Do Something!

Tonight Ed told me all about all the volunteer work him and his fellowship are involved with throughout the year.  And this got me thinking - what has C&C done to show that we are a missional church?  This  conversation sort of fits in with the grand scheme of things, of how I have been thinking about missions , near and far from home, lately.  What I can do to help "preach good news to the poor, proclaim freedom for the prisoners, bring recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed." (Luke 4:18)

At Chapel last Tuesday, Leah challenged me to think about giving my whole being to the work of Christ.  She used to the story from the bible where the poor woman offered all that she had the Lord as an illustration.  Giving your whole being to Christ may not necessarily mean going into clergy, or traveling to a distant land to become a missionary, as many may think.  Giving our whole beings to God is something that all Christians are called to do, so that in our everyday lives we do all that we do completely within the context that we are God's precious children.  We let the breath of God flow through us, so that in all that we do we do we do out of the love of God that has been poured upon us, and now radiates from our innermost beings.   On Sunday, Steve also spoke about stewardship.  His sermon quite literally hit every point that I had been pondering upon the entire week, especially with Christmas season being so close and me getting a ton of snail mail asking for donations to different charities. 

In the chapel this week we had the great privilege of listening to a speaker who has traveled from South Africa.  He shared with us about what the ministry of reconciliation is that has been given to us by God to carry out.  This man was a missionary who was part of the church that was in the anti-apartheid movement.  He is someone who lives in the Gospel, quite literally, as he has put his life on the line for the work of Jesus Christ.  From the outside, he didn't appear to be anything special, just a regular looking man in his early sixties.  Yet, when he spoke, something about him completely captivated me.  He spoke with simplicity, and yet with conviction and passion.  I think though, that it was because he has let the spirit of God dwell so richly in his heart that when he spoke, God was speaking right through him, and God spoke powerfully.  He spoke in a way that stirred my heart and made me think, "Wow, our call from God is really to stand up against injustice in this world!" 

 

It just occurred to me that God has been speaking to me for a long time now, and perhaps challenging me to think about what my responsibilities are as a Christian in this world.   Shamefully, when I talked to Ed, I realized that while I had a lot of passion to think and talk about mission, and helping people, that perhaps I have talked more than I have done.  What am I doing, everyday, to help make this world a better place?  Whether it's giving, or standing up for something that is unjust, I must do my part!  All the while I was thinking perhaps God would call me into ministry, or call me into a different career path.  Perhaps now I understand what God is really calling me to do (and probably all along), is to live a life with my whole being given to Christ, so that in everything I do I can glorify him.  It's a tall order, and already I don't think I can do it.  I am too selfish and self-centered.  Yet, I feel the passion in my heart and I'm going to try.  I'm going to pray for a heart that would know the Father's will, a heart willing to serve selflessly.  I'm going to pray for the courage to stand up for what's right, and the wisdom to know how to handle situations that sometimes may seem hopeless.  God is calling me to live out the life of Christ to those around me, to my city, my world.... because Christ is in everything, and everything is in Christ!

It's more than just us... there is so much to be done in the world!  How will we participate in the work of building God's Kingdom?  How will we manage our finances?  How will we use the social privilege that we have inherently gained? (parable of the shrewd manager).  I remember the passage from Luke - "But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." (Luke 12:48).  I pray to God that he will continue to guide and use me to do his marvelous works :)!