Unity
I just came back from my first concert. I won't go into details until tomorrow, though. There's something else I wanted to mention first.
Unity is a Contemporary Christian music concert, at the edge of the lake. There were several different bands there that I didn't know well, and the concert ended with Newsboys, who are probably my favorite Christian band-if I had favorites. If you don't know them, they're a group that came from Australia awhile ago. They've shifted members over the years; the former drummer is now the lead singer. When the group came on stage, the lights were flashing, the fog machines going, and I was screaming louder than I ever had. If you know me, you know how odd such behavior is for me, but I got caught up in the spirit of things.
Halfway through, the lead singer came down a ramp to a platform not 30 feet from where we were standing, and started giving his testimony. He was a preacher's kid, and said that the messages about heaven and hell scared him into becoming a nominal "Christian". As time went on, though, he realized that his behavior wasn't any different or better than anyone else's; that is, he wasn't living the way a Christian should, and eventually concluded he had never really been a Christian in the first place. That was when he finally made his decision to accept Christ.
He mentioned some of the history of the band, the places they've played. Once, they played in front of several thousand Arab muslims, and were warned beforehand that mentioning Jesus in their music could get them killed. Since Jesus was the focus of the music, they decided to go ahead and play - and many of the muslims decided to become Christians that day.
While what they did was dangerous, they did it because of their faith. He mentioned verses from the Bible, where it says how God has a plan for everyone, plans to give them a hope and a future. It made me realize, how lately, I've had practically no faith God actually having a purpose for me. Instead, he's become someone to ignore, or be angry with. The speaker brought up - if we can get such enjoyment, such excitement and unity from attending a concert with other Christians and praising God - then how much better and awesome will things be when God's kingdom is here on earth?
The torch, he said, has been passed to this generation. It's up to us to carry out God's work.
I can't remember the last time I really talked to someone about God. I haven't even mentioned my faith at all in my journal. For that, I feel shamed. That's way I'm making this entry public, so I'll be compelled to be more accountable.
I know that's a lot of heady stuff, but it needs to be said. "There's an enemy in each of us", the speaker said, "one that makes us kill, and lie. One that causes husbands to leave their families, for wives to be unfaithful. It's an enemy that we can't overcome on our own. The only one that can defeat it, is one who is able to defeat Death itself. And the only one who has done that is Jesus. Only he can cleanse the sin inside us, and give us the promise of eternal life."
I've heard this so many times over the years that, I'll admit, it bores me sometimes. But, that's only when I don't really think about it. I mean, eternal life? Complete peace? None of the dissapointments, the broken hearts, the strained relationships, the emptiness of this world? The only thing that can make that not exciting is that it's hard to believe sometimes; it sounds too good to be true.
And yet, that's what makes it so amazing.
Unity is a Contemporary Christian music concert, at the edge of the lake. There were several different bands there that I didn't know well, and the concert ended with Newsboys, who are probably my favorite Christian band-if I had favorites. If you don't know them, they're a group that came from Australia awhile ago. They've shifted members over the years; the former drummer is now the lead singer. When the group came on stage, the lights were flashing, the fog machines going, and I was screaming louder than I ever had. If you know me, you know how odd such behavior is for me, but I got caught up in the spirit of things.
Halfway through, the lead singer came down a ramp to a platform not 30 feet from where we were standing, and started giving his testimony. He was a preacher's kid, and said that the messages about heaven and hell scared him into becoming a nominal "Christian". As time went on, though, he realized that his behavior wasn't any different or better than anyone else's; that is, he wasn't living the way a Christian should, and eventually concluded he had never really been a Christian in the first place. That was when he finally made his decision to accept Christ.
He mentioned some of the history of the band, the places they've played. Once, they played in front of several thousand Arab muslims, and were warned beforehand that mentioning Jesus in their music could get them killed. Since Jesus was the focus of the music, they decided to go ahead and play - and many of the muslims decided to become Christians that day.
While what they did was dangerous, they did it because of their faith. He mentioned verses from the Bible, where it says how God has a plan for everyone, plans to give them a hope and a future. It made me realize, how lately, I've had practically no faith God actually having a purpose for me. Instead, he's become someone to ignore, or be angry with. The speaker brought up - if we can get such enjoyment, such excitement and unity from attending a concert with other Christians and praising God - then how much better and awesome will things be when God's kingdom is here on earth?
The torch, he said, has been passed to this generation. It's up to us to carry out God's work.
I can't remember the last time I really talked to someone about God. I haven't even mentioned my faith at all in my journal. For that, I feel shamed. That's way I'm making this entry public, so I'll be compelled to be more accountable.
I know that's a lot of heady stuff, but it needs to be said. "There's an enemy in each of us", the speaker said, "one that makes us kill, and lie. One that causes husbands to leave their families, for wives to be unfaithful. It's an enemy that we can't overcome on our own. The only one that can defeat it, is one who is able to defeat Death itself. And the only one who has done that is Jesus. Only he can cleanse the sin inside us, and give us the promise of eternal life."
I've heard this so many times over the years that, I'll admit, it bores me sometimes. But, that's only when I don't really think about it. I mean, eternal life? Complete peace? None of the dissapointments, the broken hearts, the strained relationships, the emptiness of this world? The only thing that can make that not exciting is that it's hard to believe sometimes; it sounds too good to be true.
And yet, that's what makes it so amazing.