Friday, January 7, 2011

A Chosen Generation


'But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.' 1 Peter 2:9

Over 16,000 students gathered for Worship of our God

If you don't know by now Jon and I had the honor to be 'doorholders' for this generation at Passion 2011 this past weekend.  All I can say is that Jesus wrecked these students to the core.  When Frances Chan, David Platt, Beth Moore, John Piper, Andy Stanley, and Louie Giglio converge in one place the result is bound to be earth shattering!  How could it not be?  I mean, have you ever heard John Piper speak?  WOW!

We didn't have the opportunity to attend the main sessions or breakouts due to the massive amount of students, but we did hear some of what the kids were saying and I can attest to the fact this generation is ready for God!  My faith in the future church has been restored.  It may not look like what we think 'traditional' church should like, but what does the church look like anyway?  There is nowhere in the bible where it says the church should be in a building with a steeple and stained glass windows.  In fact, it was quite the opposite.  They met in each others homes, outside...wherever they were is where Jesus met them. 

Isn't that how we should be?  We, as Christians, should be meeting these students (and other non-believers) where they are not where we think they should be.  We can stand in our pretty churches every Sunday and hold the doors open, but they won't come in.  We can try to entice them with programs, classes, etc. but if we aren't willing to go to them they will not come to us.

This is not my grandma's world anymore.  It is technically driven.  It is ME driven.  It is 'give me all the lights and sound that I can take' driven.  That is where we have to give up our 'traditions' and be willing to change.  Not change the message...never that....but how it is presented.  This generation is hungry for Him...hungry to make a difference...if we show them Jesus they are more than ready to respond to Him.


Not my wrist :-)

If you don't feel led to reach out to these students, that's OK, but please pray for the ones who are called to be Jesus to them.  It's a hard calling.  They face rejection and ridicule, but they believe in these students and know that God can do a mighty work in them.  We are still wearing our admission bracelets for the event...when we flipped them over they had 'Passion 2011 Fort Worth' printed on them to remind us to pray for that event!  Awesome!







4 comments:

Phather Phil Malmstrom said...

Wow Allison... What an amazing and heartening turnout! It truly gives me hope for the next generation and for the future.

And you're absolutely right, the kids of today need to be approached in ways that will reach out to them and help them connect to Him in ways that touch their souls.

Have a Blessed Day!

Jenifer Metzger said...

Sounds like y'all had a wonderful time!

Yes we should be meeting these kids where they are. We need to get out of our four church walls and reach the world! Thank you for this.

Unknown said...

Allison, if you read this, will you please email me - homebldrs@yahoo.com Thanks!

Anonymous said...

It is so exciting to see these young adults grabbing hold of their heritage, realize their accountability for the grown-up-ness of their souls. "To Tell The Truth" is a book that talks about reaching out to teens and college students who do not know God, have not heard about God in a real way - and that means no "church" talk but explaining what kind of Father God is to a group who may not even know what a loving Father is.

I am totally behind you! This is a ministry area I so want to work in!