiritually through the years.  By the grace of God, I now possess two seminary degrees.  I’ve continued to follow Campolo, and had a very real disagreement with some of his theology that changed several years ago.  The theological difference was no small matter, and it pained me that he adopted what I believe to be such an unbiblical approach.  Still, I can’t help but to admire his passion for Jesus, a passion that was used to radically alter my life so many years ago.  Without it, who knows where I would be today.  I thank God for that passion.  We could use a whole lot more of it in this world, a whole lot more people whose purpose in life is not to “buy a lot of stuff,” but rather to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  Rest in peace, Dr. Campolo.  Your passion did not go unnoticed.