OLDENBURG, GERMANY – A total of 3,200 attended Operation Mobilisation’s (OM) TeenStreet 2018 during the last week of July and ending on August 4th. The theme of this year’s six-day conference was “Drawing Closer to the Father.”
Enthusiastic teens from 19 different countries were led through a different element of Christian living, each of which pointed to the conference theme. The days included teaching sessions in the main hall followed by meetings in small groups in which the teens were encouraged to talk to God, read additional Bible passages, and find a takeaway/application point.
The six elements of “Drawing Closer to the Father” included Reveal, Represent, Breathe, Release, Grit, and Infinity.
On the first day (Reveal), the Lord was revealed as Almighty, all knowing, all powerful, mighty and wise. Yet, this Almighty God desires intimacy with His children.
Day Two (Represent) focused on the calling of all followers of Jesus to represent Him through how they live their lives. “God’s values and truths should be apparent through believers to others.”
The theme of the third day was Breathe. It emphasized God’s provision for His children and proving that He is faithful to keep His promises and completely worthy of our trust.
The fourth day emphasized Release and centered on understanding forgiveness. Understanding forgiveness is essential to Christian growth. If we cannot understand that accepting the gift of God’s grace through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son frees us from the bondage of sin, we are unable to forgive others as He has forgiven us. It is also necessary to understand that we need to ask forgiveness for wrongs we have done to others.
Day Five (Grit) was not about breakfast food popular in the southern United States. It was about refusing to be trapped by the temptations the devil uses to enslave us and rob us of the Christian life that the Lord desires for us. The takeaway was that God gives us the strength to overcome and carry on.
Infinity was the theme of the final day, emphasizing that “followers of Jesus are part of a kingdom that goes on forever and ever.” The truths of God’s Word are eternal. They will not end when the conference ends. We are called to be light that glorifies God in this world as Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
One teenager from Ireland reflected the success of the annual conference saying “Studying the Bible in small groups has been so meaningful for me. That’s definitely something I want to do more of back home.”
If you see a new light shining in your part of the world, it may be a teenager who is drawing closer to God as a result of their experience at TeenStreet 2018.
Sources: Operation Mobilisation (OM), Drawing Closer to God
