Pure in Heart

Check out Stephen.

Stephen had a place of leadership within the early church, was full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit, and was always doing miracles. The religious leaders were eaten up with jealousy; they couldn't stand this man, but there was no fault they could find to convict him of. Finally, after the bribery of some sketchy characters, they arrested him under false charges.

When given the chance to defend himself, Stephen began to chronicle Israel's history. I can just picture the religious leaders scratching their heads and wondering, where is this going? It seems his only motive is to lead up to the gospel message, and beginning this way establishes some credibility.

I am like you.
We share our roots.

And so his listeners followed along for most of the speech. He spoke of God's plan to redeem Israel and  how the people were ungrateful and turned to other gods. Then! Stephen turned on them and said: this is you. YOU are proud, YOU are stubborn and YOU reject the Messiah.

I guess it is much the same as Peter's speech a few chapters earlier. But instead of weeping and saying, "what have we done?" the people covered their ears and began to stone Stephen.

But Stephen saw God.

Heaven opened and he saw his Savior, and he had peace. Don't miss this! Jesus promised, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Stephen's heart was untainted by the fear of men. He did not love his life so much as to shrink back from death.

It is not the seeker-sensitive who are blessed.
It is not the eloquent or persuasive who are blessed.
It is not even the bold who are blessed.

It is those whose hearts have been purified, that they desire to please God rather than men. They will see God.

Lord, give me a pure heart.

Of Bounce-houses and Donuts

"No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number." Acts 5:13-14

…

The more I study the early church in Acts, the more it amazes me. But this verse perplexed me the first time I read it. Why was it that no one joined them? Oh, there were new converts daily… but those who did not believe stayed away. Perhaps because there was no room for hypocrisy in this body, as the account of Annanias and Sapphira earlier in the chapter reveals. They fell over dead in church for lying to the Holy Spirit! The incident struck fear into the hearts of all who were lukewarm. Such a contrast with modern churches, who are often quite comfortable with mediocrity and try to reel back in any "extremists" who would endanger their reputation. 

Yet the Acts church was radical in every way.They considered their material possessions so irrelevant in light of the gospel that they sold everything to share with fellow believers. They completely eradicated poverty, not by government programs or legalistic church leaders, but by hearts and lives filled with the compassion of Christ. They came together, not weekly on Sunday for an hour, but daily. They ate together, prayed together, worshipped together, witnessed miracles together, learned together, served together, shared life together.

There were no inflatable bounce-houses. No donuts and coffee. No slick band or fog machines. Yet thousands of new believers were added to the church daily.

Daily.

Somehow I think our generation has gotten the wrong idea about church growth.

What was their secret? They simply shared the gospel with a fire that could not be extinguished. "We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." No special training or memorization of an acronym required. They told what they knew--what Christ had done in their own lives. 

And how was it received by those who heard their message? They were cut to the heart. "What will we do?" they cried. For when the true gospel is preached, a moment of decision is inevitable. There is no straddling the fence. 

And Peter was ready with a response for his listeners: Salvation comes through Christ alone. This gift is for you and for all who are far off. Off the path, too far gone, not the religious type. It's for you. 

The church does not need more programs designed to draw a crowd. God simply asks his people to share what we have seen and heard, and he does the rest. 

What a beautiful plan.

Stillness

Today was a personal retreat day at orientation, where we got to take some time alone with the Lord. Now for some people it is difficult to spend the better part of an afternoon in silence, but to me, stillness is beautiful :)

As I asked him to show me the state of my heart, he convicted me of being very distracted at times. Questions swirling around about how to involve my partner churches, what is the most effective way to engage my people group, will I face difficult communication barriers, what do I need to learn about the culture before I hit the field… and on and on. While those aren't bad things, they can serve as a distraction from the most important thing: Christ's sacrifice. The Lord spoke to me, 

You can't serve me unless you love me. 

You can't love me unless I love you first. 

You can't understand my love for you unless you are intentional about reflecting upon it.

All my preparations are not what is going to make me a "good" missionary. Only the love of Christ can do that. That is the reason Paul prayed that the Ephesian church would have the power to grasp how wide and deep and long and high is the love of Christ! (Eph 3:16-19) That they would somehow begin to wrap their minds around this love that surpasses our knowledge and understanding! When we recognize the expanse of his love, we are compelled to share the gospel.

As it turns out, the reverse is also true! The more we share it with others, the more we are made aware of his great love for us. That's why Paul also says "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ." (Philemon 1:6)

I cannot make any claims about myself that qualify me for the job the Lord has set before me. But he has shown me his love, and I can share it with those who have never heard. "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are!"

No Turning Back

Before I head off to Africa, I will spend the next two months stateside in orientation at the same place where I went to conference and first learned about the job God had for me in Zimbabwe. When my friends ask me what I'm going to be doing at orientation, I don't really have an answer for them. Something about getting kidnapped and killing chickens and learning to drive a stick shift and bonding with other Journeyman and learning so much its like drinking from a fire hose… or so I've heard.

Today is the first day of orientation and I still  have no idea what I'm getting myself into. But walking into the Global Center, everything about this place comes rushing back to me. The sweetness of being surrounded by so many who share a love for the Lord and are answering His call. The ease of friendships and an understanding shared with each person here. The stillness and seclusion from the world and the peace of God's whisper.

And at the same time, there is a little fear.

Fear of the unknown, of transparency, of being stretched beyond my comfort zone... and yet an intense desire for all those things despite the fear, despite the risk. Fear of inadequacy, and yet the comfort of knowing his strength is made perfect in my weakness because it showcases Him, instead of me.

Would you pray for me during these next 8 weeks? Pray that I would be on guard against any distractions that would prevent me from hearing the Lord's voice. Pray that I would have an unshakeable confidence in the Lord's call on my life. Pray that the Lord would begin to work in the hearts of the people of Zimbabwe and prepare them to hear the gospel. And please pray for my visa to get approved the first time around so I can get in the country!

I Have a Home

I have a home.

This is not it. Oh I know it's lovely, with the rainbow and my two favorite sisters in the driveway. This house holds 10 years of memories. Movie nights in the basement and catching frogs in the yard and reading a good book by the fireplace and coming home from college to Mom's cooking. I love the way my family spills over into four rooms for holiday dinners in this house and the way my mom knows who is coming down the stairs without looking in this house and the way my little sister drew stick-figure pictures on the underside of every table in this house. But it's not my home.

In January, I will be moving to this house in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. I was pretty ecstatic when I saw the picture and heard that I will have two roommates, who I can't wait to meet! I know I will make plenty of new memories in this house. Trying to cook dinner during a blackout and discovering critters in the shower and running on African time and cradling children who don't know what a family is and being Jesus to anyone I can. But this is not my home either.

I am a stranger in this world. Like Paul, I hope to learn to be content no matter the circumstances. But my home, my true home, is in heaven with the Lord. So as long as I am on this earth, there will be days I am missing people no matter what city I'm currently in and days I am homesick for my true home. But I know that one day, all will be made right in His presence.

"If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world." C.S. Lewis