Just this past Thursday I returned from a week-long trip to Hot Springs, Arkansas, where I attended the 77th Associated Brotherhood of Christians General Conference. It was magnificent. I have been attending this conference for about six years now and I always enjoy it, but this year, well I do believe it changed me.
The General Conference is a time for all the ministers from the AB of C to come and take care of business while still being fed from the word of God. I enjoy it because I love all the ministers in the AB of C and it is great to hear what they have to say and also to fellowship with other believers who I only get to see sparingly throughout the year.
This year was very special because I got the priviledge of staying with a very special lady, whom I love very much. It was a great growing and bonding experience for the both of us and I miss her very much already!
However, now, with all the preliminaries and explanations of what I have been up to out of the way, I would like to share with you what God spoke to me throughout the conference, and even after I returned home.
It seems as though all the preachers at the conference were on the same page, which is always reassuring. It seems to me that if preachers from all over the country come together with the same message without having previously conversed over the matter, then it must be from God. Right? Right. So the message that rang clear throughout the entirety of the conference was simply this: Love One Another.
Its such a simple message, and I love it. Of course, there were quite a variety of messages. I heard messages about listening to the voice of God, hearing the truth, the evangelist spoke about the Law of Loosing, talking about how Mary and Martha were responsible for taking the grave clothes off of Lazarus (Think about it, its powerful). He also spoke about the seasons changing (which was so encouraging) and the power of positioning (when we are in the right place with God, he will work through our circumstances!).
But through it all, like I said before, it all comes own to love. Even the Bible says that one can possess all the spiritual gifts, but if he or she has not love, the gifts are useless.
I believe in the future, I believe in having a vision. Change is good. But I also believe that true religion died on a cross two thousand years ago, and He did it all for love. The Bible says that God is Love. Thats powerful! So yeah, give me that old time religion!
One of my favorite quotes from the conference came from a minister I have known since I was very young. He said, "We can't win the the world if we continue to condemn the world." How true is that? I walked away from the conference this year praying "God give me compassion!' Who am I without it?
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