News / Education
Three teachers and thousands of women go Deeper Still
Kay Arthur, Beth Moore and Priscilla Shirer headline event
Popular Bible teachers and authors Kay Arthur, Beth Moore and Priscilla Shirer went deeper – into the Bible and personal details – with the 19,000 women who attended the sold-out event.
During a question and answer session, the three Christian women laughed about questions submitted by women at the event ranging from the definition of pride to tips on how to age gracefully.
However, videos shown throughout the event documented the lives of each speaker, sharing their desires to spiritually go deeper still.
“I want to go deeper still by hanging on every word of God, steeping myself in the precepts of God,” said Arthur, founder of Precept Ministries in Chattanooga, Tenn.
“I want to go deeper still,” said Moore. “I’ll never get to the bottom of the riches of God’s Word, but I can die trying.”
Shirer, founder of the Texas-based Going Beyond Ministries, confirmed that desire for her spiritual life, as well. “I don’t want to stand on the edge of what God has for me,” she said. “I want to plunge headfirst in going beyond and deeper still.”
Shirer spoke Friday night from Exodus 19, detailing God leading the Israelites into the wilderness of Sinai to camp at the base of Mt. Sinai for the purpose of hearing from God.
“The Israelites had seen the works of God,” said Shirer. “But now Yahweh comes to them with a personal invitation to become intimately acquainted with Him, to bring them to this place of a divine personal encounter with Him.”
According to Shirer, God purposely brought the Israelites into the wilderness to prepare them for the invitation into a deeper relationship.
“We all experience wilderness seasons in our lives,” she said. “When God wants to invite us into deeper relationship with Him, He will often leave us in the wilderness. Wilderness is where intimacy is ignited.”
Shirer spoke directly to women in the arena experiencing times of challenge – whether with children, family or other circumstances.
“For so many of you in this room, this is a wilderness season for you,” she said. “I want to encourage you that the wilderness is about something. God is with you along the way. The wilderness is on purpose.”
While Shirer addressed trials on a more personal level, Arthur spoke Saturday morning of sins on a national level.
“Judgment is on the horizon [for the United States],” said Arthur. “But really, in a sense, judgment is here because we have said we don’t have absolute truth. Our apostasies as a nation are numerous. We are living in desperate times.”
Turning to the Old Testament, Arthur pointed out numerous Scriptures in Jeremiah, Isaiah and Ezekiel that reveal God’s judgment “on countries that turn their backs on Him.” In response, she called the women in the arena to be vessels of truth.
“God wants you to be a Jeremiah and go forth and speak the Word of God,” she said. “God has chosen you, precious one. It is not an accident that you were part of the 19,000 who got tickets to come to this sold-out event. God wants you to take what you have learned and live it.”
Arthur declared that America is in grave danger because of its national sins. She offered seven tasks for individual Christians to do in response to the current economic and spiritual conditions in the country, including seeking a broken heart for the country, praying, loving God’s Word, loving others, mourning sin, sharing Jesus as Savior, and resting in Him.
By the end of her Saturday afternoon session, Bible teacher Beth Moore had all 19,000 women on their feet acting out expressive hand motions while memorizing John 1:14. As Moore dissected each part of the verse, women throughout the arena stood shouting God’s Word while demonstrating hand movements that coordinated with the meaning of each verse.
Moore began with the phrase “the Word,” translated from “logos” or divine reasoning or expression. “God, whose thoughts we cannot hear, is speaking through His Son, the Word,” she said.
Moore considered the next phrase, “became flesh,” to be a spine – or foundational – issue, meaning that Jesus Christ coming in the flesh to die on a cross for our sins is something that every Christian must believe and have in common.
Reflecting on the next phrase, “and made His dwelling among us,” Moore explained that Jesus “pitched His tent or tabernacle among us” and it was a “temporary dwelling.”
Moore’s voice rose in excitement as she spoke about the fourth phrase – “and we have seen His glory.” She likened the phrase to seeing enough of something’s worth that it is given high esteem or praise.
Moore challenged audience members with the fifth phrase – “the glory of the One and Only” – by saying that Jesus is the only one who deserves first place in our lives.
“When you pray to love Jesus above anybody or anything, everyone will disappoint you,” she said. “Don’t be mad at them because they can’t be Jesus to you.”
The sixth phrase – “who came from the Father” – emphasizes Jesus’ place of authority, said Moore. The final phrase, “full of grace and truth,” is a reminder that Jesus is both for us.
“Every time God confronts you with a hard truth,” said Moore, “He is going to give you the grace to receive it and to walk in obedience.”
LifeWay women’s event coordinator Betsy Langmade spent 18 months planning and praying over the event, and said seeing such a large secular arena turn into a place of worship was rewarding to her.
“My deepest satisfaction is knowing that God met these women as individuals in a very crowded room that had been transformed into a sanctuary through worship and the Word,” said Langmade.
The prayer of Langmade and others on LifeWay women’s ministry training and events team is that thousands of women will encounter God through 2008 events such as Deeper Still, Going Beyond and Living Proof Live.
The next Deeper Still event is Sept. 5-6, 2008, in Las Vegas. For more information including video from the Atlanta event, visit the Deeper Still blog at www.lifeway.com/deeperstillblog.
For up-to-date news and information regarding LifeWay Christian Resources, visit www.lifeway.com/news.
