Dream of a generation fully alive
I feel a little crazy sharing this, but I’m consumed by this thing, so I have to throw it out there. You see, there is a dream I can’t shake. In my mind’s eye, I see a generation fully alive.
They live in community and work by teams. They are initiated into life in the Kingdom and know what it is to celebrate and minister on a daily basis.
They have been deeply discipled and have experienced the walk of intimacy with the Father and the flow of ministry thru their fingers to broken people in their community and around the world.
They have been broken by the world’s pain and have abandoned the idols and adolescent amusements that used to keep them numb and ineffective.
They have connected with widows and orphans in war-torn and AIDS-devastated places and understand what it costs to bring Jesus there. They have laid down their lives.
They have sold their earthly treasures for the pearl of great price, living simply and unencumbered so they can travel light. They are scattered across America and around the world. And in those places, they have awakened to their Kingdom identity and call.
They have learned how to incarnate Christ in places where Hell had established a stronghold. They are building churches and orphanages. They are transforming their communities.
They are a generation that will cross over the Jordan to the Promised Land. They have their eye on the prize and are running hard after it.
The decision to give a year to live and minister in a homeless way as Jesus did, healing the sick, binding up the brokenhearted, announcing the Kingdom, is a courageous one that few young people want to embrace. It seems crazy to leave family and friends and comfort zones behind. Joining the World Race, they get to do this.
But taking that step only makes you a candidate for a lot of pain early on in the process. I say that because, the cross came before Pentecost. The disciples had to die to a lot of dreams before they were able to embrace Jesus’ dream of the Kingdom. Our World Racers have had to die to a lot of stuff.
But they experience a soaring sense of possibility as we affirm their dreams. Dreams of coming alive, of counting to the broken and the abandoned. Several feel called to give themselves to a ministry to prostitutes. Several feel called to orphans. One feels called back to North Carolina to bring alive those who are still numb there.
And with the dreams, come tears of joy and a release of the Spirit. What makes this different than just another conference is that, now they get to go do it. This is not hit and run – they are charged to keep caring for those to whom they minister, and to place them in the hands of local Jesus-followers when they leave.
It’s the stuff of dreams. I’ve seen the first fruits of this dream out on my lawn this week. They are amazing. I believe tens of thousands will follow after them.
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I’m in! Everyting within me is shouting, “YES!!” I want to live this way, fully alive, and exhort others and help initiate them into this Kingdom life. I have tasted it, and I want more. How can sustain it, Father God? How do I live it out, here and now? Come, Holy Spirit! More and more, day by day.
There is a compelling spirit here on the AIM campus of excitement, joy, eagerness to deal with life issues, and a hunger for more of God. There is brokenness and prayer and healing. It is so exciting to be part of it all.
Who wouldn’t be “in” for that?
I’M IN! I want this. Come Lord Jesus, come.
Wow! What an amazing group of world changers!
This is truly the church of tomorrow – committed believers exercising their faith on an individual basis – laying down their lives to share the Gospel with the world – taking a chance – risking it all –
Seeds of the Kingdom!
I AM IN!!
This IS what it’s all about.
It’s about time we figured it out!!
Thank you Holy Spirit
Seth,
You’re NOT crazy, you’re normal. You have expressed the very heart of God and His kingdom! We both echo a “Yes and Amen” to your unshakable dream! May many more become fully alive to what God is doing in our time. May the Lord bless and strengthen the work of your hands! Press on!
Alleluia, and again I say amen 🙂
you know where I stand on this! it’s about time for the church today live how God intended them to. it’s now! it’s here! in this generation, a generation becoming fully alive. we are living church history not yet told. lets form it, make it, write it, live it. fill the land and everyone in it with Gods Glory!!!!!!!!!!!! it’s not time to talk, it’s time to take ground. if this way of life is not where you are start it.
You know…it’s so cool watching this. These people are crying out to touch the heart of God and then to touch the hearts of people around the world and in the process to be transformed. There is something about a heart in this state of desperation. Something about a longing unfullfilled that drives one deeper. Sometimes I get a little stuck with the whole generation cry… and I plead with God DON’T pass me by even though I’m not in this generation… Let me be in the loop. Otherwise I’ll die…..
Wow!!
I’m in. I had this same dream as a vision 3 years ago. I saw a bunch of little fires burning all alone but slowly growing brighter & brighter all across the nation. Then the fires came together as one, united, and became a flaming revolution across the American church. Your dream & my vision are one. Praise the Lord!!
We’re in too!! But like Karen said, we’re not part of that generation and in the stage that has young kids, yet we also cry out to God please don’t pass us by. I want my kids to see my husband and I living a life completely devoted to God, willing to go and do anything for Him, seeking His face, ministering to others, abandoning the ‘normal’ and going for the radical living for Christ.
Seth,
I’m in. I have followed your blog since I first heard about you guys. If God had not called me to my church, I would have been serving with you as a First Year Missionary Discipler. I am praying for you and AIM.
I cannot wait to see how God is going to bring this about. Kingdom Now!
estoy adentro
Seth,
Count me in. I see a whole generation with “Holiness unto the Lord” on their foreheads…thank you for allowing me to come down during training and be a part of the fringe, cutting edge teams that are going to change the world. I repeat what an earlier commentor said, “If I am not in, I will die.” Woe unto me if I don’t preach the gospel!
Mark
Seth,
As one of the folks who camped out on your front lawn, I want to say thanks. Thank you for being a man who seeks God’s vision for the world. Thank you for having the faith to put this trip into action. Your team wowed me with their faith, their love for one another, their love for all of us, and their passion for the lost and hurting in our world. Thanks for allowing yourself to be used by God to help a young and wandering generation set off on a path worth walking! I cannot wait until it is my turn to go, July isn’t coming fast enough!
God bless!
I just did a search on how to live fully alive and your page came up. It’s one of my top five goals in life (to live fully alive). I’ve been dreaming and creating a vision of my life with my husband and soon to be children and I’ve been feeling like … I’m not getting the full picture. But when I read what you wrote… it felt like this is exactly what God is trying to show me yet I’ve only had tiny glimpses of it.
Recently I was given a link to this site http://www.fastandpray.com/ and I was just asking God if we’d really see His Spirit poured out in a big way – I mean things look so bad – and of course He reminded me that we don’t look at things through our natural eyes but through the eyes of faith and His ability and I’m really getting stirred up about it. And here is your article and for you to use the words Fully Alive – which I’ve been exploring and the reality is, Jesus is life and if we are to live fully alive we must live fully in Him or have Him living fully in us – still exploring that. Anyway – I think I’ll be referencing this page frequently for clarity of vision. So much more to say – but thank you for posting this – I’m encouraged – and no you may not be crazy – but you’re entirely not normal either – and that’s a very good thing these days.
🙂
Sound’s like Rock and Roll as in Is. 62:10, and I like it!
ROCK OUT!
I Take Nothing For Granted. I Now Have Only Good Days or Great Days. “Our Father God loves Us and Since He Loves Us we cannot Fail”.
“What God Ordain He will Maintain”.
YES………………… I’m Willing to follow this Journey.
God Bless.
I hope we see it more and more Seth. This reminded me of my frustration a couple years ago… a frustration I think I suppress more than acknowledge:
http://brianscramlin.blogspot.com/2006/11/afraid_02.html
wow – I never read this blog post before and it completely confirms everything God has been speaking to me. Two years ago – Jesus asked me “What does it look like for you to live fully alive” and since then I have been just saying Yes God and I discover the life He has promised! This is it – this is the normal life of a Christian! To be fully alive and wake up everyone around us.
Well, you’re the first one to comment on this in the last 8 years, so thanks for excavating it!
So thankful you are our leader. I seriously think we have so much of the same DNA…and I have so much to learn from you.
Kathy and Mark commented on this blog:)
Everything in my life has changed – since living fully alive we have preached across fields and beaches in America and are raising up missionaries to this nation. We are preaching the Gospel, baptizing, seeing the sick healed and demons cast out! All here in America.
Yes – Jessi, you and Parker are carrying this dream and running with it. Thank you! This was always a multi-generational dream. It encourages me so much to see you planting a zeal for the Lord and his kingdom in young people!
It’s so great to see this vision come to fruition on the other side!
I would love to hear some testimonies about how God has worked in the lives of some of the people who commented on this post so many years ago!
How God has fulfilled visions, as well as new callings!