inconvenienced by the Gospel

this past weekend i was able to be involved in something that changed me. it brought me back down to reality and showed me that what i do today has eternal significance. on saturday, april 25, 2009 thousands gathered in over 100 cities in North America, Europe, and Australia to raise awareness for the thousands in Uganda that are kidnapped and forced to fight in a war they do not believe in.

everyday in Uganda, children as young as 5 years old are abducted from their homes, taken to the Lord's Resistance Army camp and there the unspeakable happens. some are killed. others are forced to kill their friends, family or anyone the LRA so chooses, others are mutilated and left for dead. the unspeakable happens daily.

these children are forced to become the rebel army and now 90% of that army is below the age of 14. for over 20 years this war has been fought by children that are abducted and forced into slavery so that the bloodshed can continue.

children, the same age as your children or grandchildren are standing guard with AK-47's, ready to shoot at this very moment.

in three years, this is my son. i can't fathom.

children - fighting

killing

dying.

and for what?

this is why we gathered.

we gathered for peace.

we gathered to represent the thousands of children already abducted being forced to kill.

our plan was called 'The Rescue' because that is what must happen for these children to live to see tomorrow.

Invisible Children is a cause that is very dear to my heart. it is something that God has placed a heavy burden on my soul to pursue. these children who i may never meet are my passion.

i want to listen intently to what God is asking me to do and then follow Him.

once the divine tug has been pulled, i must follow. because if i don't follow, why am i even listening.

if i don't follow and become part of the solution, then i'm part of the problem.

for most of my life i didn't realize that if i see a need that i feel the Holy Spirit prompting me to reach out to help and i do nothing - i am part of the problem.

God isn't going to ask you to be a part of every humanitarian effort in the world, or give money to every homeless man you see on the street, but he does ask you to serve. Christ urges us to move, to lift up the oppressed, to raise the broken, and to help mend the deep wounds carved into the people around us.


we are all called to serve.

you might be called to serve the homeless. you might be called to move to South Africa. you could be called to adopt and give kids a home. you could be called to reach out to the depressed millionaire or to move to China and train pastors of the underground church.

i don't know who you are called to serve, i just know we are all called to serve someone. we are all called to listen for the cry of the oppressed and then find a way to build them up, to bring them out of oppression, but this can only be done when we are willing to give up ourselves to the cause.

over the course of the weekend i spent some time with a young man who teaches middle school in fort worth. now he doesn't look like your typical clean cut teacher. he had an arm full of tattoos on his left and a few more on his right, and he has had dreadlocks for the past year. not that his appearance means anything, but i thought it was interesting that a 20 something white guy who has dreadlocks and full of tattoos is able to lead our youth and i love the fact that the school district didn't let his appearance skew their judgement of the quality of his character.

as we talked, i found out that he and a group of young men just move to what he called, "the ghetto of fort worth" for the specific purpose of building up the community around them. they have converted their back yard into a community garden and have other projects in the works to lift up the poverty stricken. did i mention that previous to this, he spent two years teaching school in Uganda.

this is a man who is truly listening to what God is asking Him to do and then actually doing it.

after hearing his story i began to share with him a conversation i recently had with a young man about serving. during this conversation, a question kept popping up:

why do christians not serve more than we do?
is it a lack of concern?
is it a lack of time?
if there was a root to it all, what is at the root of us not serving the way the disciples of the first century served?

perhaps our current culture has gotten the best of us... we are a people, a country, driven by quick, easy remedies. we are men and women who thrive off of convenience. technology is outdated, the day after it is released because there is a new product coming out tomorrow that is faster, smaller, lighter, smarter, etc., etc., etc.

we are coaxed by media and advertising to think that these new products which are 'better' are exactly what we need - we can't live without them. and we buy into this lie.

we grab hold,

hook

line

sinker.

our lives today are driven by the convenience of the products we can buy.

think about it.

our phones, our cars, our homes, computers, what we eat, where we eat, television, ebooks, email, and more. they are constantly evolving into products of convenience.

if at the core, our lives are driven by the convenience of it all, are we following the prompting of God and giving our life to the Kingdom or are we building up storehouses of worldly things so that our lives are easier?

which did the disciples live for? convenience or the Gospel?

am i saying that we shouldn't have cell phones, good cars, email or things that make our lives more convenient? No.

what i am suggesting is that if you are allowing convenience to be the deciding factor behind whether you are serving the poor and the oppressed, you may want to take a step back and examine the purpose of your life.

it is convenience that seems to be the deciding factor on whether we should serve or not. it is this lifestyle that has fooled us into thinking that we don't have the time to serve. the truth is, we all have the time to serve. the question is: what are you willing to give up in your schedule so you can serve.

we spend entirely too much time devoted to things that don't matter and to be honest, are for own selfish pleasure.

think about how much time you spend doing things that really could be taken out of your life, but you don't want to let them go. there are a million things we do that we could do without.

far too often i let the things of this world become my deciding factor on whether i should serve or not. i am urging you to not do what i frequently do - give my life to the american dream of convenience - instead give your life to the Gospel.

sacrifice your convenience so that you might build up the oppressed,

speak for the voiceless

give hope to the hopeless

love the unloved

wash the feet of the dirty

feed the hungry

clothe the naked

give up your life today.

in the book of acts we read of the disciples leaving their homes to go where God was asking them to go. they left all that was convenient to them to share their lives with those who needed the hope of Jesus Christ.

was their life less complicated than yours? no. some of these men and women of the early church had families and children, but they left anyway because they were convinced that following God was better than floating through life as a half hearted believer.

are you in the neighborhood you're in because that's where God wanted you or because of convenience?

or are you like my friend called to the ghetto to build up the poverty stricken?

the ever pressing question i think of following Christ isn't if you hear where He is asking you to go, but rather are you willing to go where he is asking you to go.

today, it's up to you to ask God to search your heart and show you if you are a person driven by convenience or a person living to serve.

may you consider others better than yourselves.

may you realize that all of the things that make life 'easier' aren't what you need.

may scripture infiltrate your soul and consume you.

may serving the oppressed, the orphan, the poor and the widow be how people know you.

it's time to lay down a life of convenience, dust off your feet and start walking.

peace be with you.

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life lost under fear

i'm very excited for you all to read this post. this weeks artlicle was written by a dear friend, Sheldon Schwartz. he is a man who strives with all he has to be Christ every moment of the day. so please read with a readiness to move.
.:rustin


If I were to ask those of you reading this what you believed to be the most frequent command in the Bible, what would you say?

What would you say is the most given instruction spoken to us by God,
Jesus,
angels,
the prophets,
and the apostles?

I assume some of you would say something like "Turn from your evil ways," or "Do not commit adultery," or maybe "Obey my commands."

Others of you may lean more to the positive side and say that it would be something like, "Love one another," "Care for the orphans," or "Rejoice, and be glad."

Even though all of those are really good guesses, none of them quite reach the mark set by this one command. I am sure that most of you will be stunned to discover that the words "DO NOT BE AFRAID" make up the most frequently spoken command in our Scriptures.

But why this command? Why did God choose these words to speak to us more often than any others? And if this is God's most frequent command to us, what should we do with it?

The other day I was talking with an old friend who has, over the course of the last year, had his world violently shaken, turned upside down, stomped on, and seemingly ripped into a million little pieces. The two of us, and our families, have been friends since before I can remember; and the pain and shock from the situations in their lives have undoubtedly resonated through them into my life, my family, and all those who have loved them for so long. It has truly shaken our community; and the fact that my friend has any joy or hope left in his broken, beat down, and heavy heart can only be attributed to the grace of God.

However, on this day, the day of our conversation, my friend was not having one of his better days. He was tired; extremely tired. Tired from holding his over-sized world on his shoulders for so long.

He was overwhelmed.

Overwhelmed with feelings of defeat and loneliness; as if all of his perseverance was in vain.

But most of all he was afraid.

Afraid that even though he told everyone it was going to be ok; that maybe it wouldn't be ok. Maybe everything was going to crumble and never be rebuilt.

Afraid. Afraid that because his father had failed, maybe it was in his genes to fail as well. Maybe he doesn't have whatever it takes to get over the mountain either.

Afraid. Afraid that he could not love the woman he has given his heart to the way she deserves to be loved; so, in his words "maybe it would be better if I lived the rest of my life alone, so that I never have to break her heart."

Afraid. Simply, and understandably afraid.

And it was in this moment, while my friend was pouring his heart out to me, that I saw myself in his shoes. Not as one looking from the outside in, but one that is wearing the very same sneakers and walking the very same path. I am in the same shoes as my friend, different circumstances, but the same shoes - heading in the same direction, with exactly the same problem: Fear.

Fear of the unknown, the what-ifs, and the uncertain. If you are anything like me you find yourself in our shoes from time to time, or maybe, if you are even more like me, more often than not.

Pastor and author N.T. Wright once wrote, "We all cherish fear so closely that we find we can't shed it even when we're told to do so. The person who has been worrying all term about exams finally finishes, and still wakes up the next morning with the adrenalin pumping, ready to dash off to the exam room one more time. The person who has worried for years about money, and then suddenly inherits enough and to spare, still finds that he or she goes hot and cold all over when walking past a bank."

I believe that most of us live our lives filled with fear. Some of us live this way knowingly, but most of us walk around hardly even noticing it. This is probably because we are all born into a world that drags us into this way of life shortly after we emerge from the womb.

Just look around.

When we were kids we were so afraid of being alone, unloved, and abandoned that we would cling desperately to our parents every time they would leave us, and then moments later we would mix with other children in hopes of finding a friend that would never leave our side.

Then, as we grow older, we become more aware of this race to out-do and out-shine everyone else, which leads us deep into the fears of looking stupid or falling behind.

As we begin to think about marriage we fear whether we are making the right decision, or if we will be a good spouse, or whether or not the whole thing will be a huge mistake and end horribly.

Most of us apply for jobs and are afraid we will not get the one we really want, and then when we do get it we are consumed with the fear that we don't have the ability to get the job done right or as good as the other person they could have hired.

Others of us are growing older and fear that we will not make it to see another year. So, we allow this fear to rob us of the last and maybe greatest years of our lives.

The list goes on and on and on.

So, why the command to not be afraid?

These truths about us and our habit of fear, lead me to believe that the reason the command "DO NOT BE AFRAID" occurs so often in the Bible is because God understands our depravity.

He knows that our default button usually is hidden under the label of fear. Therefore, He commanded us not to fear; over and over and over again...not just so that we wouldn't, but because we do not have to.

All of us know the effects of fear on our lives. It robs us of life. The worries consume our hearts and swallow all the hope, joy and freedom that Christ offers us. Fear sucks the life from our souls, and always leaves us feeling empty and alone. Yet, even though we hear the words "DO NOT BE AFRAID" from the mouth of our Father over and over again, we struggle to obey this command. If all this is true we must ask the question: Why?

Why should we not be afraid?

If God, Jesus, the angels, the prophets, and the apostles all command us not to be afraid, then what ground has God given us to help us stand on our quivering legs of fear?

In chapter 20 of the Gospel of John we find Mary weeping bitterly outside the empty tomb where Jesus' body once lay. She was afraid that someone had stolen the body of her friend, her healer, her Lord, and the one she had believed was the hope of Israel. I believe that Mary was not just weeping for herself or the loss of her friend; but she was weeping because the hope of Israel, the hope of the world, had been brutally crushed by the brute force of the Roman Empire and now His body had been stolen, probably never to be seen again.

In her mind this was another dream lost, more broken promises, a life of empty faith, and another failed Messiah. Her hope had been crushed. It had been swiped right out from under her, leaving her alone, sad, and afraid.

And here we find ourselves again. Mary in the same shoes as my friend, the same shoes that I find myself in, and the same shoes that you are probably are wearing too. But we all know that the Easter story does not end this way. Jesus appears to Mary.

Matthew tells us that He speaks these words to her, "DO NOT BE AFRAID." Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." In other words, "Mary, DO NOT BE AFRAID. I am here. I have done what I said I would. I have risen from the grave. I have overcome the evil that you feared had won the victory. Death can not hold me! Your hope has returned and with me I have brought you life, peace, salvation, and the freedom from fear."

And there is our answer: The resurrection...that's the truth that will break the chains of fear...that's the solid ground that will keep our quivering legs from crumbling.

Jesus has risen! He has defeated death, and therefore removed all the fear from those who put their faith in Him! We have been set free. The resurrection of Christ is our hope of glory. Its our hope that God is on our side, that He wants what is best for us, that He is not going to leave us alone to wither and die. Its our hope the God is telling the truth when he says He loves us, and it is this truth that ultimately sets us free from living in fear.

The truth is Christ's resurrection reveals more than just our path to salvation, our forgiveness of sin, and our entry into heaven. These truths are undoubtedly real and vital to what we believe. But the resurrection of Christ points beyond that. It points to the God who is responsible for it all. It points to His character, His faithfulness, His undying love for His creation, and His endless pursuit to win them back to Himself.

The resurrection of Christ proves that God can be trusted with the small things in life. He can be trusted with your career, your school, your finances, your pain, your anger. He can be trusted, because He is the God who raises the dead.

I believe one of the biggest lies the enemy can place in the mind of a follower of Christ is that Jesus is not enough. If Satan can only get us to believe that Jesus is not enough to trust with our careers, our marriages, our businesses, our children, our money, or anything else in life, then he has won a great battle. However, if Jesus did raise from the grave then there is ultimately nothing we should be afraid of; as the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 116:8 "For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling."

I'll close with another quote from N.T. Wright, "If, then, we recognize the truth about the surpassing God, the God who raises the dead, we can trust him with every lesser task that may come our way. He can be trusted with exams; he can be trusted with jobs, even when they don't necessarily work out the way we thought they should. He an be trusted with marriage, both as we look forward to it with eagerness and trepidation and when we find ourselves within it and facing the stresses and strains of that all contemporary marriages must expect. He can be trusted with money, even when it seems as thought there is even less of it available than we had thought. He can be trusted with old age. He can be trusted with death itself. Of course he can; he is the God who raises the dead."

Let us walk in the freedom of fearlessness because our Father is good.

This is my friend's hope,

this is my hope,

this is your hope.
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