converts

Faithful

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

“One person with a belief is equal to a force of ninety-nine who have only interests” (Peter Marshall).

I read a book once called Not a Fan. The gist is that Jesus doesn’t call us to be fans but followers. Of course, in this age saturated with social media, being a follower has taken on a whole new meaning. You can follow a person or a company with no real investment. But what Jesus wants are those who will lay down their lives for the sake of the Gospel, the Kingdom, and the King.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that when Christ calls a man, he bids him to come and die. Sometimes that looks like being martyred for the sake of the gospel. I think of believers living in daily fear of their lives in areas of the world that are hostile to the Christian faith. I think of people who will be disowned by their families and even threatened with death because they chose to follow Jesus.

Here in America, it’s not that bad. Yet. I have a feeling that the days of Christians having a soft and comfortable existence in the United States are coming to a close. One day, it might not just be inconvenient but illegal to be a Christian who exclusively claims Jesus as Lord. One day, preaching or speaking the gospel might not just be considered hate speech, but a punishable offense.

Tonight in my life group, we talked about what it means to suffer for Christ. Right now, it’s becoming less and less politically correct in this country to believe in Jesus and God as revealed in the Bible. In other places, confessing Jesus as Lord will almost certainly mean death. But throughout the Bible, we see where believers were able to endure suffering and even count it all joy because they knew something way better was waiting for them on the other side.

I’m thankful for my freedoms to practice my faith openly without fear. I pray that I will be more mindful of those who share my faith but don’t share the same freedoms. I pray that we in American churches will acknowledge and honor their courage and sacrifices for the sake of Jesus. I’m certain great rewards await them in heaven.

May we be found as faithful as them.

Baggage Part III: Trials Turned to Gold

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

I’ll admit that I am addicted to comfort too much of the time. I don’t want to step outside my comfort zone too often.

But I keep thinking about the believers in Thessalonica. They only had Paul and Silas for a few short weeks. They were new converts, yet they still managed to turn their world upside down.

The big takeaway for me was how they endured persecution and ridcule, but how that endurance and trial turned into perserverance. That perserverance turned into character, which led to a hope that nothing and no one and nothing could quench.

What you’re going through will end, but your story won’t. Who better to talk to someone struggling with alcoholism than a recovering alcoholic? Who better to help someone cope with the loss of a child than someone who has walked the same road and cried the same tears? Who better to help someone deal with doubt and discouragement than you after you’ve been through a dark night of the soul when you felt hopeless and alone, but finally saw daylight at the end of your trial?

I love the quote from a movie I saw that said that only those who have lost can truly lead. Only those who have been hurt can help bring healing. Only those who know how they have messed up their lives and what Jesus save them from can truly love well and lead well.

It’s all about loving well. It’s not how religious you can talk or how well you keep the rules. It’s not about how convincingly you can point a finger at people and expose their faults. It’s about how you can be a vessel of God’s love and love people right where they are for who they are.

I’m not really good at loving well, but I’m getting better. Those rare moments when I did love well were moments when I forgot about me and let Jesus take over.

My prayer is that you learn to embrace your story, even the painful parts, and help others to find the good in their stories, too.

Above all, may we all learn to love well.