Relentless Pursuit
//Summer Blitz Overview
Step teams. Dance crews. Multiple bands. Skits . Games. Prizes . All of these were ingredients for Summer Blitz 2011, AXIS® Youth Ministries ’ annual event held in conjunction with Campmeeting.
Speaker Quotes |
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Chris Musgrove charged the youth to be relentless in the Word, in prayer, and in worship. He showed how the three work together and emphasized the importance of practicing them regularly. “You cannot grow spiritually from Sunday to Sunday or from youth service to youth service without spending time in the Word, in prayer, and in worship,” he said. “You can’t fellowship with Him once a week at church, ignore Him the rest of the time, and expect to have a strong spiritual life.”
In his message “Love: No Strings Attached,” Aaron Hankins urged his audience to truly understand how high, wide, and deep the love of God is for each and every one of us. “God chooses you no matter what it is you’ve done, whether good or bad,” he said. “No matter what your abilities are, no matter what you look like, God loves you! It is impossible to live insecure if you know how much God loves you.” |
David John encouraged his hearers to “stay relentless.” He explained the difference between arrogance and confidence, and he stressed that confidence in God and in who we are in Christ is extremely important. “In order to be relentless for God, you have to know who you are,” he said. “Everybody is relentless about something. Be relentless in your search for God.”
Errin Hankins encouraged the youth to pursue God in good times and bad. She said many people shy away from God during the dark times in their lives, but we should actually pursue Him no matter what is going on. “When you are in trouble, God is not done talking to you,” she said. “God is willing to speak to you where you are right now. God is willing to use you where you are right now!”
But the most memorable parts of this year’s gathering were the powerful messages delivered during each of the services. Each message was keyed to the theme “Relentless,” and each speaker challenged the youth to pursue God relentlessly, no matter what circumstances they faced.
Keith Nachbor spoke profoundly Wednesday evening on being truly relentless for God. Nachbor, junior high youth minister at RHEMA Bible Church, said that too many times we pursue God when we need something instead of pursuing Him just because we love Him. “We relentlessly pursue a result, not a relationship,” he said. “We change just enough to get what we want. We tend to pursue God until our circumstances or situations change, but we quit before we change. Until we change we will continue to experience the same circumstances over and over again.” At the end of the service, a number of youth rededicated their lives to Christ and more than 30 received the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues.
Many youth want to do something for Christ but aren’t sure they qualify because of one factor—their age. But Brent Bailey, former senior high youth minister and current singles minister at RHEMA Bible Church, erased those doubts in his rousing message “I Do, I Can, I Will.” He asked the kids if they really believed what the Bible says, and they responded with a loud “I do !” Brent then asked them if they honestly thought they could do what the Word of God told them they could do. “I can!” they shouted. He then said, “The power of God is with you whether you feel it or have ever used it. But someone will have to rise up and use it. Who will?” The youth screamed in unison, “I will!"
Matt Shirley, senior high youth minister at RHEMA Bible Church, encouraged his audience in a message entitled “The Relentless Reach.” He told the youth in attendance to reach relentlessly for God—to pursue Him with no distractions. “Your time is precious,” he said. “You can’t allow the noise of the world—circumstances, relationships, habits—to hinder your time with Him.” At the end of the service, many youth came to the altar to rededicate their lives to God.
The week ended with a day-long trip to an area water park, followed by a concert that night with The AXIS® Worship Band and Cloverton. The youth left excited about relentlessly pursuing God no matter what challenges they may face in life!