I have been reading a lot these days, mainly because I have few friends, no leadership in ministry, and I am not teaching.
The Lord seems to be bringing me back to the days of my nerdy youth. I was homeschooled and so, I had few friends, ministry on Sunday, and I wasn’t teaching (or doing schoolwork consistently) back then either.
I have forgotten how much I love learning! My goodness! There Is SO much out there! What are we doing watching stupid movies?!
(heh…I just watched “Plans, Trains, and Automobiles” with my dad the other night. FUNNY and ENJOYABLE stuff!!!)
One of the books I am reading is called, “Irresistible Revolution.” Considering my conservative church heritage, this could be a very dangerous and controversial book to be reading. I just finished chapter four this afternoon. I don’t agree with all he is saying, but he raises a good point.
His point is that Christians need to actually live like Jesus. (I find it humorous: this DOES connect to my “conservative church background,” – it connects to living “on the line.” It’s called being biblical, i.e. living by FAITH. Pretty crazy, and yet it’s just ordinary radicalism.)
A couple Sundays ago my new pastor, Pastor Wayne, preached on Luke 9:23-26. This was the absolute BEST sermon I have heard him preach since I came 5 Sundays ago. He knows his congregation so incredibly well and this AMAZES me. He molds his sermons according to their personality and their needs. He chose to preach on the floor, rather than over the communion because he wanted to acknowledge that he had not reached perfection in this area of picking up his cross and dying to himself. What made his sermon so great (and what gives its appearance a purpose in this post,) is that he bluntly told his congregation to step up and OBEY the Bible. He told them that if they were NOT giving up what they had been working for, or what they thought they deserved, then they should check their souls.
This message seems to be repeated to me.
The Lord seems to repeat themes a lot.
What themes has He been recently communicating?:
--He is God, and I am not. (Job, Psalms, Isaiah, Ruth, church, current life experiences)
--He is my Guide and the One who plans my steps. (Job, Psalms, Isaiah, Ruth, church, Genesis, Exodus…current life experience(s))
--He is GOOD and FAITHFUL (Psalms, Isaiah, Ruth, current life experiences)
--Bottom line: I need to stop desiring control and I need to DIE.
How does this connect to “Irresistable Revolution”?
I just wonder WHAT the Lord is doing.
I have always WANTED to be a radical. (As I have written before,) I have always wanted to start a revolution. For years He has been pounding it in my head that I just need to be faithful where I am at and get used to the idea that I am just a common person.
Two years ago, He worked through my earthly father to bring me back home and to tell me, “You cannot be a career missionary.” Excuse me? What have I been planning my single life for?? This was (and occasionally resurfaces as) a crushing disturbance to my planned existence.
Last year (about this time,) He “gave” me K. P. Yohannan’s book, “Revolution in World Missions,” telling me: YOU MUST STAY HERE, (in your own country, in your own community – not to Uganda, not to the homeless shelters.) I FOUGHT while reading that book. How could He be saying such things?
In this middle of this year, I began to understand and love the ministry in my Jerusalem. I was growing in contentment and was willing to give up my plans/hopes because I saw that His plans are GOOD.
NOW He moved me to Ohio where there is a church that supports more than 30 missionaries, gives missionaries time to give updates during every church service, has short term missions trips throughout the year, looks for other people to send, knows about the persecuted church, has members from different countries and cultural backgrounds, and reads books (not this one) about being radical for Jesus.
What?!
Even my DAD (earthly father) has been telling people in the church that I have always wanted to be a missionary and would love to go on missions trips, etc, etc. Uuuhh…???
Now this radical book is seen by my eyes in the library.
I thought the Lord was trying to change my heart away from radicalism, away from other countries??? (I am beginning to see that perhaps He didn't want to take that away, in fact that IS the personality He gave me. Perhaps He just wanted to chisel and mold me into a USABLE radical.Oooh HO! But am I really a "radical"? I guess my life will tell.)
The book's main idea is NOT: leave the US and serve the poor in other countries.
Its main idea (so far) is: SERVE PEOPLE! Get out of your box (the building you meet in on Sundays,) and get to know the needs of those around you. (I know I have said that before.)
So, there’s the purpose of this post.
GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE! (in order to serve people.)
**When I finish the book, I will let you know my concluding thoughts: disagreements/agreements.**
One disagreement I see already is his definition of the church and his lack (so far) in serving in his local body in comparison to his activism in the community. What about discipleship/evangelism inside the walls of the church?
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