“All in! Go all in for Jesus!”
At IGNITE Rally 2024, Pr Andy Yeoh of Generations Church delivered an impassioned plea to Christian students to bring Jesus into their schools and spheres of influence.
“I pray that this generation will be a hungry generation. It’s one thing to be in the vicinity of Jesus, it’s another to be in Jesus,” he said. “Go all in for Jesus!”
Organised by DUMC NextGen and Scripture Union, IGNITEMY2024 drew more than 700 young believers aged 11-18 from 113 schools and organisations to DUMC in Petaling Jaya.
This year is the fifth and final IGNITEMY. The IGNITE Youth Leadership Summit was held on 7 September followed by a Bazaar and Rally the next day.
“Since it started five years ago, our mission has remained to inspire young people to make a change and difference in their schools and communities,” said Pr Terry Yeow of NextGen and event co-organiser.
He encouraged conference participants not to waste the opportunity to glean from the Summit speakers this year, namely Brandon Ho (Let’s Get Real), Pr Daniel Lau (City Light Church Penang) and Sulyn Ooi (Wondersigns).
“Don’t waste the water [they will be pouring out] of their lives and stories. Be refreshed and energised to go out and do what God has called you to,” he said when opening the IGNITE Summit.
Godly boldness says, “God is going to do it.”
“Godly boldness begins with an encounter with God,” said Brandon Ho.
Speaking on the topic of boldness, Brandon explained that true, godly confidence stems from trusting that God will fulfil His promises in and through you.
“When you know this, the pressure is off. You can live stress-free. So you can’t be truly bold if you have not encountered Jesus,” he said.
The podcast host and influencer also urged students to understand the motivation behind their boldness.
“If you know the ‘why,’ the ‘how’ will jalan (follow). Without the why, you will burn out. So let obedience, faith and love for God and others motivate you to live boldly,” he concluded.
“You don’t have to be a spotlight, you can be a candle”
The next session was anchored by Pr Daniel, who reminded Gen Zers of their calling to pass on the torch to the generations to come.
“God wants to redeem your schools and campuses. He loves you and has set apart a generation for Himself,” he said with conviction.
Reading from 1 Kings 17, he encouraged students to be unafraid to stand up for justice and righteousness. A bad situation, he says, requires confrontation.
“You are positioned by God to make a difference wherever you are. I truly believe that if Gen Z rises up, we will see a new era just as the alphabet resets (with Gen Alpha). Your destiny does not depend on public opinion but divine purpose,” he shared.
Pr Daniel finished by encouraging the youth to repair the altar of their hearts, give what is required and sacrifice what is precious, and finally pray and wait for God to move.
Inspired to live impactfully for Christ
In the afternoon, singer-songwriter Sulyn Ooi of Wondersigns performed her latest single, “Not Goodbye.”
Reflecting on her personal journey of grief after losing her husband in a bicycle accident, the worship leader from Every Nation Church shared how God’s presence has remained steadfast throughout.
“If you are going through maybe not the best of times and you wonder if life’s going to get better I can tell you with confidence that life does get better. And we are all stronger than we think,” she encouraged.
For the past five years, IGNITEMY has sought to inspire and challenge Malaysian Christian students to experience God’s love and share it.
Speakers from diverse backgrounds have taken the stage, sharing stories of God’s faithfulness and offering practical insights on living for Jesus.
Since its inception, IGNITEMY has drawn 1,899 participants, with funds raised in 2023 and 2024 for non-profit organizations through the IGNITE Bazaar.
This year, RM13,981 was raised by young people to support 13 selected NGOs.
Go forth and be counted for
On 8 September, the last IGNITE Rally was held.
Pr Andy of Generations Church spoke of The Other Miracle based on the death and resurrection of Lazarus.
Sometimes, he said, we pray for a specific miracle or breakthrough only for God to do something completely different.
“If Lazarus had not died, we would not have seen the resurrection and [display of] the power of God,” he thundered. “An internal miracle is far more important than an external miracle. Let God do what only He can do… in you.”
Pr Andy then closed with the story of the paralytic and his friends who lowered him through the roof just to be in the presence of Jesus.
“We are sending you out. [We believe] CFs will get started, prayer groups will start, revival will rise up but He first needs to heal you from the inside out,” he said.
So rise up and be counted. Then take your bed, the symbol of your past life, sin and shame, and go home (back to your spheres of influence, where everyone knows you).
The night then closed with an invitation to the altar, to get things right with God and to be prayed over and sent back to their schools and colleges.
Indeed, the move of God had already begun even on the first day.
“We have seen the growth and rebirth of CFs in our schools. Just yesterday (7 September), three CFs went up to Marianne (Scripture Union) and said they want to restart the CFs in their schools,” Pr Terry said.
It was a poignant, full-circle moment to see how God has used IGNITEMY to catalyse, equip and encourage young believers to live out their faith in school.
Pr Terry encouraged those in attendance to see this final event not as the death of something, but as a way for new life to spring forth.
“Although this is the last IGNITEMY, it’s not the end. God is doing something new.”
