Saturday, January 22, 2011

A Free Lunch


Location: J's Apartment, 11:00am on the 22nd of January, Sighisoara, Romania

Here is an inside look at a Romanian school. These photos are from our Christmas outreach, one of the wildest programs we did! We had permission to use a school classroom, but upon our arrival, the principal told me NO children would come. As you can see, we had to barricade the hallway until we were ready in the classroom, and then we did the entire program standing on tables in the middle of the crowd! It was the closest to stardom I will ever feel, but it was fun!


I chose these pictures because again on Thursday of this week I was in Romanian school in the Hunedoara region of Romania. You may remember that I have been a guest in their English classes a couple of other times, and we had a blast again as I participated in 8 hours of English instruction! I was asked if I was an actor, if I had thought about being a teacher, and if all teachers in America "play" with their students! I taught them songs and jokes and expressions, like "Golly!" from Gomer Pyle, USMC. I also taught some history and geography and math--you name it, we did it! It was a good day.

In fact, my whole visit to Hunedoara was nice. I got to visit with the three good friends that I particularly wanted to see, and I also met and stayed with an American missionary family there. I was shown great hospitality everywhere I went, and the Lord provided for all of my needs.

As will not surprise you, I had a bit of an adventure coming home, because there are few direct routes between Hunedoara and Sighisoara. So I rode in a car with a couple of my friends how were going to leave me in a train station halfway; from there I could catch a train sooner to Sighisoara. However, somehow we missed my stop, and I ended up going all the way to Cluj-Napoca with them, which is not at all on my way home--it is northwest of Sighisoara, where Hunedoara is southwest! The blessing was that I got to see two friends in Cluj whom I had not seen in a long while, including a Scottish friend, G., I had met last summer when I helped with their camp.

All is well that ends well! I arrived "home" to Sighisoara last night, and had a nice visit with J. I am very happy, because I am so blessed. I have particularly been counting my blessings because of some of the frustrations that assail me ("us" is more correct, because my friends and collegues are included, too). I am blessed to be healthy again, but sorry to see several of my friends battling illness and stress. I am blessed to have gracious hosts and places to stay, but J.'s heat and hot-water is not working properly, leaving us aware of the chill. I am blessed to have R.'s car in my possession for the week, but I have to get it running again today to pick up his family tomorrow. I am blessed to have the Bible as my source of wisdom (I read the book of Proverbs twice in the past few days), but I have a lot of decisions to make. I was thinking last night how life would certainly be easier if I was still living in my apartment in Indianapolis, or even in my bedroom at my parents' house.

But you know me! I do not make choices based on what is "easy," I do not counsel you to do so, either! There is little value in an easy life.

Let me tell you what I mean. I have been particularly encouraged lately by two of my friends here, one Romanian and one American.

The other day, my American friend became a bit exasperated when I replied to his query about my popcorn preferences by telling him it did not matter to me; I do not really like popcorn.

He said, "You don't like popcorn, you don't like movies, you don't like parties...!? You don't like anything!"

I calmly replied that he was exaggerating, that plenty of my likes were things that he does not like. Before I could give examples, though, he shot back, "What do you mean? I like to pray, too. I like Jesus. I like to read the Bible!"

That stopped me in my tracks. What a compliment! Some of my friends have joked about the only way to get me to a social gathering is to invite me to a "prayer meeting." But do you know what I told me friend? I said, "I could die happy right now. What more could I hope for than for people to know me as someone who loves to pray, who loves to read the Bible, and who loves Jesus?"

That is my desire--that my identity be wrapped up in the fact that Jesus is my Lord.

But it gets better. I found out last night that this friend called me a "saint," in the same sentence as he identified our humble and gentle pastor as a saint, too. I have a humble question for you. Would your friends describe you as a saint?

What an honor it is for me to hear that my friends are seeing Jesus in me, rather than just seeing me. The truth is that if you have surrendered your life to Christ, letting the Spirit of Jesus live in and through you, than you are a saint. You were a sinner, but now you are a saint. In other words, the holy life of the Most High God is living through you, to His glory. A sinner sins, and a saint is being sanctified by the Holy Spirit, everyday. The Bible calls us "saints," we who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, whose life now lives in us. I pray that the people outside the Church will look at us and see saints! I pray that your friends and family will look at you and see a saint--a son or daughter of God being made holy by the work of the LORD in you, not by your own power.

Let me tell you about another saint; her name is M., and she is my friend with whom I taught in Hunedoara on Thursday. I know many saints, but I want to tell you how this one encouraged me this week.

I already told you that the Lord provided for everything I needed this week. You probably recall that I pray every morning for Him to meet my needs; for example, each day I ask Him to provide me with my daily bread--my food for the day. On Thursday, I was not in a position to take a lunch to school, and neither did I know the plan. I left on faith, and when I met M., I found out that she had generously made me a couple of sandwiches, too. Whether we would have time to eat them or not in our busy schedule, that was another story!

Finally, between two of our classes, we pulled out the sandwiches to eat as we walked to the other building. As we entered, two small children ran up to give her big hugs, and she saw that they had no lunch with them (she told me later they come from a very poor family). She bent down and gave them my lunch! Actually, our lunch. A couple of sandwiches and some cookies. They were very happy, and started to eat them right away.

I, too, was very happy, proud to be friends with such a saint! Here she had worked hard to make sandwiches for both of us, even though she only slept ONE hour the night before and had lots of work to do for other things, and then she was bold enough to follow her heart and give away my sandwich without asking me. How I praised the LORD!

Do not worry; she had made four sandwiches, and so we still had enough to eat. But again I want to ask you--would your friends do that? Would someone who cares about you have such an enormous heart to risk disappointing you in order to give your blessing to someone in greater need of it? Would YOUbe willing to do that?

M. apologized to me, of course, but I hope she already new that there was no reason to apologize, and that I was not at all sorry she had done it. I know she is far from perfect, but I also see how beautifully the Lord reflects His mercy from this girl. There was another time in the past when a drunk street kid was getting beat up by other kids in the middle of the night; I will never forget M.'s eyes as we marched across the street to break things up, not knowing what we were getting ourselves into. Do you know why I am so thrilled to have friends like that?

Because that is the kind of friend that Jesus is, and they remind me of Him!

Jesus marches into the fray with a look of such determined love that wickness flees with a yelp. He gives boldly and abundantly to people in need, blessing them beyond their need, for their joy and His glory. He looks at His imperfect, human friends (us!), and instead of seeing our flaws, He calls us saints, because He sees His Spirit at work in us.

I have a challenge for you this week:

1., if you have never invited the Spirit of God to enter you and live His holy life through you, do it! He will make you holy, for the glory of your Father, God!

2., if the Spirit lives in you already, ask Him to make you so clearly a saint that your friends see you as a saint, that they see Jesus in you more than they see you!

Sinners, I pray that soon you will accept the grace of Jesus, so that you will experience the freedom and boldness of His great love for you. Saints, I pray that you, first of all, and then all of the world around you, will see that you are not your own, but that you are being made holy by the Living God at work in you! I bless you in the Name of Jesus the Christ!
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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?