I want to tell you about a 17-year-old girl named Alycia whose life you\u2019ve changed. She sent me the following text: \u201cI\u2019ve been to countless retreats, revivals, and conferences, but never before have I experienced such an impactful shift in perspective. The ARISE Intensive made God, the Bible, and the crucifixion feel like a new message when they had almost become banal. I thought I had a good understanding of the love of Christ, but this weekend was proof that our God is infinite, and our understanding is so limited\u2014I learned so much!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She wasn\u2019t alone in her enthusiasm for the ARISE Intensive, which I’ve just come out of hours ago. There were others, but before I tell you about them, a brief introduction to the program may be helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNever before have I experienced such an impactful shift in perspective.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
ARISE is the discipleship school of Light Bearers. In it, we teach a curriculum called The Story, which consists of going through Scripture in seven chapters or modules: Pre-creation, Creation, Fall, Covenant, Messiah, Church, and Re-creation. We run the program in three forms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Each year, February through the beginning of May, we run the on-site ARISE course in Australia. Students from around the world come for sixteen weeks of fun, engaging teaching through the story of Scripture. They also take part in a community outreach program.<\/li>
- The full course is available online as well, allowing anyone almost anywhere to move through it at their own pace, either alone or with a group.<\/li>
- We also run ARISE Intensives. An ARISE Intensive is a weekend crash course in the story of Scripture.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
What makes ARISE so transformative is that it leads students on a journey through the Bible, Genesis to Revelation, with an emphasis on the beauty of God\u2019s character as manifested in Christ. It reaches into the heart though the mind. Ellen White describes the powerful results of teaching Scripture in this way:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou should search the Bible; for it tells you of Jesus. As you read the Bible, you will see the matchless charms of Jesus. You will fall in love with the Man of Calvary, and at every step you can say to the world, \u2018His ways are ways of pleasantness, and all His paths are peace.\u2019 You are to represent Christ to the world. You may show to the world that you have a hope big with immortality\u201d (Life Sketches, p. 293).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is exactly what you\u2019ll witness with our students if you come to an ARISE event. When the Bible is taught in a way that magnifies \u201cthe matchless charms of Jesus,\u201d people \u201cfall in love\u201d with Him. Through your support, we endeavor to teach people how to read the Bible in such a way that they don’t acquire mere information but also encounter the person of Christ with such beauty that they are changed by Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You could see transformation happening during the ARISE Intensive we held at Cohutta Springs Resort in Crandall, Georgia, October 14-16. The roughly 200 attendees ranged in age from teenagers to the elderly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A woman shuffled up to me on her walker and said, smiling, \u201cI’m 94 years old. No, wait, that\u2019s not right. I\u2019m only 92. I wish I would have heard these things a long time ago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A man in his thirties introduced himself by saying, \u201cI\u2019m a Baptist,\u201d and then, \u201cThis is amazing. This is the first time I\u2019ve ever understood the God of the Old Testament. Can I hug you?\u201d He was affectionate because the good news of God\u2019s love was flooding his heart. Minutes before that, a woman with eyes full of tears grabbed my hands and just looked into my eyes for a long minute, like some massive weight had been lifted from her soul. The real gospel sets people free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was a 14-year-old boy who sat at the front. During a break, I asked him, \u201cYou into this, or is it a bit much?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is the first time I\u2019ve ever understood the God of the Old Testament. Can I hug you?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
He flicked his long teenage bangs away from his eyes, \u201cNo, I love it so much. I\u2019m learning sooooo much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I asked another young man, \u201cHow are you processing all of this? Do you find it boring?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He didn\u2019t miss a beat: \u201cThis is the most un-boring thing I\u2019ve ever been to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paola, a new believer who looked about 18, said passionately, \u201cWhat I\u2019ve learned here is that God is a subtle and amazing God. His love is just so amazing.\u201d By \u201csubtle\u201d she meant that God is gentle in His way of accessing our hearts. She told me she really wants to attend the program in Australia and had already sent in her application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three young ladies\u201417-year-old Alycia (whom you\u2019ve heard about), 16-year-old Genesis, and 14-year-old Kate\u2014sat there, session after session, completely absorbed in the glory of the gospel. They jumped in my car for a ride back from our group lunch just so they could ask questions about Jesus and the Bible\u2014intelligent questions that you only ask as the Holy Spirit moves deeply. I cannot adequately describe to you how gratifying it is to see teenagers come alive so enthusiastically to the things of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are more teenagers like Alycia who can get excited about the gospel. There are more people who need to see God\u2019s love in the Old Testament. There are more people who need to be freed from the weight they\u2019ve carried. You can help make this transformation a reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a very real way, it\u2019s you that hugs each grateful ARISE Intensive attendee as they tell us they wish they understood these truths long ago. On behalf of Alycia and all the others, thank you for being a light bearer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n