21 Quotes From the Christian Gathering That Brought Hundreds of Thousands to DC
Leah Jessen /
Hundreds of thousands of people filled the National Mall on Saturday, gathering together for a national “reset.” Event goers united in prayer and worship throughout the day.
The free event, called Together 2016, featured a lineup of more than 40 Christian speakers, pastors, and music artists. Nearly 1,000 churches nationwide pledged to attend the event.
A reset mark was centerstage—because it's the reset Jesus offers that is our unity and hope.#JesusChangesEverything pic.twitter.com/7IpHczeZIm
— Together Generation (@together_2020) July 16, 2016
“Together 2016 will be a day when we will lay down what divides us—politics, race, social issues, theological differences—to come together and lift up Jesus who unites us. He is the only one who can reset our nation,” event visionary Nick Hall, and founder and chief communicator for the prayer and evangelism movement PULSE, said in statement. He added:
During this political year we see so many people of faith becoming negative, critical, and jaded. Where is our help found? Where is our hope found? Not in political leaders. What better time to do something on a large scale that draws our attention back to where it really matters?
The event, scheduled to last from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m., wrapped up early, around 4 p.m., due to the heat.
https://twitter.com/RISE_Ministries/status/754423157302394880
Here are 21 quotes from throughout the day:
1. “Who can heal our nation? Who can heal the family and who can heal the church? Here it is. Not a politician. Not a political party. Not a president. Not a governmental agency. Not a state. Not an educator. Not an entertainer. Not a preacher. Not a celebrity. Not an athlete. Not a leader. Not a church. … Jesus can heal our nation.” -Ronnie Floyd, senior pastor of Cross Church in northwest Arkansas
2. “America is broken. … Minimizing human impact is not the goal, but maximizing God is,” Floyd said.
Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Washington, D.C., near the Washington Monument on the National Mall on Saturday, July 16, 2016, to proclaim that “Jesus changes everything.” (Photo: PULSE)
3. “Do you have any hope for America?” Floyd questioned. “Do you have any hope for the family? Do you have any hope for the church? My answer to that is very, very clear. Absolutely I have hope. The reason I have hope is this: God can do anything with anyone, anywhere, at any time. God can do more in a moment than you can do in a lifetime.”
4. “I thank God that we are gathered in this nation’s capital. I love America. I believe God that the best is yet ahead for America. In fact, I love this nation so much we moved our family here because we believe that God has a great plan for this nation. God has a great destiny for this nation. God has a great dream for this nation.” -Christine Caine, the founder of A21, a global anti-human trafficking organization spanning Europe to Asia
People of all backgrounds are filling the National Mall to say: "Jesus changes everything!" #JesusChangesEverything pic.twitter.com/k1XS0u8Xl9
— Together Generation (@together_2020) July 16, 2016
5. “Prayer is the difference between the best you can do and the best God can do.” -Mark Batterson, lead pastor of National Community Church in the Washington, D.C., area
“What a divided nation needs is a united church,” —@NickHall
6. “I believe that God honors bold prayers because bold prayers honor God,” Batterson said.
7. “When you pray to God regularly, irregular are going to happen on a regular basis,” Batterson said.
8. “[Revival] starts in our hearts and in our homes,” Batterson said.
9. “Let’s pray together with faith that there will be a move of God in this nation … and that we will be part of the answer to that prayer.” -Jo Saxton, chair of the board of 3D Movements, an organization equipping churches across denominations in discipleship and mission
https://twitter.com/JesusIsTheReset/status/754326325511524352
10. “Right now in our world, we are faced with a massive humanitarian crisis that the world hasn’t seen since the end of the second world war. Currently, in the world there are 65 million people who are displaced, meaning they don’t live at home. … There are 21.3 million people who live as refugees. A lot of us forget this simple fact … we know that right after [Jesus] was born, his family had to leave his home country … Jesus, the son of the living God, became a refugee … He [Jesus] says whatever you do to the least in our brothers, you do unto me because he was the least of these.” -Matt Maher, a contemporary Christian music artist, songwriter, and worship leader and five time Grammy nominee
11. “What a divided nation needs is a united church,” Hall said.
12. “This letter comes from the White House. This is from President Barack Obama for us today,” Hall said. “He says this: ‘I send greetings to all gathered for Together 2016.’ He said, ‘In times of joy and uncertainty alike, Christians have turned to Jesus. Prayer and reflection have helped people in every corner of our country and the world steady their minds, cleanse their hearts, and overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges. By bringing Christians of different backgrounds together to reaffirm core commitments, you remind us of how love of God and one another can help us transcend boundaries and build a better tomorrow.’”
“20 inches is the distance between my knee & the ground. That’s how far you have to go to find mercy.”–@louiegiglio pic.twitter.com/PRci6UfXMA
— Together Generation (@together_2020) July 16, 2016
13. “If we’re looking to men and women as a solution of our country, we are not going to be stable in uncertain times. We have to set our eyes on things above where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God today.” -Louie Giglio, pastor of Passion City Church in Atlanta, Georgia, and founder of Passion Conferences, a global movement of college-aged people living for the fame of Jesus Christ
"What we declare today is that, in uncertain times, we stand on a certain foundation.” –@louiegiglio #JesusChangesEverything #Together2016
— Together Generation (@together_2020) July 16, 2016
14. “There’s nothing too great in your life for God’s power to deal with, nor anything too small or insignificant for his love to be concerned about.” -Josh McDowell, author and speaker who has addressed more than 25 million people and given over 27,000 talks in 125 countries
15. “The only agenda today is Jesus … We really believe that our nation right now needs a leader,” Hall said, adding:
We believe that across lines, whether you’re Democrat, whether you’re Republican, whether you’re independent, or whether you’re frustrated like everybody. I think all of us can say, our nation needs a leader right now. Our world needs a leader right now. We believe that Jesus is the leader that all of us can look to for an example of love, of hope, of leadership, of healing.
16. “God, we’re inviting you to move in our generation,” Hall prayed, adding: “God, in the midst of racism and violence, in the midst of discrimination, God, in the midst of terrorism, we need your healing, God. Lord, we pray for the victims in Nice, France, right now. … God, we pray for the victims in Minnesota. God, we pray for the victims in Dallas. God, we pray for the victims in Louisiana and in Orlando. God, we pray for every hurting heart right now.”
Together 2016 featured a lineup of more than 40 Christian speakers, pastors, and music artists. (Photo: PULSE)
17. “We see what’s happening in the world today. We see bombings in Turkey airport. We see shootings in Orlando. We see people killing mindlessly across the world. God has a plan to heal this world. And it can only happen through his hands and his feet and that’s us. … Brothers and sisters, you are world changers. Every single one of you has been designed and crafted by God to change the world.” -Nabeel Qureshi, a global speaker with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries
18. “When we love Jesus, if we love people, we’re going to make a difference. We’re going to make an impact.” -Tim Tebow, a former National Football League quarterback
"The God of the universe made you for good works. We can walk away from the place today knowing that God has a plan for our life."-@TimTebow
— Together Generation (@together_2020) July 16, 2016
19. “I think we all agree that the church needs a reset. In a lot of ways, we’ve become somewhat irrelevant, sadly. But the path to relevant is not by trying to fit in, it’s by standing out. And it’s not by becoming popular, it’s by becoming rejected.” -Francis Chan, the best-selling author of “Crazy Love,” “Forgotten God,” and “Erasing Hell,” and the host of the BASIC.series.
20. “In a generation that’s obsessed with popularity and being liked and getting likes, Jesus says the way to become significant or have an impact is through rejection,” Chan said.
21. “This [event] wasn’t about coming to the mall,” Hall said. “This is about sending a generation out from the mall.”