"He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything" (Col. 1:17–18).
The main reason I loved True Woman '14 was because Jesus had the spotlight.
Jesus Has the Spotlight
Only one thing can bring transformation: the PERSON of Jesus.
Having put on much smaller events before, I know how tempting it is to pull out all the stops and attempt to change lives through leveraging people, money, music, and media. The misconception is, "If we put this event on the right way, lives will be changed." But, only one thing can bring transformation: the PERSON of Jesus.
Jesus became to us wisdom from God, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord" (1 Cor. 1:30–31 emphasis added).
Our redemption has a name.
Our sanctification has a name.
Our righteousness has a name.
That name is JESUS! There is hope for lasting change in Him, alone—not a conference, a speaker, or worship leader. All boasting can only be in Him.
I was grateful for what I'm sure was the intentional effort to rest on the power of God, not the wisdom of men (1 Cor. 2:5). All was silent on the stage during the opening night. No flashing lights. No loud music. No huge celebration. Instead, several women petitioned God to show up and change lives. Then, without a band, Lauren Chandler began to sing:
"Holy Spirit, You are welcome here, come flood this place and fill the atmosphere. Your glory God is what our hearts long for, to be overcome by Your presence, Lord."
I loved it! From the get go, True Woman '14 owned the fact that "apart from Him they can do nothing." (John 15:5) Thank you!
Only Wanting Jesus
Combine the talents of Blair Linne, the powerful testimony of Joni Eareckson Tada, and thirty minutes of the Word of God presented by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, and the first night left me wanting more of the one thing I need: Jesus!
In the following two days, I was continually pushed to Jesus through Gospel-saturated worship songs, the teaching of the Word, and prayer. Some of the highlights for me were:
- Learning a new song written by the Gettys, "My Worth Is Not in What I Own."
Two wonders here that I confess, my worth and my unworthiness. My value fixed—my ransom paid at the cross.
- Hearing from Mary Kassian about what a truly strong woman is like.
"A woman of strength realizes she needs a Savior, that she's in a lifelong battle with sin, and only Jesus can save."
- Being reminded through Chrissy Toledo's testimony that our prayers are powerful because they acknowledge the only One who has the power to change.
- Praying together for persecuted Christians around the globe after hearing how the gospel is advancing through the Abedini family.
Only Jesus Redeems
With all the books, blogs, conferences, and podcasts available to us, it can be tempting to point to these as the solution. "You need to listen to this podcast!" "You have got to read this blog!" These things seem like a quicker fix than just pointing to the Bible. While I am a product of solid, biblical teaching from such resources, it is ultimately Jesus through these things that redeems me. And only the Word of God perfectly points to Him.
There is only one Fountain of Living Waters, one Bread of Life, one Savior, and one Word. As Blair Linne put it, let us not become "content, tweeting quotes from men who labor in the presence of The Most High; we settle for secondary revelation and wonder why we're so dry."
Pointing to Jesus
Though it can be tempting to run to secondary sources of revelation, I am grateful that True Woman '14 served as an arrow pointing to Jesus. May we, too, be arrows, pointing not to blogs, speakers, or books, but pointing to Christ revealed through the Word of God.
None of us have the power in ourselves to affect change in others. May we be about Jesus in the big and the small things. May we recognize in word and deed that Jesus is before all things, holds all things together, and should have first place in all things. He is worthy of all the glory!
Do you have a story from True Woman '14, whether you attended in person or watched via LIVE stream?
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