Are Retreats and Conferences Biblical?
Jon Thurlow – Mighty Hand
“Are retreats and conferences biblical?” is a question that I have been asked a number of times. Many people I know who believe in God came to their faith through a retreat or a conference. The presence of God was thick in the place and they heard the voice of the Lord or felt His touch for the first time. That is my salvation story as well (I dedicated my life to God at a youth retreat in 1998). But for many Christians I’ve noticed a frustration from feeling guilty of experiencing a “mountaintop high” at retreats but then not experiencing the same intimacy or power with God in their daily walk. For some of them, they chose to stop attending retreats and conferences because of that guilt and frustration. Others claim that their relationship with God is fine and that they regularly go to church each Sunday, so there isn’t a need for them to attend a retreat.
What’s interesting is that retreats and conferences didn’t just happen in the Bible, they were commanded.
Deuteronomy 16:16 – Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man should appear before the Lord empty-handed.
These huge gatherings weren’t all for just a day each either. The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover) was meant to take place for seven days with the first and last days being most important, the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) was for one day, and the Feast of Tabernacles (Succoth) was meant to take place for seven days straight. Those are long gatherings! And God’s command wasn’t that they celebrate alone, but that they all gather in one place to celebrate. These weren’t gatherings of fasting or of prayer and repentance, these were feasts and celebrations! And God commanded everyone to bring something so that everyone was involved in the feast together (like a huge pot-luck).
There is something special about taking time out of your busy schedule and setting it aside to worship and celebrate before the Lord. There is something even more special about doing that as a large group. God loves big gatherings in His name. It was during the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) when 3,000 people were saved in Acts 2. There is a reason why His presence is particularly strong at such gatherings. God loves His people and so the more people are gathered in His name the stronger His love can be felt.
Think of a grandfather during a happy family reunion: the grandfather would be happy to see one son or one grandson, but his heart would be even more filled with joy when there are more of them together. Think of how great a grandfather’s joy would be when all his children and his grandchildren would gather together in one place with him to celebrate and have fun together. This blesses his heart tremendously! So much more does God our Father delight when His children all come together in unity. Attending a large retreat or conference should be about blessing the Father’s heart first. If a beloved son is absent from a family reunion his absence would noticed. While the father or grandfather would still rejoice over his other children, his heart would long for the absent son to also be in attendance. So in this way when it is in our opportunity to attend our church’s or fellowship’s retreat we should make it a priority so that we can bless God’s heart by attending, worshipping, and having a blessed time with the other people there.
As Christians we aren’t supposed to rely on retreats/conferences to keep our relationship with God strong, instead it is our daily walk with God in prayer, reading the Word, praise, and fellowship. But our love and relationship with God should evoke a desire in us to get away with others to worship and celebrate the Lord more intimately now and then. All Christians should make it a point to gather with fellow believers before the Lord for a weekend (not just a short Sunday service) at least once or twice a year. God is worthy to be celebrated!
