We are studying The Hole in Our Gospel by Rich Stearns right now with an amazing group of people at church and it shaking us up! God is moving in our group in a powerful way. Our hearts are broken, our eyes have been opened and we are so thankful for this incredible season God is taking us through. Placing our family in this very neighborhood was His plan. {Of course it was, but we couldn't have known how he would use it to reshape our perception of the world.}We had no idea how much seeing the needs of our community every day would impact us. We've been sheltered in the suburbs for our entire marriage, only seeing the needs that come across our prayer lists at church or Angel trees at the mall. Now, we see it first hand.
I think we were always meant to see it, and embrace it, but we lived in a comfortable suburban bubble oblivious to the real hunger, loneliness, brokenness, despair that is all around. In the Hole in Our Gospel, Rich Stearns challenges American Christianity on many levels pointing out that the "Good News" of the gospel is so much more than a call to believe and be saved from eternal separation from God. Belief is only the first step. We are called to be His hands and feet...24-7, not just when we go on a mission trip, or write out a check to meet a need.
Our lives are His, and what a privilege and exciting adventure it is! If we have truly given our lives to Him, He takes up residence in our hearts and compells us into action, being about His business.We will be held accountable for how we live...yes, there is the morality issue, are we striving to live holy lives? But it is SO MUCH more than that. We give him our bodies as a living sacrifice and allow Him to purify and cleanse us inside and out for what? So that we will be good people and join the good, clean team that gets to go to heaven? So people will see how "moral" we are and want to be like us? NO, no, no...it is so that we can be usable by Him, hear his voice, allow Him full access to our lives, and do His will...be His sheep.
Jesus makes a pretty clear distinction between the sheep and the goats, those who think they are going to heaven, and those who actually are. There isn't a man alive who can read this passage of scripture, spoken right out of Jesus' mouth, and not be moved, not wonder which category he'd fall into. Read on...
The Sheep and the Goats
Matthew 25:31-46
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Rich Stearns gives us his American version of that last bit about the goats. What Jesus might say to us, to me...
"I was hungry, while you had all you needed;
I was thirsty, but you drank bottled water;
I was a stranger, and you wanted me deported;
I needed clothes, but you needed more clothes;
I was sick, but you pointed out the behaviors that led to my sickness;
I was in prison, and you said I was getting what I deserved.”
ouch...He could say every one of those things to me. Every.single.one at one time or another. No more.
We can all sit back and wait for the coolest, easiest, most comfortable, or most exotic way to serve God, or we can choose to give Him full access to our hearts, souls, mind and bodies now, 24-7, 365.
See a need, meet the need. This is our family's new motto. See a need, meet the need. Simple as that.
If you never "see a need" ask God to open your eyes. Free up some of your agenda and mental space and get out of your comfort zone. He will not only open your eyes, He will give you His eyes, and you will be changed, forever. Spending time catching up on all your dvr'd shows will have less and less of an appeal, because God has some work to do here on earth, and He is inviting you to be a part of it. Racing out to the mall to get the latest trendy outfit will cross your mind less and less often, because you are way too busy to be bothered with such silly pursuits. People need you, and you are cute enough right now to get on with the business of what Jesus is doing! What will give your 8 year old more joy, a new trendy toy or gadget or knowing that SHE too is Jesus' hands and feet, and SHE can make a real difference in her world?
We have to wake up...Thank God He is waking us up!
