“I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!"
Amos 5: 21-24
God wants JUSTICE. Rivers of it.
If what we are doing inside the FOUR WALLS of the church doesn't effect THE STREETS we took to get there, then maybe we are missing the point. We are the human race. We have made life a race. Pushing and climbing past one another, but never really knowing where exactly we are going. Running this race towards success and prosperity thinking that the moment we reach our goals will be a moment of revelation, but maybe life isn't about coming in first. All of our pride and arrogance lead to one word: INJUSTICE. The root of injustice is our apathy as a people. Our apathy as a race.Our apathy as a church. It is rooted down deep in us like an unending wound. It has become part of our nature.
In Luke 10 we read of injustice in a story where a man who is mugged is left half dead on the road. A priest passes by and heeds him no attention. Then he is passed by a Levite who does the same. Then along come a Samaritan, the most despised of people in the area, and he takes the man and cares for him and pays for his care.
We are so busy trying to DO church, that we aren't BEING the church. The priest was probably off to go "DO" ministry at his church and he completely forgot that he is the church! He is the body of Christ. Is that not like us? Apathy isn't sleeping through the fire, it's fanning the flames. As a church we have become so numb to the world and to the poor and to the suffering. We overlook the fatherless in hopes that someone else will take care of their problems or we pray for them at night, but take no action. We throw a prayer towards Africa, but we do it from the comfort of our beds. We pray for the hopeless and homeless, but do it at the dinner table with our families. Hypocrisy.
JUSTICE
"Now you are the Body of Christ, and each one of you is apart of it." 1 Corinithians 12:27
As a church, we are the body of Christ. We all know the phrase "What would Jesus do." But really think. If Jesus were here what would He do? Would he wallow in His apathy or go and DO? As Christians we make such big deals out of small things and such little deals of big things like poverty, hunger, and orphaned children. God wants Justice. It's not about doing charity and our little part then going on with our lives. It's about going towards the goal of LOVE until the very end.
Maybe when it comes down to it I can't change the world, but just because I can't do EVERYTHING doesen't mean I won't do SOMETHING. Maybe we can't bring everyone earthly justice, but maybe we can bring them heavenly justice. We can share Christ. Because when it comes down to it the most crucial need of people is not clothes, or shelter, or a warm meal, it is to be ransomed by Jesus; to know their Maker. Be apart of someone's story. Be the church! Maybe you weren't made to change the world, but you were made for something. You have your life. You have your moment.
Bring JUSTICE in your moment.
The world is waiting. The world is wanting. The world is willing. Be the church.
JUSTICE:
EVERY SOUL. EVERYBODY. EVERYONE.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Belize, Cypress, and Greater Things To Come.
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
That is exactly what over 50 other students and I did this Spring Break! We took the good news of Jesus Christ to the country of Belize. It was a long and very spiritually uplifting trip and I am sure everyone who went is forever changed by it. I have a lot to say, but bear with me. God for sure moved this past week.
Belize is a small Central American country. It is a fairly poor country with little to no government control or regulation. The people there are smaller than Americans and most speak a language called Creole which is a mix of Spanish and English, but most of them can speak and understand both.
We arrived in Belize on Sunday night. We stayed at a "resort" called La Estima where we slept and 
ate while we were not out doing mission work. Cypress was mixed with South Campus for a total of I think 18 students. We worked in a small poor town called San Felipe, where we helped a local church build a outhouse because because there was no place for these people to use the restroom. We also visited a school where we told the kids about Jesus Christ and played with them. At that school we played a group of Belizians kids is soccer. Well opposed to our knowledge they were the national champions of Belize for their age group so they creamed us! On the second day we got to go to a hospital and pray with people who were sick. That was an awesome experience as well. Then the third day we did a VBS type thing in San Felipe at the church and it was so sad to leave the kids at the end of the day. On the last night we did a revival in the town square and alot of people came to know Christ.
ate while we were not out doing mission work. Cypress was mixed with South Campus for a total of I think 18 students. We worked in a small poor town called San Felipe, where we helped a local church build a outhouse because because there was no place for these people to use the restroom. We also visited a school where we told the kids about Jesus Christ and played with them. At that school we played a group of Belizians kids is soccer. Well opposed to our knowledge they were the national champions of Belize for their age group so they creamed us! On the second day we got to go to a hospital and pray with people who were sick. That was an awesome experience as well. Then the third day we did a VBS type thing in San Felipe at the church and it was so sad to leave the kids at the end of the day. On the last night we did a revival in the town square and alot of people came to know Christ.It is different being on a mission trip, eventhough it shouldn't be. It's so easy to be closer to God and he see his hand on our lives. The re
ason is because for some reason we feel like we have to go half way across the world to experience God's power. Alot of times in Belize we couldn't speak to the children because of the language barrier, but they understood why we were there. We both shared something in common, we were speaking the language of Love. The language of Christ. On the first day of visiting San Felipe we had no idea what to expect. We had no idea what God was going to do and how he had prepared these Belizian peoples heart to just come in and radically shake up all our lives. We arrived and children flocked from every direction to see us. Just to see us! These poor children who didn't have anything were jumping out of their shoes (the ones who even had shoes) just because someone was there to be apart of their lives. The thing I said from the first day of being in Belize is that these people should be coming to America on a mission trip. They understood even at some of their young ages about how to come to Christ as you are. To come with nothing, and trust me most of them had nothing. Some of the things that these kids were beyond zealous about like a sticker book, is something a spoiled American kid would just shrug off.
ason is because for some reason we feel like we have to go half way across the world to experience God's power. Alot of times in Belize we couldn't speak to the children because of the language barrier, but they understood why we were there. We both shared something in common, we were speaking the language of Love. The language of Christ. On the first day of visiting San Felipe we had no idea what to expect. We had no idea what God was going to do and how he had prepared these Belizian peoples heart to just come in and radically shake up all our lives. We arrived and children flocked from every direction to see us. Just to see us! These poor children who didn't have anything were jumping out of their shoes (the ones who even had shoes) just because someone was there to be apart of their lives. The thing I said from the first day of being in Belize is that these people should be coming to America on a mission trip. They understood even at some of their young ages about how to come to Christ as you are. To come with nothing, and trust me most of them had nothing. Some of the things that these kids were beyond zealous about like a sticker book, is something a spoiled American kid would just shrug off.
That brings me to my next point. Being around these people really taught me about the needs of others. These people's main need wasn't clothes, shoes, food, or shelter. There main need was to know Jesus Christ. If they can know Jesus Christ then the rest will follow, because in the long run all that stuff will fade, but the things about eternity is that it's forever. It was just such an amazing feeling to share the news of Jesus Christ with these people and to see them accept him. Their forever has been changed and that is something to rejoice about!"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." John 15:12
"What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matthew 16:26
As compassionate, Christ driven people we understand that people's main need is to know Him. Not saying that the compassion and love Christ gives us won't compel us to provide for peoples material needs because it will. But what good is it to give someone the world, but have them lose their soul? We know that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord, so why would we not teach them to love the Lord and know Christ.
In final thoughts I just want to challenge you. Earlier I said that the thing about mission trips is that we go on them and feel like we are closer to God than ever before and that He is so much more evident in our lives, but that is so far from the truth. It's just that when we go on mission trips our whole mentality is changed and we think about God and how we can serve and love people constantly. But when we return home it becomes all about "I" again. God is the G
od of all nations, including America, and the Father of all people, including the nerdy kid nobody likes or your boss who is a jerk to you. As Christians we for some reasons think we get to decide who comes to Christ or we try to reap some benefit from telling others. We look at certain people and we think, "Hey that person needs Jesus.", and we go on this quest to try and tell this person we think deserves it and leave all the other lost people in the dust to drown in their sins. We want to decide who deserves grace or not, but that is an oxymoron. None of us deserve grace, which is the undeserved favor of God. We should have that mission mindset here in America as well. There are so many people who need Jesus Christ and who are we to pick and choose who should come! GO AND MAKE DISCIPLE OF EVERY NATION! Not just some nations, not just some people, but everyone! It is not about where God is taking you, but it's about where God has you. You are on your mission field. Take advantage of it. Go and claim the harvest for Christ.
od of all nations, including America, and the Father of all people, including the nerdy kid nobody likes or your boss who is a jerk to you. As Christians we for some reasons think we get to decide who comes to Christ or we try to reap some benefit from telling others. We look at certain people and we think, "Hey that person needs Jesus.", and we go on this quest to try and tell this person we think deserves it and leave all the other lost people in the dust to drown in their sins. We want to decide who deserves grace or not, but that is an oxymoron. None of us deserve grace, which is the undeserved favor of God. We should have that mission mindset here in America as well. There are so many people who need Jesus Christ and who are we to pick and choose who should come! GO AND MAKE DISCIPLE OF EVERY NATION! Not just some nations, not just some people, but everyone! It is not about where God is taking you, but it's about where God has you. You are on your mission field. Take advantage of it. Go and claim the harvest for Christ."Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." Matthew 9:37
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