Sunday, October 25, 2009

Watching Night Fall



Location: In the Dining Room of the base in Sighisoara, Romania (Now it is 11:30pm on Sunday the 25th)

Wondering where those mountains are?

In our Dining Room! That is where I am sitting right now, and I wanted to attach a picture for those of you who prefer looking at pictures instead of reading epic blog posts!

In a little while, I will be leaving my spot to catch a train; I am looking forward to the week ahead. But I am also happy to have this time of waiting late at night. It gives me the opportunity to call some of you in the States, as well as to catch up on some computer work. For example, I updated my photos on the picasa site (see link to the right). Besides, my recent posts have not been very profound, and late night is a good incubator for profound thoughts!

Tonight, I got to watch night fall. It was beautiful!

I took a nap this afternoon, preparing for my sleepless night tonight. (This morning, worship-leading went fairly well--it was certainly lively!--but believe it or not, church was rather empty today, and there were no kids! So I stayed in worship rather than teaching during children's church!) When I woke up, the sun was dropping below the horizon, thanks to the hour time change that took place today. I decide to go fill up my water jug at the nearby spring. I like doing that for several reasons: 1.) it saves me buying water but is safer than tap-water, 2.) I get to walk through the village and say "hi" to all the neighbors, and 3.) it is a peaceful spot. When I arrived, I had to wait (like always) for someone else to fill up their jugs from the spring's trickle. They had 5 jugs, so it took some time!

While I waited, I watched night fall. I could feel the twilight wrap around me; I heard the sounds change into nocturnal melodies. The temperature cooled and the sky changed colors, making the trees transforming into mere shadows against the colorful curtain. And silently, behind me, the moon crept upward, wondering if I would notice it.

Do you ever feel like that? Maybe a little sorry that the beautiful day is coming to a close, wishing maybe you had more carefully enjoyed its daylight? Perhaps you have felt the same about a situation that is ending, sorry you had not engaged it more effectively. The moonrise was a comfort to me, reminding me that even as one season comes to a close, another is beginning. The opportunities of one day are replaced by those of another, not to be compared, but to be seized.

I sat on that grassy hillside, trying to guess how dark it would be when I returned with my water. I was enjoying the serenity of the evening after a simple day of worship and rest. My thoughts danced happily, reminding me how happy I am to be here. I love Romania! I love Sighisoara! The environs are beautiful, the people are priceless, and the history is fascinating. God is at work here, which means so am I! Sure, I face struggles, frustrations, tensions, and challenges, but life always includes those--with free refills! But I am so excited about all the Lord is doing here, the people He has sent here, the foundations He has laid, and the plans He has.

How true it is that the future is unknown by me. But it is also true that God has led me here, that He has provided for me, and that He has blessed me. Now, as I pray about today and tomorrow, about opportunities and challenges, I am filled with joy, and I boast in the Lord.

Look, if you are not a Christian, you may get tired of me mentioning Jesus. However, I cannot more tell about one day of my life without Jesus than bread can rise without yeast, or than a bird can fly without feathers. Let me tell you a little about where I am at from a Christian perspective--please bear with me.

I have prayed about why the Lord has brought me to Romania and France from the United States. Somehow, He has connected those three countries in my heart, though they make an unlikely trio. One night when I was praying, He helped me understand the relationship.

Romania is primarily Orthodox Christian, and its people are trying to cover up the scars of Communism as they seek a better life and economy for themselves. France is primarily Catholic Christian, and her people proudly search to preserve their identity and affluence while strategically positioning themselves in the international geopolitik. The United States is primarily Protestant Christian, and Americans are worrying about the sagging Dollar and terrorist threats. All three nations are in a sad state of affairs, not realizing that the paths they have chosen will only lead them to destruction. Sadly, though many citizens of each country attend a church service on a semi-regular basis, there are numerous church-goers who do not know the Jesus that they supposedly worship. They do not understand that thanks to His Spirit that was given to live in us, we can personally relate to the Son of the almighty, infinity God who revealed Himself to us in human form, in the person of Jesus Christ. They do not realize that Christianity is not about a religion with traditions and rules to follow, but that it is about relating to the heart of God, and letting Him do what is best for you, His beloved! They do not understand that the Church is not a building or denomination, but that it is the family of His beloved children, loving one another in practical ways!

God made me understand that if the Orthodox Church in Romania, the Catholic Church in France, and the Protestant Church in America would allow Him to revive and transform it into such a living organism with helping hands of love and feet willing to go the extra mile, these people would be able to have a tangible hope. In fact, He helped me to see that these nations will never be stable or successful until the Church with in them is transformed. Then we will see the nations changed, influencing other peoples and other countries, having a true value that is unrelated to global hierachies, to economies, or to military might.

Let me, a happy-to-be-single man, give you some marriage advice. If you are looking to find happiness in marriage, you will never find it, and you will make some man or woman miserable. You must first surrender yourself, realizing that the Lord can offer you more than any human being, understanding that He loves you more than any other person ever could! Let me remind you that He knows what is best for you and wants it, and He has the power to bring it about. So be satisfied to be "married" to the Lord--then, and only then, will you be able to enjoy marriage with a human being.

God is the source of happiness, of value, of power, of love. People and even nations are seeking these things elsewhere, to the detriment of themselves and others. Even in the Church, "Christians" are seeking happiness, value, power, and love in programs, in traditions, in images, in other people, in money, and in knowledge. But when they are ready to let the Lord be Lord, to let Him be sovereign in their lives--WOW! You will be stunned. What if the Church was married to Jesus first, what if He were Her first love, before anything else in this world? It is hard to imagine the wonders the Lord will do with a Church who is surrendered and obedient to Him, with people who love Him and let Him love through them, who believe that He is faithful and just, and who let Him work freely in their lives!

People look at me, and they wonder at my faith. They wonder at my lifestyle, asking why a fairly successful, fairly intelligent fellow is living in Romania, doing ministry in a "Christian" nation. They wonder why I am not married, why I do not have a house or a nice job. They wonder at my choices, my words, and my actions. I look at them, and I wonder why they have so much trouble seeing God at work in and around them, why they cannot understand God's desire for His people, for His Church. Sure, night might be falling, but the moon is rising! And tomorrow, the sun will return anew, bringing with it a new day!

That is what I saw when I was watching night fall...
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A Rose From Home

A Rose From Home

My Story (As prepared for my church congregation this spring--2009)


I have a story to tell you. I am the main character, but the story is not about me. I have traveled several parts of the world, but my adventure has been closer to home. I am twenty-six years old. My story begins like many of yours…

I grew up going to church. I had been born into a family who labeled themselves “Christian,” in a country that labels itself “Christian.” Every Sunday found me attending a worship service and Sunday school in a mainline denomination church. I served as an acolyte, attended Vacation Bible School, helped my dad count and record the offering money, sang in the youth choir, was a leader in the youth group, and occasionally served as liturgist. Baptized as an infant, I was confirmed at the age of twelve, thus becoming an “official” member of the church. Then, hurt by the church, my family left to find another.

Have you ever been hurt by the Church?

After months of searching, we settled into a very large independent church. Things were different there, and I was quickly welcomed and at home among new friends that truly had a passion for Jesus. The Word of God was taught boldly from the pulpit, and I was introduced to a missions-aware lifestyle. So it was with regret that I said goodbye only a couple of years later to move with my family to another church. I purposely remained aloof, not wanting to make new friendships before I left for college a year later. Besides, I was loosing my faith—or so I thought—and I didn’t want anyone to know. I was asking scary questions like “Is there really a God?” and, if so, “Is He the Christian God?” and “Would I be Christian if I had been born in another part of the world?”

Have you ever asked yourself unsettling questions about what you believe?

So I headed into college under a cloud of confusion that only worsened for the next two years. Though I didn’t know what I believed anymore, I continued to go to church every Sunday, and to help lead worship in chapel. Most importantly, even during this questioning, I continued my morning habit of daily study of the Bible. I had begun at age twelve, reading at first a chapter per day, then ten minutes each morning, then an half-hour, and so on. So, only by the grace of the very God I doubted, I remained anchored in His Word and in His community, though I felt like a fake most of the time. Since then I have learned that “fake” is the worst insult the world can give us; that is why the label of “hypocrite” is so offensive.

Have you ever felt like a fake?

Six weeks with missionaries in South Africa followed by a year in France began to teach me what life with God is all about. I began rebuilding my faith, this time it belonged to me, in contrast to me borrowing the faith of my parents, church, or anyone else. In my parent’s basement in 2003, on either Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve, I invited Jesus to live in me; perhaps I had done so before, but I didn’t recall—but since 2003, I have never forgotten that moment. Unfortunately, nothing changed. I continued to do my best to act like a Christian, as I had done for so long.

Have you ever found yourself “doing your best” to be a good person, or to act like a Christian?

Though I did not realize it at the time, I was quenching the Spirit, even though I had welcomed Him into my life. During the next few years, the LORD continued to nurture me, and slowly things began to change. Several tough months in Idaho birthed my prayer-life. I spent three years being humbled in a job that was my informal seminary training. In 2007, a short stint in Mexico helped me to see things as they were, and not long afterward, I was baptized by immersion. No baptism of any kind can save a lost soul—only Jesus can do that. However, this baptism was an important covenant between me and God, symbolizing not only my death and resurrection with Jesus and my public profession of faith, but it also my life change, the beginning of my bearing fruit. “For each tree is known by its own fruit…”according to Luke 6:44. During the past year and a half, the LORD has provided me with an informal pastoral internship in my church, teaching me every aspect of discipleship. Simultaneously, I have been studying unceasing prayer and worship. I am now very different than I was five years ago.

In the Book of Acts (which tells the story of the earliest years of the Church) every time a person decided to follow Christ, two things took place—though not always in the same order. Each person experienced a life change, which I call the “baptism of repentance,” as well as the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which I call the “baptism of the Spirit.” Looking back, I realize that the Holy Spirit was living in me in 2003, but it wasn’t until I surrendered everything to God, as represented by my immersion, that I allowed the Spirit to have His way in me and transform my life. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now life in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Galatians 2:20)”

Have you invited Jesus to live in you? Have you allowed the Spirit to transform your life?

I tell you this story for two reasons. First, I tell this story in order to boast in the LORD! May God our Father get all praise and glory forever! Second, I tell this story because it is relevant to you. Likely you have heard that I am leaving the country: I have let my light shine before you; please let your light shine within the Church, too! This congregation is in revival, and as each of you allows the Spirit to revive you, the entire Church will be revived and utterly transformed, to the glory of the Most High God. And for His glory is the reason He created us; the reason He sent His only Son to reveal Himself to us; the reason He became Sin for us and died for us on the cross—while we were still sinners; and the reason that He conquered death and offered us eternal life with Him.

It will cost you a lot—in fact, it will cost you everything, your very life. But if you have never surrendered your life to Christ Jesus, if you have never invited Him to send His Spirit into you and to transform your life, then do it right now. Just let go of everything to which you are desperately clinging; stop trying to do it yourself! This is the very reason you are still breathing in this physical life—God has been delaying His judgment of this sinful world because He is waiting for you—2 Peter 3:9 says He wants none to perish!

If you have already invited the Spirit into your life, then live like it! Bear fruit! Anyone and everyone who meets you or knows you or sees you or hears you should know immediately and clearly that Jesus the Christ lives in you and loves them! That is how stark the contrast should be between your life and the world around you!

Have you immersed yourself in God’s Word and in prayer in the last twenty-four hours?

If you call yourself a follower of Christ, then there is no excuse for not communing with Him daily! Anchor yourself in the Word! God has revealed Himself to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, and the Bible is a complete and accurate record of that revelation. And prayer is humbly letting Him love us. Let Him love you! God doesn’t need us, but He wants us! God doesn’t need us to live for Him—He wants to live in and through us! Let us love and fellowship with one another, even when you disagree! Pray for each other—the names in the church directory are a great place to start! Church, we are not only the Body of Christ, but we are the Bride of Christ. We have allowed ourselves to get bedraggled and stained—now let us stand to the glory of God! Let’s let Him purify us, restore us, and love us!

My dear Brothers and Sisters, if you have ever once been blessed by God our Father at work in me, then I urge you, please, take seriously His desire to love and work in you, beyond anything you can ask or imagine! I have told you the beginning of my story—may it end in glory to the Father, in the Name of Jesus, by way of His Spirit.

Now, what is your story?