Both speak to opening day theme, 'everyone'


NEWS PROVIDED BY
Empowered21
June 22, 2023

AMSTERDAM, June 22, 2023 /Christian Newswire/ -- The purpose of the Amsterdam2023 EveryONE conference at the RAI this week in The Netherlands is to launch the next decade as an era of unprecedented evangelism with the vision that every person on earth will hear the gospel message by 2033 – the 2000 year anniversary of Christ's crucifixion, resurrection and the birth of the Church on the Day of Pentecost. Speakers such as Rick Warren, Christine Caine and Empowered21 Global Chair Dr. Billy Wilson addressed those themes before the opening day audience of more than 6,000 individuals from nearly 130 countries around the world.

Dr. Wilson began the conference with an explanation of the task ahead, stating that there would be challenges, but encouraged attendees that one person at a time, the goal is achievable. "Things aren't going to get better, but in middle of the drama and trauma, we will not be afraid, we will not hold back and we will preach the gospel to every person on earth," he said, proclaiming his belief that the next decade will be the most substantial 10 years of Great Commission effort in the history of Christianity as believers mobilize together to proclaim their faith.

Referencing the history of the Billy Graham-convened events at the RAI in 1983, 1986 and 2000, Dr. Wilson shared that groups such as The Lausanne Movement, which came out of those historic meetings, along with Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Assemblies of God and Pentecostal Holiness denominations, as well as organizations such as Alpha, the World Evangelical Alliance and Finishing the Task came together in New York last December to create the 2033 Commitment. It's a pledge that every believer and Christian organization is encouraged to sign, committing their efforts toward worldwide evangelization by 2033.

"We dedicate our lives to obeying Christ's command and call for the global Church to unite with us in making the next ten years the greatest decade of Great Commission effort in history," the commitment reads, referencing promises to collaborate, pray, mobilize, invest and go in order to accomplish the task. The text of the pledge can be read at www.2033.earth.

Between the morning and evening plenaries, those in attendance participated in both workshops and collaborative sessions, gathering at round tables by region and language to discuss the challenges and strategize creatively for their areas. Workshop sessions were led by experts in the areas of evangelistic preaching, serving in restricted or urban contexts, the use of technology, and reaching younger audiences, among the more than 20 topics offered. With all that the conference has planned, it is the Empowered21 team’s prayer that when everyone leaves on Saturday, they have a strategy for the next 10 years of their life.

Pastor Rick Warren's message in the evening session continued these themes, encouraging those in attendance to have the love of God for those who don't yet know him. "If you want the blessing of God in your life, if you want the power of God through your life, and if you want the anointing of God on your life, you must care about what God cares about most, and what he cares about most is he wants his lost children found," Warren said.

There are four types of people that God will use, Warren continued. "God is looking for people to use who make God's dream their dream. He's looking for people who are willing to risk failure. He's looking for people who expect to be used and who never give up." He explained these are the people who will be used by God to finish the task – meaning to reach every person on earth who has not yet heard the gospel in the next 10 years.

Christine Caine followed with a similarly-focused message, speaking to what it would take for people to be reached for the Kingdom of God. She used the example of a religious leader of Jesus' day who looked at a sinful woman but didn't really see her. "The world desperately wants to be seen," she said, "while we're busy judging and marginalizing and objectifying people – we are doing everything but seeing them."

She shared that Christian leaders may be confusing sympathy with compassion, but that there is also a great deal of compassion fatigue after all the world has been through in recent years. She said that leaders especially need a fresh touch of the Holy Spirit to renew their hearts for compassion. And it will take a renewed commitment to do the work. "In a world that's all about me, we need to remember who we are; we are here to live on mission, we have been given a divine assignment and we must not get distracted by everything else on the earth. Let's get about the father's business, let's just get busy and we can get this thing done in our lifetime," she concluded.

Amsterdam2023 continues with similar schedules on Thursday and Friday, concluding on Saturday with a time of local outreach throughout the city during the morning, and an extended, globally-focused worship time from afternoon until evening.

About Empowered21
Empowered 21 (E21) is the world's largest Spirit-empowered relational network. E21 is comprised of a global council, international and regional leadership teams, and various work groups. E21 organizes regional and global events to inspire the Spirit-empowered community. E21 mobilizes efforts to recognize and implement effective models to answer the cry for spiritual fathers and mothers, connecting generations for intergenerational blessing and impartation and focusing on crucial issues facing the movement. For more information about Empowered 21 and Amsterdam 2023, visit https://empowered21.com and https://amsterdam2023.com.

SOURCE Empowered21

CONTACT: Melany Ethridge, 214-912-8934, [email protected]