Monday
Aug252008
Everything Comes from Him
Monday, August 25, 2008 at 11:56AM
Tess Callan
Sun. Aug. 24, 2008
Romans 11:36
Everything comes from him;
Everything happens through him;
Everything ends up in him.
Always glory! Always praise!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
An early homilist in this summer series said sharing your faith – particularly in this “post-modern” context, is not about proving Jesus it’s about knowing Jesus. As many of you know I’m currently employed as a leader with the Outtatown discipleship school. So, my job has something to do with helping people know Jesus more deeply. You can’t be a very good disciple if you don’t know the person you’re following! So how does this happen? There are many ways that our community – both students and leaders- comes to know Jesus more intimately. One of the most significant ways is through the people we meet and interact with. I would like to share with you some of the ways we have seen people share their faith with us this year.
In the early weeks of the program my group spent a couple of nights at the Main St. Vineyard Church and a couple of days meeting people who live and work in the North End and Downtown core. I would like to introduce you to two men we met during this time. The first man, Harvey, lives with his wife and two preschool children in the heart of north end. He spends his time hanging out with the youth of that area and trying to help young teen girls get off the street. He touched our hearts as he explained the life circumstances of many of the girls that he knows and shared how he has had relationships with many of the children and teens who have gone missing in the north end in the last five years. Harvey acknowledges that living in this area presents risks to his family. Yet he told us that he believes that living and working with the broken and forgotten is where God is calling him to be – risks and all. As he loves, and at times weeps, for the people around him, he knows that God weeps him and that it is God’s love that he has to offer people.
Nathan, the lead pastor of the Vineyard, is another man we met during the Urban Plunge and later came to know more during a series of teaching sessions. He shared his faith story with us – one of the stories that stood out the most was about a time he spent in India. Somehow it became known in the small village where Nathan and his friend were staying that they were Christians. One day, they were approached by a man who wanted Nathan to heal his son. Nathan didn’t think that he was actually capable of healing someone, but he decided to give it a try. He prayed a simple pray- God heal this child. And the child was healed. He challenged us with the question: Why is that there are so many more healings in East then in the West? Nathan has continued to live a life of radical faith, relying on God to guide and lead him as he lives and works with people who have a tendency to be unpredictable – often due to the effects of various addictions.
One final story. Joseph was one of the most dynamic people we met in South Africa. He lives in a two room shack in the township of Kayamundi and devotes his life to working with the youth in the community. Among many other activities, he runs an after-school cricket program, a homework club and fundraises so kids can go on fieldtrips to a mall to learn about escalators and elevators. Joseph is in his late forties and has been shot nine times, including being shot in his head. He explains – God must have a lot of work for me to do here, otherwise he would not have allowed me to live through that many bullets. About he living in a shack he says, “We are happy to live here until God tells us it’s time to live somewhere else.”
Different people, different cities, different countries. Yet each one tells a profound story of faith. A story that had the power to shape the listener’s view of who God is, what matters to God and what it looks like to follow God.
It stands out to me that each of these people was willing to both show their faith and speak about their faith. We, their listeners saw how their love of God shaped their actions, but we were also blessed to hear how they saw their faith and life interacting together. One of the main things that made these stories so compelling is that each man articulated how they were intentionally trying to allow God to be in control of all areas of their lives. They were trying to live God infused and directed lives.
Romans 11:36
Everything comes from him;
Everything happens through him;
Everything ends up in him.
Always glory! Always praise!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
God in everything. God in the details and God in the big picture. This is what I have learned through hearing these men's stories and faith journeys.
Throughout the year our group had the opportunity (and for some, the challenge) to share their faith in a variety of ways. It was fascinating to observe the variety of ways that students felt comfortable sharing their faith. Many students were not used to explicitly talking about their faith, who God is to them and how He works in their lives. The task of having to tell their faith journeys to their small groups was quite daunting. For others it was a new idea that the way you live your life is one of the most powerful ways to share your faith. One girl was unsure how to share her faith without bringing out her Bible and referring to Scripture.
There are so many ways to share your faith, that at some point throughout the year each of us was challenged by how we were asked to share our faith. As I reflected on these challenges I realize that our home community shapes and teaches about how to share our faith. To some degree, the examples around us teach us the unspoken community rules of talking about faith – in some communities the message might be: “it is better to share your faith by how you live, people don’t want to be preached to,” in others, “it is very important to share the gospel message with people, look for opportunities to do so.” I challenge us to think about the unspoken rules our community has about faith sharing.
However, I strongly believe that there is not one right “method” to share your faith. When we look at Jesus’ example we see that his methods of sharing about who He is, are varied- they depend on the needs of the people he is ministering to. How did Jesus know what each person needed… which “method” would speak most clearly?
I believe it was His connection to God – the Spirit of God moving in Him- that provided Him with this wisdom. Like the three men I spoke of earlier, Jesus intentionally allowed God to be in control of all areas of his lives. He lived a God infused and God directed life.
To be faithful in sharing our faith, we need to be faithful to the one we have faith in. When we surrender control of our lives to God and invite the Spirit to dwell within us, we open ourselves up to receiving God’s wisdom. It is this wisdom that will allow us to share our faith in ways that are meaningful to the listener. The more we allow God to inhabit and direct every area of our life, the more we will come to know him. A deeper relationship with Jesus, increases our wisdom and ability to share our faith in ways that are meaningful to others.
Sun. Aug. 24, 2008
Romans 11:36
Everything comes from him;
Everything happens through him;
Everything ends up in him.
Always glory! Always praise!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
An early homilist in this summer series said sharing your faith – particularly in this “post-modern” context, is not about proving Jesus it’s about knowing Jesus. As many of you know I’m currently employed as a leader with the Outtatown discipleship school. So, my job has something to do with helping people know Jesus more deeply. You can’t be a very good disciple if you don’t know the person you’re following! So how does this happen? There are many ways that our community – both students and leaders- comes to know Jesus more intimately. One of the most significant ways is through the people we meet and interact with. I would like to share with you some of the ways we have seen people share their faith with us this year.
In the early weeks of the program my group spent a couple of nights at the Main St. Vineyard Church and a couple of days meeting people who live and work in the North End and Downtown core. I would like to introduce you to two men we met during this time. The first man, Harvey, lives with his wife and two preschool children in the heart of north end. He spends his time hanging out with the youth of that area and trying to help young teen girls get off the street. He touched our hearts as he explained the life circumstances of many of the girls that he knows and shared how he has had relationships with many of the children and teens who have gone missing in the north end in the last five years. Harvey acknowledges that living in this area presents risks to his family. Yet he told us that he believes that living and working with the broken and forgotten is where God is calling him to be – risks and all. As he loves, and at times weeps, for the people around him, he knows that God weeps him and that it is God’s love that he has to offer people.
Nathan, the lead pastor of the Vineyard, is another man we met during the Urban Plunge and later came to know more during a series of teaching sessions. He shared his faith story with us – one of the stories that stood out the most was about a time he spent in India. Somehow it became known in the small village where Nathan and his friend were staying that they were Christians. One day, they were approached by a man who wanted Nathan to heal his son. Nathan didn’t think that he was actually capable of healing someone, but he decided to give it a try. He prayed a simple pray- God heal this child. And the child was healed. He challenged us with the question: Why is that there are so many more healings in East then in the West? Nathan has continued to live a life of radical faith, relying on God to guide and lead him as he lives and works with people who have a tendency to be unpredictable – often due to the effects of various addictions.
One final story. Joseph was one of the most dynamic people we met in South Africa. He lives in a two room shack in the township of Kayamundi and devotes his life to working with the youth in the community. Among many other activities, he runs an after-school cricket program, a homework club and fundraises so kids can go on fieldtrips to a mall to learn about escalators and elevators. Joseph is in his late forties and has been shot nine times, including being shot in his head. He explains – God must have a lot of work for me to do here, otherwise he would not have allowed me to live through that many bullets. About he living in a shack he says, “We are happy to live here until God tells us it’s time to live somewhere else.”
Different people, different cities, different countries. Yet each one tells a profound story of faith. A story that had the power to shape the listener’s view of who God is, what matters to God and what it looks like to follow God.
It stands out to me that each of these people was willing to both show their faith and speak about their faith. We, their listeners saw how their love of God shaped their actions, but we were also blessed to hear how they saw their faith and life interacting together. One of the main things that made these stories so compelling is that each man articulated how they were intentionally trying to allow God to be in control of all areas of their lives. They were trying to live God infused and directed lives.
Romans 11:36
Everything comes from him;
Everything happens through him;
Everything ends up in him.
Always glory! Always praise!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
God in everything. God in the details and God in the big picture. This is what I have learned through hearing these men's stories and faith journeys.
Throughout the year our group had the opportunity (and for some, the challenge) to share their faith in a variety of ways. It was fascinating to observe the variety of ways that students felt comfortable sharing their faith. Many students were not used to explicitly talking about their faith, who God is to them and how He works in their lives. The task of having to tell their faith journeys to their small groups was quite daunting. For others it was a new idea that the way you live your life is one of the most powerful ways to share your faith. One girl was unsure how to share her faith without bringing out her Bible and referring to Scripture.
There are so many ways to share your faith, that at some point throughout the year each of us was challenged by how we were asked to share our faith. As I reflected on these challenges I realize that our home community shapes and teaches about how to share our faith. To some degree, the examples around us teach us the unspoken community rules of talking about faith – in some communities the message might be: “it is better to share your faith by how you live, people don’t want to be preached to,” in others, “it is very important to share the gospel message with people, look for opportunities to do so.” I challenge us to think about the unspoken rules our community has about faith sharing.
However, I strongly believe that there is not one right “method” to share your faith. When we look at Jesus’ example we see that his methods of sharing about who He is, are varied- they depend on the needs of the people he is ministering to. How did Jesus know what each person needed… which “method” would speak most clearly?
I believe it was His connection to God – the Spirit of God moving in Him- that provided Him with this wisdom. Like the three men I spoke of earlier, Jesus intentionally allowed God to be in control of all areas of his lives. He lived a God infused and God directed life.
To be faithful in sharing our faith, we need to be faithful to the one we have faith in. When we surrender control of our lives to God and invite the Spirit to dwell within us, we open ourselves up to receiving God’s wisdom. It is this wisdom that will allow us to share our faith in ways that are meaningful to the listener. The more we allow God to inhabit and direct every area of our life, the more we will come to know him. A deeper relationship with Jesus, increases our wisdom and ability to share our faith in ways that are meaningful to others.