Faithwalkers Isn’t Just For the Young
By Brent Knox (
bknox@evergreencc.com)
Faithwalkers has an image problem. Many Evergreeners think it is designed just for teens and young adults. Faithwalkers is our association’s annual major teaching conference in Omaha, Nebraska spanning four days between Christmas and New Year’s. Two weeks ago, about 150 Evergreen Bloomington people attended, reflecting every demographic of our church. For the first time, an empty nester couple came and they loved it!
Here are six quick lessons I learned from Faithwalkers this year. 1. God's greatness is unsearchable. Not only will I not be able to discover the end of His greatness, I will never fully grasp any single trait about God (that's a triple negative sentence!). Therefore, Jesus will be an unending, constant pleasure. I will never get to the end of discovering God for all of eternity.
2. God enjoys me. “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” (Ephesians 1:4–5, NLT)
3. Jesus told the disciples that it was better that he left so the Holy Spirit would come (John 16:7). Jesus’ presence on the outside of us is not as good as Jesus' presence on the inside of us. Jesus' presence in us transforms us. The disciples were not transformed by being Jesus’ traveling companions. They were changed when Jesus left and sent His Spirit to live in them.
4. The Bible is like a personal letter to me (by the power of the Holy Spirit), not a Christmas form letter sent to many people reporting on God's business and family life. Praise God He is speaking personally to His people.
5. God is "proud" of us when we long for, and think about, heaven. “But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” (Hebrews 11:16, NLT)
6. The first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles are an exceedingly boring read of genealogies. But right in the middle of this long list of names God pauses to comment on one man named Jabez who was more honorable than his brothers. Why was he more honorable? Why was he remembered? Why was he singled out in this long list of ordinary and unremarkable names? Because he prayed. See 1 Chronicles 4:9,10. Make your life remarkable by praying.
Next year when you hear Faithwalkers being announced from stage, consider going. It just might change your life!
