Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Oct/95

Contributor - Art VanderMeulen

Title - Promise Keepers

Topic - Promise Keepers

Fantastic! Superb! Excellent! Wonderful! Life-Changing! Encouraging! Uplifting! Motivational! Terrific! Great!

THESE words just barely begin to describe the response of many of the 63,140 men who gathered in the Kingdome, in Seattle on July 7 & 8, 1995 for a "RASING THE STANDARD" Promise Keepers conference.

Promise Keepers (PK) is a Christ centred ministry dedicated to uniting men through vital relationships to become godly influences in their world. I had heard about Promise Keepers through the Focus on the Family magazine last year. It intrigued me, because God had already been at work in my heart, directing me to find ways to help Christian men be godly men, at home, in the church, at work, and every where.

I was further motivated to attend a PK conference after talking with a friend of mine who attended the Detroit PK conference on April 28, 29. In prayer I asked God to make it possible for me to go and have my wife's blessing. He answered both of those requests.

My expectations in going were several. I wanted to be encouraged as a pastor. I wanted to be fed from the Word of God for my own life. I wanted to have some resources that I could use to teach and encourage other men. Each of those goals were met with abundance.

The format of the conference was eight sessions. Each session began with a time of worship, led by the Maranatha Praise Band. Tb worship God with over 63,000 other men is an unbelievable experience. Using traditional and contemporary music, we were led into the presence of God to hear His Word. The theme of each session was introduced with a video segment featuring speakers at previous PK conferences, and comments from men whose lives had been changed in this area.

The eight different speakers addressed the subject of Jesus Christ being the standard in our lives in different ways. We were challenged, taught, encouraged, and motivated to do something about living for Jesus in our personal lives, in worship, in our relationship to God through His Word, in our marriages, with our children, and in the church, and in the world.

One of the neat things about this conference was that no church denominations were identified. One of the promises that a Promise Keeper makes is to work at building unity in the body of Christ, across racial and denominational lines. With those 63,000 plus men, the emphasis was on the unity that we have in Jesus Christ.

During one of the sessions we were asked to form small groups of two or three, and pray for each other. There were at least twenty thousand instant small groups in that place. It didn't matter who you were, or where you'd come from. We had unity in Jesus Christ. That's the way it should be.

From a theological point of view, the theology expressed in the presentations was 'bang on" biblical. The Word of God was taught. It was simple, basic, and applicable truth. As a preacher, I appreciated that.

For me personally, one of the most wonderful parts of the whole conference was the last thing we did. The leader asked all the pastors to come forward and stand in front of the stage. There were over two thousand of us. While we were coming he encouraged the rest of the men to show their appreciation for the men whom God had called to be leaders in His Church. The noise level of the combination of hand clapping, feet stomping, and cheering and shouting was overwhelming. It brought tears to my eyes because I was on the receiving end. The implications of that were that these men should go home and take that attitude of appreciation for their pastors home with them.

Following that time of cheering and shouting, we were led in a prayer of thanks for the pastors whom God uses in our lives. Then we were asked to be quiet and listen to God. As unbelievable as it may sound, it was quieter in that stadium of over 63,000 men, than it is in my office (I'm the only one there). The presence of God filled that place, and God spoke to many there.

God spoke to my heart and confirmed His call on my life, to serve Him by serving His people by being a minister of His Word to them. What an exciting moment!!

The theme of the 1995 PK conference is "Raising the Standard". The theme of the whole PK movement is that because Jesus Christ is Lord, we, who have committed to live under HIS Lordship, must help each other live out that commitment. This is a movement of God, and I praise God for what He is doing in the church today.

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