The Real World: World Race Edition
SCENARIO: What do you get when you throw 48 single 21-35 year olds together, free to make their own decisions away from family and friends in exotic lands? What do you get when you throw them in a house to live for a month? Or have them travel on 10-30 hr or more bus rides?
In typical American culture at least half of them would have “hooked up” by now. Since 3/4 of the people on the trip are women gossip, jealousy, “cat-fights”, insecurities, alcohol, sex, late night partying, obscene amounts of drinking, a lot of broken hearts and hurt feelings would commence as people chase after these things that wont last or satisfy. Most of this happens in our society today, because we tend to have a “self-sufficient, self- satisfying, in the moment, all about me mind set”. And as anyone has seen on any reality T.V show, by doing this we’ve made ourselves captives. We have settled for less, and the results are tearing us apart.
We don’t know how to be in community, because we don’t know how to be in relationship with each other. We don’t know how to be in relationship, because we don’t know how to HONOR each other. We don’t know how to honor each other, because we don’t know the position of honor that we hold that cant be tarnished by any outside force.
So I am on the World Race, and I am in the scenario above. There are 48 of us on V-squad striving to live together in community, but it looks different. We still have the same desires, temptations, and opportunities as everyone else, but we fight for our FREEDOM, and CHOOSE the things that set us free. We don’t want to settle for just any community. We want one that cultivates the Holy Spirit, one the God of the universe would be happy to enter, one we Invite Him into, one that funnels heaven here on earth. One where men and women know who they are, what their roles are, and are confident to walk in them. We are trying to create a “Culture of Honor.” Danny Silk writes in Culture of Honor:
” At the heart of this culture is a VALUE FOR FREEDOM. We don’t allow people to use this freedom to create chaos. We have boundaries, but we use these boundaries to make room for a level of personal expression that brings what is really inside of people to the surface. When people are given choices, it reveals the level of freedom they are prepared to handle. When people discover their true capacity for self-control and responsibility, they then have the revelation and opportunity they need to grow toward the freedom God desires for each of His sons and daughters.”
“At the heart of this is a value for freedom.” That means valuing the freedom we have to be ourselves, and honor others even when they don’t honor us. That means when someone talks over the top of me, comes against an idea I have, makes a sarcastic comment, gets on my nerves, or talks behind my back I can choose one of two things. I can choose to let their character or mood control me and conform me, or I can choose to have a character that stays the same and treats them as a son/daughter of God no matter what they are acting like today. Now if everyone together is on the same page of holding this higher standard of honor, then it doesn’t matter how respectful, honoring, loving, or trusting anyone around us is , because it doesn’t govern who I am. WHo I am is only governed by the Lord. This is the key difference between a Jesus Culture, and the culture of the world we are so used to seeing. Jesus was always the same, He is always the same. He always has his Jesus “ON”. Why, because He isn’t afraid, He is sure who He is, and nothing can come against His freedom. When we respond in anger, jealousy, or aggravation we are letting FEAR creep into our lives. A subtle, sneaky fear that our freedom can be taken away, and so we try and defend it. “Where there is no Honor there is Fear, and Fear grasps for Control.” But Jesus said in 1 John 4:18:
” Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid it is for fear of the punishment, and this shows we have not fully experienced His perfect Love. We love each other, because He first loved us.”
So I am here, in Chinandega, Nicaragua, with 11 girls, and 4 guys from my squad living in Vision Nicaragua’s compound for the month. We want the culture created here to produce love, if it’s not then freedom isn’t present and we aren’t being any different than the world. Because where love is lacking, jealousy, malice, disorder and all kinds of evil can creep in. We’ve seen a million times before. We want to take captive every thought and give it up to God, so we can be free to love the people around us. We want to see, honor and love everyone for who they are: and that is son’s and daughters of God. Co-heirs, co-laborers with Jesus. We want to:
“Fix our eyes on what is true, HONORABLE, admirable, right pure and lovely. Think about these things that re excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you have learned, everything you heard from me, and saw me doing Then the God of peace will be with you.”
Phil 4:8-9
We’re told in James that Faith without action is dead. That’s right dead. So pray for us to be alive. Pray for us to honor each other. To not just honor the widows, orphans, and missions contacts, but our brothers and sisters around us, our parents at home, bosses, and people we are in covenant relationship with. Brothers and Sisters in Christ isn’t just for these next 7 months, it’s all of eternity.. no running away from it. Lets learn to love and honor each other in this place.
