I've been thinking for the last couple of days on what I want to say about Rez Week. In particular the last day of Rez Week. I'm usually the kind of person who is quick to speak and regrets it later, so I don't want that to happen here. I have been praying for clarity and wisdom here, not only for me, but also for ECHO students who might have also been at Rez Week on Friday.

Let me start with a report of Friday.

Because it had been raining on Friday, Rez Week got moved indoors. SO we began in one of the auditoriums in UTC. Emily Deloach played for about an hour, similar to the other musicians that had played throughout the week. The speaker got up to speak and you could tell that there was a certain excitement in the air. He got up and said that he felt like we should move Rez Week back out into the Gregory Gym plaza, back out into the open.

It took about 15 minutes to move everyone out. Passer-by'ers were wondering what these great hordes of people were coming from, or what they were going to. As we were gathering, waiting for things to restart, some of us gathered together to pray for the evening. We prayed that the rains would stay back, and that something big would happen here tonight. Jaeson got back up and started to preach to us. Much of it began as a restating of what had been said on Thursday and on Wednesday. It was about developing a passion for sharing the Gospel with our friends and family. We need to go out and reach out to those who we've never shared Christ with. He continued and said that in order to have courage to do this, we need to be right with God, we need to know Jesus well ourselves, we need to be spending hours praying, hours reading the Bible, and we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. He continued in that vein of being filled with the Holy Spirit. He gave many examples of times when he encountered spiritual warfare and was protected by God and by the Holy Spirit. He talked about what it meant to be filled, and quoted Mark 16. He talked about speaking to the Holy Spirit daily, and quoted 1 Corinthians 14. In the end, we prayed publicly with one another and made public committments to reach out to our friends. There was a time of prayer for those amongst us who were sick, and for each other to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and for that filling to be made manifest.

So afterwards, I heard many mixed reactions to what had been said and done. I didn't engage much in conversation because I wanted to process what had happened here before passing judgment.

Here are my thoughts...

I really enjoyed what was said on Thursday about going and sharing the Gospel, but that we first need to truly know the Gospel in our own hearts first. The entire night was centered on the cross, and I went away with a greater appreciation for Christ, wanting to share this good news with those around me. However, I didn't get that impression on Friday... and this is where I want to be humble and cautious in what I say. I felt that the evening was more centered on the work of the Holy Spirit in us, than on the person and character of God. It seemed more centered on the power and authority that we have ourselves when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, than on the power and authority of the true and living God who empowers us to do His will. Please don't misunderstand me here, I'm not against the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is so essential to everything that we do. Without Him, we are in the dark. But the role of the Holy Spirit does not end at Himself or end at us, but His role is to direct our attentions to Christ and Him crucified!

There were a few things said that I didn't necessarily agree with. In particular, the emphasis on the Holy Spirit led the speaker to say that we should/could speak to the Holy Spirit. He referenced 1 Cor 14 for that. 1 Cor 14 says nothing about praying to the Holy Spirit. In fact, nowhere in the Bible does it say we should pray to the Holy Spirit.

But here is the thing. I know that there were many people who were uncomfortable with Friday's rally. I know people who left in the middle of the preaching because they didn't want to be there anymore. And some people commented afterwards that they wish they hadn't come that night. But my heart is that I don't want anyone to dismiss what was said at Rez Week simply because of one message. I think there was genuine biblical conviction and encouragement there telling us that we need to be obedient to God and to His Great Commission. God says it as a command and as a mission for us, and many times (me included) we aren't doing that. If I truly believe that there is nothing greater than the Gospel, my life needs to reflect that. So I would encourage everyone to press forward with any conviction that they felt last week to reach out to people.

Since Friday, I've been praying for clarity for those who went to Rez Week, that this message- this passion- to see the Gospel reach everyone on the University of Texas campus would be realized by all the Christ followers here. Our God is gracious and merciful to all, and I need so much grace.

Again, I write all this in humility, and so I would welcome any dialogue or thoughts that you have yourself about any of this. (dang this was a long post).