Every night this week at The Gathering, the messages have ended with an opportunity for students who were not yet followers of Christ to make a decision to follow Jesus for the first time.  There were at least 11 students who embraced God’s offer of forgiveness, rescue and new life.  Salvation is the greatest miracle any of us will ever witness and I’m sitting here this morning in awe of what God has done and very much thinking about those 11 new followers of Jesus on the university campuses of DC.  I don’t know if any of them are regular blog readers.  But if they are, this is what I would write to them this morning:

To the 11 of you,

You come from such different backgrounds.  Your universities are very different and your stories are each unique.  Yet, you now hold something stunningly miraculous in common.  You are now brothers and sisters in Christ, part of the beautiful reality we call the church.  When you think about God, I pray you think of a Father who loves you, who knows you, who is proud of you and who delights in you.  When you think Jesus, I pray you think friend, Savior, anchor of hope and Risen King.  When you think Holy Spirit, I pray you think hope of glory, counselor, helper and breather of life.

You are forever different now.  Consider yourself dead to sin but alive to God.  Heaven is yours as sure as Jesus rose from the grave.  For you, death is no longer the end.  It’s a beginning – the beginning of an eternity with the God who loved you even as He was crushed for your sins on the cross.  When you’re not afraid of death, life becomes reach and full of possibilities.

I pray joy fills your life this morning.  You’re free – no guilt, no shame, no condemnation.  Only the love of your God.  But I also pray you’re filled with a resolve to contribute to the church.  I pray you want your life to make a difference.  I pray you will live the rest of your days to make the name of Jesus great in our world.  Give much.  Laugh often.  Love freely.  Celebrate life.

It must all seem so new to you right now.  Enjoy that.  Don’t let the wonder fade.  And know there are a lot of people praying for you even as you read these words.

Go enjoy the life God has purchased for you.  And thanks for letting us all be there the moment you were changed forever.

Your brother in Christ,

John