Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

mission

Shaken

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In “The Perils of Ayden”, Erwin McManus wrote, “Do not stand in the center if you do not wish to be shaken. There is always danger when the movement comes.” If you’re like me, these words evoke excitement and rush of adrenalin. What follower of Christ doesn’t want to be shaken by the mighty hand of God? To be shaken is to be touched, and to be touched is to be overwhelmed by love. The love of God is beyond all we could ever imagine; it is passionate and it is fierce. Herein lies the danger; once you have been touched by God you will not, you cannot, ever be the same. You can go so far as to walk away from Him entirely, but you will never forget the feeling of that love and inwardly will always long to experience it again.

Being shaken by God brings an entirely new perspective to your life. The things that once held great importance to you no longer matter at all. The things you could once ignore now break your heart. If God shakes you, you will be changed. There is danger in pursuing His love because it will lead you to places you have never known and through experiences you could not imagine. There is danger in not pursuing Him because He has called you to follow Him; to refuse is to stand against the Holy Creator of the universe. Once God has shaken you, there is danger no matter which way you go. If you follow Him, He will be there to guide and comfort you through the storms that assail your life. If one must be in peril, it is far better to be there with Jesus than alone.

God longs to shake you; He desires to envelop you in His arms and fill you with His love and spirit. He needs radical followers who will go into the entire world telling others about Him. He needs fanatical lovers who will touch the sick and feed the hungry. He needs you and me. I want to be shaken by God; I want to be in the center of what He is doing in this world. Standing on the sidelines or cowering in the back is no way to serve the Lord. I want to be in the front row with a bird’s eye view of all that He is accomplishing. Watching a smile cross the face of a bitter man or wrapping your arm around a broken woman; this is the stuff of life. Coming along side of someone in need, just as Jesus did for us, is a high call and it is the command of Christ. You can’t carry on His mission from the seat of a spectator. You have to get in the game, and if you become involved, you will be shaken!

If you have ever been in an earthquake, you have experienced a shaking from outside yourself. You have felt the ground tremble and experienced the disorientation this can cause. When God shakes you, He shakes you from the inside out. You will not be able to pinpoint the source of the shaking; you will just know it is happening. Instead of becoming disoriented, you may become euphoric. The love of God is awesome and it is majestic. To feel the shake and warmth of His touch is momentarily debilitating but permanently motivating. How can one keep silent once they have felt the touch of God; how can they not share His love with anyone who will listen?

Ask the Lord to shake you and you will be changed. Ask Him to plant you in the center of His mission and attack it with a vengeance. Only when we are surrounded by His love and carrying out His commands will we find peace; and in the midst of that peace we will be shaken. How incredible to experience God from the inside out. We have long been taught to ask Him into our heart, but once there we expect Him to be quiet and bring us rest. To the contrary, if we are true followers of Christ, He will begin shaking the house as soon as He arrives and will continue to do so as long as we pursue Him. I want to shake the world with the love of Jesus because He first shook me. Have you been shaken by the love of Jesus? I’d love to hear your story and encourage you to share it with others by commenting below. Jesus did not come to quietly express His love for the world. He came to violently shake the nations with His message of peace and hope. We are to carry on that mission. Filled with His love, let us move out to touch the weak, the lost and the weary. Let’s shake this world together.

Urgent and Reckless

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When considering your Christian life, would you classify it as urgent and reckless? Would you say that you are urgently doing all that you can to tell others about Christ? Is your life marked by a spirit of recklessness, one that pursues the kingdom at any cost? If our heart does not literally break with the thought of millions, even billions dying without the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ, we need to seriously evaluate our commitment to Him. If we are not leading a life easily identified by urgency and recklessness, then I have to question if our hearts are truly broken by the things that break the heart of God.

Jesus said to go into all the nations telling the people there about His love and His mercy. This is our call and our mission, the very will of God for our lives. He has not blessed us to be in America so that we might live a life of comfort and ease. He has blessed us to be in America so we will take the vast resources entrusted to us and give them to a world so desperately in need. Parents all around the world are wasting away and their children lay dying at their feet. HIV and AIDS runs rampant because we simply have not yet heeded the call to go and educate the world about the facts of this disease. Communities drink filthy and contaminated water because they lack the resources to drill proper wells to reach the water that would bring life and vitality to their village. Half the world lives on less than $2 a day while we think nothing of spending twice that amount on a daily latte.

We lack urgency and we crave safety rather than recklessness. How can we claim we are doing all we can for the lost and dying when we can’t even get out of bed on a Saturday morning? How dare we say that we have given all we can give to help others in need while we sit in warm houses with full cupboards and a couple of cars parked in the garage. We’re not doing all that we can, and we’re not giving all that we can. We are doing just enough to present a good picture to our friends and neighbors and we are giving just enough to salve our consciouses. This isn’t urgency, this is apathy.

Until we cease pursuing first our own selfish comforts, we will never make a marked difference in this world. Until we let go of the safety of our corner of the world, we will have no idea what it means to live with reckless abandon. We have become accustomed to living in the manner of this world instead of seeking first the Kingdom of God. How can we sleep at night with the knowledge that we have a closet full of shoes while millions of people have nothing on their feet? We live in excess while they dwell in squalor. Jesus told us that we were not of this world, so why do we insist on living as if we are? When will it be time for us to stop living in selfishness and begin to release everything we have in service for God’s kingdom? How much longer will we refuse to live the lives for which we were created?

If the thoughts of the hungry around the world do not bring tears to your eyes and an ache to your heart, beg God to break your heart for the lost and the least of these. If you are not urgently seeking ways to serve the dying and the poor every minute of your life, pray that God would give you a fresh dose of zeal to further His mission. If you are not living recklessly, forsaking everything to pursue justice and serve the needs of the hurting, cry out and ask the Lord to instill His passion within you. With each breath we run closer to the end of our race; we are losing time and it cannot be regained. Who will not hear the name of Jesus because we were content to stay under the covers for ten more minutes? Who will die without Christ because we were too busy watching TV? How many children will go without food or water today because we refused to sacrifice what we have?

Each of us knows the score; each of us is aware that while difficult to hear, these words are true. It’s your turn now; it’s my turn too. Will today be the same as every other day? Will tomorrow be one more entry into a life poorly lived? This is a call to action. Change begins with you and it begins with me, and it must begin now. We have no more time. Will you choose to continue pursuing the American dream, or will you forsake everything to be the hands and feet of Jesus to a world on the brink of disaster? This is our time; this is our call. What will you do?

The Mission of the Church

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As time runs out on the year 2010, it makes me ponder how much more time we have left on this planet. As the morality and economy of the United States spirals downward, I wonder also how much longer we have left for this country. I think America has been given the opportunity and blessed with the resources to significantly impact the world for Jesus Christ. In fact I think the record shows that we have made tremendous strides in spreading the gospel throughout the nations. However, given the level of wealth with which we have to work, I have to wonder if we have not fallen woefully short of our mission. Today it seems we have become content with building ever bigger buildings and feeding infinitely expanding programs to attract more and more people inside the walls of the church. We appear to be more concerned with building up walls instead of tearing them down. The good that the American church has done around the world is clearly documented; the generosity it has shared is without question. Still, by most estimates more than two billion people have never heard the name of Jesus.

I understand that church programs are designed to equip believers and children’s ministries are designed to develop the next generation of disciples. I get that, and I am not saying that these things are without merit. However I think it is vital that we examine the mission of each program and the necessity of each building. Despite all of our somewhat grandiose efforts, the church in America is in decline; the church in England has all but disappeared. Meanwhile African and Chinese house churches are growing at incredible rates. This is being accomplished with little or no money; the costs they contend with are persecution, torture and death. So how well are those billions of dollars we pour into concrete and mortar working?

I had lunch with a friend recently who disagreed, saying we need the buildings to accommodate new believers so the church can expand and we can do more good in our communities. I understand his point of view and recognize there is some truth there. I do question how it relates to the Biblical model of the early church. Without a single program or formal building, the church in the book of Acts added new members daily simply by living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Are we more interested in people coming to know Jesus or adding to our attendance rolls? Let me say this again; there are two billion people on the planet that have never heard the name of Jesus. Christ said that He will not return until all peoples had been given the opportunity to hear His message. Taking the message of Jesus to the unreached people-groups in the world will not be accomplished by spending millions of dollars on building some new walls for our Western churches; it will not be accomplished by providing more comfortable Sunday school classrooms for our preschoolers or constructing cool hangouts for our teens. The only way to touch the lives of the unreached is to move outside of the very walls we are constructing. If we won’t go to them, then I ask you, who will?

How are we doing as a body? We are all part of the Church; we are the called of God. Are we contributing to the expansion of buildings or the expansion of the Word? Are we teaching how best to serve Jesus in the context of the American dream or are we teaching how to engage the world with the love of Christ? Before we lay another brick or design another program, I believe it is vital to consider every expense of the time and money we have been entrusted to spend. Are we building the Kingdom of God or simply building an empire? The longer there remain those who have never heard about Christ, the longer we delay His coming. The final command given to us by Jesus was to take His message to all people. Let’s move out from behind the walls of our buildings and take His message to the world. This is His mission; this is our mission.

Becoming Who You Were Created to Be

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As we stare down the end of the year, it’s worth reflecting on how we’ve grown over the past eleven months. Are we becoming the person we were intended to be? In what ways have we noticed a maturing in our faith and in our love for God? We should never stop growing, never stop striving to become more and more like Jesus. If this past year didn’t bring the growth we expected or the maturity we desired, now is a great time to start figuring out how to have better results next year.

Goal setting has long been a tenant of the personal development crowd, but I think it also serves Christ followers well to set some goals in their spiritual life. Who were you created to be? What were you created to do? What is the difference between the answers to those questions and where you now find yourself? This is an excellent first step in setting some goals. If you were to be all that Christ intended you to be, what kind of person would you have to become? In what sort of activities would you engage? What kind of books would you read and what sort of words would you speak? Before you can become the person you were created to be, you need a clear picture of what that person looks like. Once you have that picture you can set goals that will mold your personality into the proper character. Becoming who God purposed you to be will usually not be an overnight transformation. In most cases, it will be a process of single steps compounded over time.

After getting clear about the kind of person you must become, the next step is to understand what actions you were created to accomplish. What sort of skills and talents do you possess? Are you an artist, a caregiver, a compassionate person, a good listener, a strong leader or patient teacher? This is a very short piece of an almost infinite list of gifts and capabilities. What is it that you are really good at, what attributes and abilities have you been given? If you are not currently making use of the talents God has entrusted to you, this is another great place to come up with some goals. What could you do next year that you have neglected to do this year? How could you make better use of your skills and expertise? If you are currently using your gifts for causes other than to further the Kingdom, in what ways could you begin to transition your work into something that reflects and honors God? What is it you have been putting off and can now determine to take action upon in the coming year? Don’t take the time to edit, but rather write down everything that comes to mind.

Once you have listed all the ways you can utilize your abilities for Christ, it’s time to whittle the list down into perhaps twelve specific goals (one for each month) for the new year. Compare your list with the picture of the person you wish to become. What items on your list would that person undertake? Picture yourself as the person God intended you to be and choose goals that you can envision that person achieving. Write everything down. Written goals are powerfully motivating. You can reference them regularly to remind yourself what you have determined to do. Make sure you review them no less than once every week. Commit your goals to memory; post them on your bathroom mirror or on the dashboard of your car, anywhere you will frequently see them and be reminded of the person you are becoming.

By visualizing the person you were created to become in Christ and carefully determining specific, measurable goals for your journey, you will be well on your way to exponential growth in the coming year. All of this must be done with a heavy dose of prayer. Ask God to show you who He wants you to become. Seek His wisdom in determining what He would have you to do. Knowing that He will provide the power behind our meager offerings is an invigorating and motivating force. We can become the person He sees in us; we can accomplish great work for His Kingdom. Don’t let another year go by without the growth that you desire. Tell God that this year you are going “all in”, and diligently follow your plan to do so. Take the time to set your spiritual goals now. Persist in achieving each of your goals. God delights in those who seek Him and He will help you every step of the way.

The End of Indecision

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For too long we have gone back and forth about our commitment to Christ. One day we are fired up and nothing can deter us; the next we are self-absorbed, depressed and wondering if it’s all worth it. The inconsistency is killing our effectiveness and causing our lives to spoil. A mixture of hot and cold produces a lukewarm life, a life that Jesus said He will vomit out (Revelation 3:16). I believe I speak for all of us when I say that this is not the person I wish to be; I do not want to live a life so repulsive to Christ that He vomits it out. It’s time to decide, once and for all, where we will place our loyalties. Will we reach for all this life has to offer or will we place everything we have at the feet of the one who gave His life for us?

When we first committed our lives to Jesus we gave no thought to turning back. We understood we were new creations and therefore had been transformed to live differently. Over time we lose our enthusiasm; we allow our clean hearts to be polluted by the sin around us when we drink a little in. It’s not that we intend to turn away; we simply get lazy and let down our guard. We lose sight of the fact that there is a very real, very powerful battle waging for our soul. As physical beings we cannot see the battle, but our spiritual core can feel it. When we tune into the fray, we become aware of the ferocity and we determine anew to stand fast. Too often we live our lives tuned out, concerned only with the tactile realities of the here and now. We get caught up pursuing the American dream, and we succumb to the bombardment of messages from the media. We allow ourselves to drink in the dirty water.

The only way to remain vigilant is to consistently flush our souls with the pure living water of Christ. If we are not spending consistent time in prayer and studying His Word, we will become tainted and our effectiveness will be severely muted. I want my life to shout the love of Christ; I want to shake the world with His love and His message. The only way to accomplish these goals is to remain on purpose and on mission, all the time. An intentional, consistent walk is the only way that leads to victory. Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? It wasn’t the brilliant bursts of the rabbit that won the race; he got lazy and caught up in his own selfish desires. No, it was the consistency and single-minded purpose of the tortoise that won the race. It is the same in our pursuit of Jesus. If we stay the course and keep our eyes focused on Him, we will accomplish what He has given us to do. Keeping our entire aim on His service while refusing to be distracted by the pleasures of this life will allow us to continue His mission and finish the race for His glory.

As long as we are given to a series of starts and stops, we will not be able to fulfill the purpose for which we were created. A lukewarm life will not get it done, and indeed may end with disastrous consequences. I don’t know how you read it, but being vomited out does not exactly sound like a grand welcoming into Heaven. Jesus calls us to total commitment, and that is exactly what we promised Him when we first surrendered our lives. We promised total devotion; we said that He would be our Lord and we would be His servant. This is not a casual vow; nothing could be more serious. Are we sincere or not? Do we love Him or are we just trying things out? It’s time to put away our indecision and once and for all give the rest of our lives to Christ and Christ alone. As Michael Tait sings in a recent Newsboys song, “I’m giving Him the best of/ Everything that’s left of/ The life inside this man/ I’ve been born again!” Let’s join in that pledge. Let’s give Jesus all we have for the rest of our lives. From this point forward our decision is clear and our path is focused. Let’s pledge to follow Jesus wherever that may lead. No more wavering, no more turning back.