I had the privilege of attending Passion in Houston, TX and was blown away numerous times over the weekend with what The Lord is doing in the younger generation and in my own relationship with Him. It was an incredible time of worship all around that included music, teaching from the Bible, serving opportunities, and relationship building across the board.
People came from all over the world to be a part of this weekend and listen to people like Louie Giglio, Christine Caine, Francis Chan, Ben Stuart, Matt Chandler, and more. These were some thoughts that stood out and what God showed me personally through these speakers and through the weekend overall.
I was actually moved to tears in the opening session of the weekend where they had everyone use the flashlight on their phones to answer the questions on the screens. It started off fun and was a great idea, and then they turned a corner, and asked real, hard, questions. This is just a short clip of that moment of the night where you can get an idea of how many people are out there hurting and looking for answers.
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While this moment rocked me, it also encouraged me even more to love and serve others and continue sharing Jesus with them. It’s an amazing picture to see how many people are hurting and have questions.
It Is Finished
The major theme that was communicated through the weekend was the fact that when Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross, He said, It Is Finished. Not only was that just a phrase he said to “complete” that moment or something like that, but rather, it was something so much more than that.
The price for sins was paid, there was a new way to salvation (through Jesus), death was defeated, and Jesus was victorious.
Now, we can follow Jesus and be forgiven for all of eternity, but can always look back to “It Is Finished” as a reminder each day that what Jesus did was sufficient, God is pleased when He sees us because He sees His son, and that we have the power of the Holy Spirit to lead us in any circumstance we find ourselves in.
Louie Giglio made mention that we are at our best when we are free. That was powerful!
Think about it, when you are freed up knowing you have nothing to prove and that everything has been done for you because of what Jesus did, you can be at your best as a follower of Christ because you aren’t chained down by sin.
We get to play a role in what God is doing, and that is a privilege.
Divine Alignments Will Bring Divine Assignments
What stood out to me the most during Christine Caine’s talk was that God provides the assignments we are to do for Him through the way He has aligned people and situations around us. That was a great reminder for me because I have a tendency to look out beyond myself and “plan” all the time, while missing what is right in front of me.
Be encouraged that if you spend time with God in prayer and in His Word, you can trust He will reveal to you the alignments He has already made in your life and that will show you the assignments He is calling you to do.
It doesn’t take an investigation to learn what God is calling us to do. It takes observing what He is already doing.
The Struggle Should Be A Great Encouragement
Ben Stuart was someone that I’ve never heard speak before and he had some great things to say. I believe The Lord used him in great ways during this time and he made a fantastic point about the struggle that goes on in the Christian life.
Do you find yourself struggling with sin? Wanting to do more for Jesus? Are you trying to know Him more and more? Is it difficult following Jesus at all?
If you answered yes to any of these, take encouragement in the fact that you are a believer!
Now, the Bible states you are a believer if you have trusted in Jesus to follow Him the rest of your life and you believe in what He has done, but my point is, you wouldn’t be struggling if you weren’t following Jesus. If you weren’t following Jesus, you just wouldn’t care.
Sometimes we need to be reminded that the journey is long and hard and that even when it’s tough, we can be sure of our salvation in Christ.
May I Never Lose The Wonder
Francis Chan brought up a great point that hit me hard in regards to the fact that Christians should never lose the wonder of what God has done. I needed to hear that specifically and be reminded to never lose the wonder.
He also spoke a lot on us “getting in the tent” like the tent of meeting (Exodus 33:7) or going up the mountain like Moses did (Exodus 19:16-20) to spend time with God.
Think about it, at that time, God encountered man in that way. For followers of Jesus, we have direct access to God at any time whatsoever, but how often do we even take advantage of that? I’m incredibly guilty here because I typically walk right past my “tent of meeting” or see my other responsibilities more important than “going up the mountain.”
“The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.” – 1 Peter 4:7
Spending time with The Lord is the most important thing we can do. How often though are we too distracted for this? We are called to be self-controlled and sober-minded with clarity to be able to focus and spend time with our Creator, with our Father, with our Lord and Savior.
He ended his talk with what was the most powerful moment for me personally. He had all of us close our eyes and spend time with The Lord. I don’t expect everyone to have had the same moment, but for me, I genuinely encountered God. I was sober-minded for the first time in awhile and immediately broke down in my seat. I was crying and shaking with what I felt was some reverence for The Lord, but mostly shame.
The amazing part was, I could tangibly feel God lift my head in that moment, remind me that I was His, and bring me comfort and peace immediately with where I sat. Then it seemed like for the next 5 minutes, I couldn’t and wouldn’t open my eyes or do anything at that time because I just wanted to be with Him.
Be encouraged today that if you follow Jesus, you are His, and It Is Finished.
