Lessons I learned from Revibe

Hey everyone, my name is Kirsten and I’m one of the “original” Revibe team members (whatever that means, God had us all planned originally!) I wanted to take a minute and share a few things with you about myself and this event. I’ve been on the planning team for the last two years, Revibe is next weekend, and I just moved out of state. Revibe has been a big part of my life the last couple of years, and I can’t believe it is about to come to an end.

Since starting this ministry, I’ve been inspired, challenged, heartbroken, and elated. This team is amazing. If you haven’t heard this message yet let me say it again, this team is amazing! Our God is amazing. This summer I got married and now life brings us to St. Louis, but before I “officially” leave (let’s face it the team will never get rid of me completely) I want to share some of the incredible lessons I’ve learned during my time as a Reviber. (Can we please make this a real term??)

1.     When God lays something on your heart, pursue it. Pursue it with everything you have. When God asked Noel and his Bible study to “do something” they did. They had never organized an event like this, but they listened, and they found other volunteers (yours truly), they prayed, and they pursued the dream of Revibe. If you have felt called for a specific purpose, don’t go to bed tonight until you’ve done something about it! Pursue it!

2.     Not everyone who goes to church or even calls themselves Christians are saved. When I learned people living right here in Waverly don’t know Jesus died because they are sinners and without him they have no hope of eternal life, I was heartbroken. Some of these people are faithful church-goers! It really put the mission and purpose of this event into prospective for me. Our goal is to make an impact eternally. I pray each person who attends Revibe learns what Jesus has done for them, and how God is absolutely and passionately in love with them. For people who don’t think they can make an eternal difference in this community, wake up! This is a mission field, and it’s a battle for souls!

3.     Christianity is a faith inspired by community. I decided long ago that my Savoir Jesus was the Lord of my life, but I can’t imagine where my relationship with him would be without my spiritual family. I’ve always known this, but planning Revibe has revealed this truth to me even more. I can’t thank this team enough for its commitment to God’s will, this community, and our purpose. You inspire me to pursue Him relentlessly.

4.     Your church is not where your loyalty lies, it lies with Jesus! On our planning team there are five different churches in three different communities represented. People aren’t joining our team because of a church, they’re joining our team because of Jesus. This event is not only about worship, but about uniting the body of Christ. Can you imagine how much of an impact we could make if every church was involved somehow? I love my church family, and I will be the first to admit I am very biased toward our worship and outreach approach, but if I let that affect my ability to serve Jesus wherever he called me…well let’s just say I don’t want to have a conversation with Him about that someday. I want my loyalty to lie with Jesus and not with my church.

Thanks not only to each member of the planning team but to each of you for your encouraging words, your financial support, and your excitement about the event. It has been an unbelievable journey and I hope I can be a part of this ministry in some way for years to come! (And maybe even make it back for the event next weekend!) Blessings,

Kirsten Elsa