Their preparations opened my heart to a holy encounter.

I came to the Pingst Kreativ (Sweden’s Pentecostal Church’s creative) conference with a mission. I was there to participate, but without any expectation that God also wanted to meet me. I was ready to serve others, but it never crossed my mind that I would be ministered to myself.

I carried a message: God loves you, each and every one of you, all equally. But I carried it without expecting that God wanted to say the same thing to me, right then and there, in the midst of His pure, wonderful liefde, so close to His heart.

It has now been 14 years since I was saved. But this weekend, it felt like I was experiencing God’s liefde anew, as if for the very first time. The tears just wouldn’t stop streaming down my cheeks, tears over His holiness, His glory, and His immense liefde. Even for me.

When I created my latest sieraden collectie, I did so with a clear image in mind of God’s immense liefde for every individual. But this weekend, God showed me, deeply, that this liefde includes me too. And I am so, so grateful!

Grateful to everyone who prepared for this weekend: the food, the planning, the worship, the cleaning, setting up chairs, taking them down, Bijbel readings, sound, lighting, and above all, every gebed, every sigh, every heart, every longing. Because of all that, I was able to step right into what God wanted to do. It started already in the first worship session, and it’s still ongoing, even now, on the train ride home, with Pingst’s new album in my ears. God’s truths are still echoing:

God is Holy. God is Holy. God is all that matters.

I am so happy and grateful for all of you who go before us and prepare with servant hearts and a longing for more of God, to know Him more deeply, to see just a liiiiiitle bit (or preferably a whole lot!) more of His glory.

From what I have heard from both participants and leaders, I know that this is not just my story from the weekend. Testimony after testimony has been shared, with tears in people’s eyes, about what God has done in our lives.

From the deepest depths of my heart, I long for everyone to experience God’s liefde. Every person, all over the world. Imagine if every person could experience what I, and so many others, have experienced. We have been given such a treasure!

Alfred Nygren said something so beautiful during the service at Citykyrkan this morning:

“For every ‘I liefde You’ we say to God, He responds with a hundred ‘I liefde you’s’ back.”

Because He loves us more than we can ever comprehend.

I feel a deep burden for our people. Please, Jesus, use me, here I am!

Can we pray that together, those of us who believe? And if you can’t pray that right now, I pray that Jesus will touch your heart, just as He did mine.

Even though in this text I am honoring and thanking all the people who served this weekend, and all the generations before us who have arranged conferences, church services, and shared God’s liefde in all sorts of ways, I know that God can meet you exactly where you are.

Because you don’t need another person, a conference, or even a church for God to liefde you.

He already does. Right now.

Amen, and thank you.

liefde / Emelie Bergqvist