ALL to Him I Owe: A Lookback on My Time at Summit Ministries
Summit Ministries is a Christian worldview conference, 12 days, 72 hours of World Class Lectures from a Christian point-of-view on many topics from the economy, to Islam, to same sex marriage to abortion. It's all packed into two very short, very exciting weeks.I heard about Summit from my older siblings who had gone before, and I had wanted to go for years. I knew a lot about what would happen and the structure of the conference, what I did not realize was the incredible impact it would have on my life.
On the first night, Trent, my small group leader, asked what I hoped to get out of my time at Summit. I said that I was looking for a time of Spiritual refreshing and recharging since I had felt that my faith had grown somewhat stagnant; I had no idea how it would end up happening.
Ideas Have...: "The most dangerous ideas in a society are not the ones being argued, but the ones that are assumed." - C.S. Lewis
We started the first week with John Stonestreet talking about how every idea and action has consequences.Ideas, such as marriage, that have been horribly twisted by our culture are a result of failure to evaluate the consequences of the ideas. "When you remove the Designer, you lose the design. The relationship between a man and woman was designed with a context (marriage) and a consequence (children). When God, the designer, is removed from the equation, the guidelines are also removed."
Later in the day, Mary Jo Sharp, an apologetics and logic professor laid a foundation for defending Christianity. She outlined many different logical fallacies that would be used when someone is debating us on our faith. She encouraged us that before any meaningful debate can occur, the logic has to be sound on both sides. If one or both sides are throwing out illogical arguments, the debate never proves anything and usually will turn people away from the truth rather than back to it.
Abortion, The Case Against Relativism, and Your Constitutional Right to Be Offended: "You guys are taking more notes than broke people ata Dave Ramsey seminar." - Scott Klusendorf
We were told that Scott Klusendorf is rated as one of the top 10 persuasive speakers in America on any topic. He spoke to us about Abortion. He gave scientific data, logical, and theological arguments defending the pro-life viewpoint. In his second Lecture Mr. Klusendorf laid out ways to combat pro-abortion arguments that are based on relativistic viewpoints. If I do say so, he was very helpful and extremely persuasive.
Later in the day, we heard from Mike Adams he spoke on constitutional freedoms of speech on College Campus. He encouraged all students to actively use their rights to speak out on issues and the First Amendment defenses when attempts are made to censor constitutionally protected speech.
Freedom, Shalom, and Jesus Paid it All: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’" - Jeremiah 29:11
On the evening of the second day was when God really began to break through for me. Before the evening lecture, we had a time of worship. The song selection, followed by the lecture were the two major events that God would use in my time at Summit to give me the refreshing that I had asked for. The worship time began by singing Jesus Paid It All. It struck me as I listened to the songs, the interesting progression of the messages. "Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow." Those words rang true, reminding me of how much Jesus gave up to die for me; he gave everything. The next song was a song I had never heard before, Death In His Grave by John Mark McMillan, which further iterates what Christ did when he died, "On Friday a thief, on Sunday a king. Laid down in grief but awoke with the keys to hell on that day. The first born of the slain, the man Jesus Christ, laid Death in his grave." When Jesus rose from the dead he had beaten death for us once and for all.
Next, I Surrender All was played and it brought me to tears. After Previously singing about the great sacrifice that Jesus had made for me, then to sing about what I ought to do for Him, “All to Jesus I surrender; humbly at his feet I bow, worldly pleasures all forsaken; take me, Jesus, take me now. I surrender all, all to thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.” Again, after singing of what Jesus gave up to become human and die, I was reminded that it only makes sense that I should do the same by surrendering all that I have and all that I am to my blessed Savior. Once I’ve been completely emptied of myself then I am open to what God can do next in me, “Your will above all else, my purpose remains. The art of losing myself in bringing you praise. Everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades. Never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame. In my heart, in my soul I give you control. Consume me from the inside out.” I was beginning to see the pattern; Jesus paid it all; He conquered death. Therefore, I need to forsake all of my worldly pleasures so that He may fill and consume my life.
As these songs played, and tears ran down my face I prayed, “God, I get it. But where do I start?” That question would be answered by the lyrics of the next song, “Lead me to the cross where Your love poured out. Bring me to my knees, Lord I lay me down. Rid me of myself I belong to You. Lead me to the cross...Everything I once held dear I count it all as lost.” It begins with recommitting my heart to the one who saved it. Then the work God has for me really begins
The evening lecture that night was from Dr. Del Tackett, founder of the Truth Project. As I look back, this lecture was probably the most impactful in my heart, especially since God had used the worship session to bring me to the exact frame of mind to hear this talk. He began with the question “Why does an All-Powerful God send us, when He clearly does not need us to go for Him?” Tackett explained that all of creation exists to bring glory to God and to display His meta-narrative, or “a large story story that intends to give an all-encompassing explanation in an attempt to legitimize the truth.” If there is no God then there is no meta-narrative. Life, in the absence of a meta-narrative becomes self-consumed, it is all about me and my own script that I wish to fulfill, there is nothing else worth living for. However, if the God that Christians believe in really does exist, then He is a gracious loving and kind God. If God is good then his plan, logically speaking would be good also. Dr. Tackett used Isaiah 46:9-11 as an explanation of God’s meta-narrative, “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.' From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do.” God’s plan will stand. He could easily do it Himself yet he chooses to let us participate in his script.
Beyond allowing us to participate in his overarching story, God gives us a promise. The promise is found in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” In that verse, the Hebrew word for ‘prosper’ is ‘Shalom,’ which many have interpreted to mean peace. Dr Tackett explained that in this context it means ‘to become all that God has in store for you to be.’ Dr. Tackett asked us “Why did Jesus have to leave?” The answer, so that the Holy Spirit may come and fill our lives so that we may shalom, or prosper. God does not want us to merely exist or to survive; He wants us to flourish and thrive.
Fulfilling our purpose begins with taking a journey to the face of God. When we gaze upon the face of God, Tackett explained, three things happen:
1. We Are Exposed- God exposes our weaknesses in order to refine us
2. Our Culture is Exposed- “When all of the cheap paint and loud music is pulled back we can hear and see the pain and groaning of our society. When we come into the presence of God we are awakened and shown how we can change it”
3. God Calls Us to Action- When we and our culture are exposed, we must be as Isaiah, willing to plunge into the depth of God’s will and be His hands in this world. “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8
God desires to see his creation flourish, so he sends us and uses us to bring about his larger, grander, more beautiful meta-narrative. We as humans are called to greater works. Jesus came to testify to the truth and show us how to live. He left so that we could spring into action and do his work as fruitful sons and daughters of a God who sets us free to thrive. Freedom without God’s meta-narrative is bondage to our desires and our own scripts. True Freedom comes from fulfilling all that God has in store for us.
Islam & Christian Apologetics "Students, don't abandon the power of scripture. Never speak with empty words and a closed Bible." - Abdu Murray
Abdu Murray was a muslim for the first twenty-five years of his life. His lecture was a very powerful testimony of his conversion from Islam to Christianity. He explained that he thoroughly examined all of the Christian scriptures as well as the Qur’an and weighed them against each other. He pointed out that there are verses in the Qur’an which command the muslims to listen to the Bible as it is also the word of God, “O People of the Book! Ye have no ground to stand upon unless ye stand fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord” - Surah 5:71. This caused Abdu Murray to look closer at what each side has to say.
Mr. Murray also explained that most muslims believe that the Bible is a corrupted book and is not worth reading. However, the Qur’an tells muslims to read the Bible because it is from God. Murray pointed out that the Bible contradicts the Qur’an on many points, the two biggest being God as a triune being, and the deity and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Islam would say that Jesus was simply a prophet who died a natural death because his disciples had replaced him before the crucifixion. The Bible says that Jesus really did die and he was God made into flesh. Murray’s logic to deal with this was incredible. He explained that both books, the Bible and Qur’an, claim to be holy, divinely inspired, inerrant words from God. However, the books contradict each other, meaning that they cannot both be correct; they can both be wrong, but because of the contradictions there is no way they can both be correct. Since the Qur’an says that the Bible is true, and the Bible contradicts the Qur’an, then the Qur’an cannot be wholly reliable because of its recommendation of a text which is contradictory to the Qur’an. But, if the Bible is wrong, then the Qur’an must also be wrong because it claimed that the Bible was also the revelation of God. Either way you look at it, the Qur’an fails the logic test.
Mr Murray’s final exhortation was absolutely brilliant. He told us that a lot of the speakers we hear would teach us how to defend Christianity with logic and never use the Bible. Realizing that non-believers would not accept the Bible as a credible source. He encouraged us that, while there is a place to use simple logic, we must always use our biblical foundation as the starting point for any argument, “Students, don't abandon the power of scripture. Never speak with empty words and a closed Bible.” This was profound and impactful to hear, and is still ringing true in my heart and mind.
Summit was an absolutely amazing experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat. The power of God and his truth overcomes the beliefs of this world.
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.
On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
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