Ignition

Kari and I were in Victoria this last weekend visiting her family and our friends that we left behind on our move to Hope. It was both enjoyable and exhausting running from person to person expousing our lives to each one in turn and hearing from them how they are doing.

On Saturday night at the Memorial Arena (I refuse to call it the Save On Foods Centre) there was organized a large youth rally for the purpose of igniting the youth of Victoria into relationship with Jesus Christ. There were people of all ages and from all over BC, as far as I could tell. Kari's brother Matthew's friend Brett got us box seats high above the action and music. Nice to have your own bathroom :). Anyway, it was a joy to see so many come and listen to the simple message of Jesus Christ come to save us and the path to freedom through Him to God. It was refreshing. Extremely so. Not only that, it is powerful. There is nothing more powerful than the truth of God's purpose to save us from our sins and to bring us abundant eternal life.

But, to be honest, I was skeptical. This was the year 2006. I had been to a few Christian concerts in the past and also have lived my childhood going to Christian camps and churches that largely preach a message of salvation that is largely humanistic in nature. That is to say, Christianity is for us and what we get out of it as opposed to God deserving our love and service and that being the end of the argument. Us falling into step with Christ because of what we get out of it as opposed to what God gets out of it. My hearts desire is to see all people know Christ not once but lifelong and on a continual deepening path of understanding, love and grace. Not just to receive some great benefits along the road and at the end of it.

So I suppose my skepticism about this large event might have been phrased like this: "Is this 'form' what we love (large flashy bands and big name speakers) or do we love Christ and that is the reason for sharing the good news to others?", "Are we more interested in just getting a few people into 'heaven' to raise our statistics and reports to make ourselves feel good or are we concerned with success as God sees it?", "Do we care what happens to those who feel called by Christ at this particular meeting (there were hundreds who flooded the lower pit to answer the call to follow Christ lifelong and wholeheartedly) after they have made this lifechanging decision?", "Are we more interested in our own objectives rather than Gods? Do we know what God's objectives are? Does God have objectives?"

And then I hear the stories. One particular fellow, a Korean student who lives in Hope with our good friends, had been drawn into relationship with Jesus that night. He feels that he is 100% Christian now. Somehow through all the lights and smoke and words and music, this young Korean grasped, in some capacity, the trueness of Jesus Christ and His reality in his own life and received the Holy Spirit forever ... to that I can only praise my Lord and King.

But the journey has only just begun. The beginning is exciting and full of joy but the path is long yet and full of bumps. My prayer is that all those who in sincerity bent the knee to Jesus as Lord and Saviour and master and God would also continue in Him, rooted and built up becoming mature and complete.