November 12, 2010

Reflections on the Unashamed Tour

Two nights ago, myself along with 16 other people drove two hours to the town of Lima, OH to see the 116 Clique perform. The 116 consists of Trip Lee, Lecrae, Tedashii, Sho Baraka, DJ Official, and they had special guest PRo and John Reuben. I knew ahead of time it wasn't about seeing them perform, but more so about worshiping the God who gave them the gifts and resources to perform.
Each individual makes sure the crowd knows why they are on stage and who should be getting the glory. They humble themselves and want you to know they are in the same boat as the rest of us: sinners in need of a Savior, and can only be saved by the grace of God through his Son, Jesus Christ.
They are there to serve the body and lead us in a time of worship to a holy God. They teach and use analogies in between songs and point us back to the gospel. Their lyrics all revolve around the gospel. At the end of the concert one of them will give a clear gospel presentation, and offer a chance for non-believers to talk more with them about having a relationship with God after the concert. I think it's pretty clear what the 116 Clique is all about. Even their name points to the gospel. 116 comes from Romans 1:16 which says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes..."
This is the third time I've been to one of their concerts. I saw Lecrae in January of '08, Trip Lee in August of '10, and now all of them in November of '10. I've had the privilege to talk with Trip Lee in August and all of them a couple nights ago. Both times have been great. They are just like you and me, and it feels that way when I've talked with them. They asked us (me and tyler) questions and wanted to learn about us and who we are. I feel like that doesn't happen as much with other "famous" people.
They are normal people that God has chosen to use, has made them leaders, blessed them with musical gifts, and given them a stage in order to magnify Christ to the people they encounter. We can learn and look up to these guys, but we need to make sure we don't stop there. We have to look further to where they are looking, which is the Trinity. If we want to be like Christ we have to look at him, learn from him, be transformed in our ways and thinking.
Thanks 116 for seeking the Lord's will for your lives, and faithfully following him where he has led you and will lead you in the future. He has blessed you guys with many gifts, praise the Lord.

Unashamed Tour 2010: The Movement

John Reuben



116 Clique



Nate Robinson



Backstage



Lecrae



Unashamed Tour 2010: The Movement

Trip Lee



DJ Official


Sho Baraka



Tedashii



PRo