I just attended my first Passion conference as a college senior, and it was kind of exciting for someone who has always heard about it but never has been. For those of you who don’t know what Passion is, it’s a Christian conference for college-age students.
It’s been held in Atlanta for 21 years now, and they have their own church in Atlanta with some famous people in the Christian realm you may have heard of before, such as pastor Louie Giglio, or music leader Kristian Stanfill.
For the first time this year, so many Christians wanted to come together that this one event was held in three different locations - 2 arenas in Atlanta, and 1 in Washington DC, with several Christian artists and speakers visiting each of the locations thanks to quick packing and helicopters. The three locations were connected several times throughout, using screens, including a couple songs played together by artists simultaneously from the three locations.
I could talk more about the lights, the sounds, and everything, and it’s neat, but the best part is more than just the set-up. While I don’t think most people come just for the polished presentation, a lot of people do feel really free worshipping in such a setting. Being accustomed to a small church, I’m more comfortable worshipping in smaller settings and can get distracted by the bigger production, but the biggest reason to come isn’t for comfortability in worship.
Having grown up in a Christian household, I’ve been in various Christian settings over the years. I went to a Presbyterian school, I grew up in a small Baptist church, I’ve visited Methodist churches, been to big and small churches in college, and have been to several big conferences and concerts other than Passion.
For those of you that haven’t been, if you’re expecting the music to make you feel something like you’ve never met before, you might, but you might not. If you’re looking for a cohesive group you can confide everything in that show you nothing but love and friendship, you might find that, but you might not.
If you have expectations for the people, the music, and that your feelings will reach a spiritual high that can’t be fazed the entire trip, you’re going to be disappointed because it’s like going to a restaurant to eat dinner and trying to find flavor in the table. The table is a part of the meal experience, and it supports your plate, but you’re going to find the flavor in the food; that’s the reason why you go.
Therefore, in terms of common talking points, how was it? The music, the presentation, it was all pretty cool. However, while I’ve never been to a conference where I’m talking about this one speaker for days, I’ve never been to a conference where the Lord hasn’t spoken to me and used my own experiences to show me his work is so much greater than I can ever imagine.
Passion isn’t a singular event where you go and hope that some feeling lasts you the rest of the year until you can go again. It’s not a feeling; it’s an opportunity to meet up with other believers to praise God in a large group of people, and to learn from other believers who come to speak, letting the Lord speak through them.
There’s no way for them to know how the words they use are being used to correspond specifically to each person listening. For Christians, it’s part of a continual journey of sanctification that God has started before you get there, that he continues while you’re there, and will continue after you leave.
The same God that speaks at Passion speaks in our churches, and the same God that speaks in our churches speaks at Passion. The same God that spoke to the Israelites in the desert can speak to you in a parking lot; we only have to listen.
Before we went in our first day, there were some men outside the arena. There were only a few compared with the number of us there for the event. They had little papers and were saying that the event was sinful and of the world, etc. Some in our group stood up for what they believed, and both sides based their beliefs on scripture (although at least some of these men’s references were taken out of context.)
But, speaking of how the same God incorporates an event like this into what He is already doing in our lives, this reminded me of a lesson from Sunday School in Acts where two of the apostles were having “no small disagreement.” We’re called to be peacemakers, to love, and also to sharpen iron with iron, but we know because there are different denominations that not every Christian is going to agree with everything.
Our ultimate authority is the Bible. There’s one true God, the God of Israel, who sent his son Jesus, and who is God of all who believes in Him. As His followers, we’re part of the same body with the same mission - to share that God is alive, that He still works in our lives today.
It seems like a lot of people turn their backs on God because it’s like tasting the table and missing the food.
The man outside the arena spoke about how he used to be used to idolize John Piper, one of the speakers. Like Paul said on His own missionary journey (paraphrasing)-- He’s not the one to be worshiped; God is. God uses speakers like Piper to share his Word, and he shared on how truth is based in the Bible. The Bible says that if two or more are gathered in His name, there He will be also. (Matthew 18:20) Also, anyone who is not against God is for Him. (Mark 9:40)
Based on these, I believe that God uses events like this for His good. I also believe that there is a reason God had us run into these men at the beginning of our trip, maybe more than one reason. For me, it was also a reminder to be careful, because as humans, we have a tendency to idolize things - to seek happiness in money and love as well as music and performances.
Satan tries to deceive us, to make us look for happiness there so we don’t look where we actually find what we need, what everything in this event points to - our God, whose Son died for all the sin and brokenness inherently within all of us, but who raised from the dead, whose Spirit helps us in our weakness.
In conclusion, for those of you who have been disappointed by the church, by conferences, by the behavior of Christians-- there are moments where God works through all of these, but you’re still going to be disappointed if your search stops here. But, if you look for what you’re looking for in Jesus, He will never disappoint.