Often today we hear the term AI being thrown around, from devices we interact with daily to services that are sold to us. It seems like AI is inevitable, here to be a part of our daily lives whether we want it or not. But what if you were to find out that instead of this technological marvel that we are told to depend on, we have an AI that God has put in our lives?
HIM Oasis Bangkok put forward this notion in their annual Family Encounter Camp with the theme AI: Advance and Increase. The camp opened with five vibrant teams named after characters in the Bible such as Peter, James, Titus, Matthew and Mary of Bethany. Together, they were competing in using the biblical AI in God’s work, for evangelism and outreach, as well as fellowship among the family of Christ through outdoor team building. There were wonderful presentations full of banners and cheering, displaying the creativity that God has blessed us all with to serve the Kingdom! And the creativity did not stop there, for later in the day featured a lively event called Career Night, where everyone showcased their childhood dreams.
Day two of the camp brought i-Connect groups, workshops and affinity sessions, helping to lead the participants to advance further in their respective lives and ministry fields. These events also allowed for greater fellowship among the 210 participants that joined, ranging from all over Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Honduras and even Dubai! Moreover, the third day of camp continued with Sunrise Worship, as well as water baptism for 16 souls, 13 of them from the Philippines and 3 from Vietnam, and ended with a powerful Kairos Night. It was truly an awarding day, full of recognition and commissioning. Its truly a good reminder for all of us to take a moment, and truly recognize what God has given us to advance and increase in our lives, and make the decision if we want to take the next step to go out and share Him.
God truly moved in fresh and unexpected ways throughout this camp. The sessions were led wonderfully by two incredible HIM leadership couples, namely Pastor Soradej and Dr Eunice Meesaengtham, as well as Pastor Torch and Liza Leung. Together they ministered to the participants through prayer, empowerment, prophecy and divine affirmation. Each moment carried His presence tangibly, confirming the word received during pre-camp soaking: “Do not be familiar with God’s presence.” It was a call to stay in awe and the Holy Spirit indeed moved beyond what anticipated. Are we taking for granted our experience with the Holy Spirit in our daily lives, or are we still in awe of this wonderful gift that the ascension of Jesus has led to?
Ironically, one of the highlights of this camp is when there was a power outage during the Sunday service. Where the world’s AI would have powered down, God-driven people continued to raise their voices in worship with all their hearts. Ps Soradej even continued preaching throughout the power outage until the electricity was restored.
As we read about the wonderful experiences our brothers and sisters experienced during this Family Encounter Camp, maybe it’s time for us to take a look at our lives. Are we going with the way of the world, following the metaphorical waves of the river we call life? Or are we still taking a few moments here and there in our lives, to truly be in awe of the wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives? To consider the talents and creativity bestowed upon us to advance God’s Kingdom on earth, to increase the opportunity to bring light to those in darkness.