In July of 2017, after having returned from World Race Training Camp, I was given the opportunity to preach a sermon at my church. The topic I chose was seeking support from the body of Christ, a topic I have struggled with. I spoke on giving your struggles up to God, and utilizing the people that God places around you to help lift you up and support you in your trials.
This concept is a concept I struggled with quite often. Before going on the Race, placing my dependence and trust in the Lord was difficult. It is not something that came easy. Therefore, whenever I struggled with something, I never decided to lift it up to God; I never handed off my struggles and burdens. Furthermore, I never really brought my burdens to other people; I simply dealt with them alone. I attribute my lack of a relationship with God to this. However, I had a really awesome experience at Training Camp that allowed me to overcome this. My sermon explains this in more detail, and you can watch it here: Let’s Unpack
The Race has really allowed me to open up, first to God, then to the people around me. It has really instilled the idea in me that I have to tell people what is going on, that God placed them around me to help me. Seeking spiritual help is so vital to our relationship with God; it allows us to conquer so much! I saw this concept put in action a few weeks ago.
Every week we go into a nearby Township, which is what impoverished areas are referred to as in South Africa. We walk around this community and speak to people in the streets, go to people’s homes and talk to kids in the community schools. It really is an amazing experience each and every time, as we have talked to so many incredible people.
One day, we were walking through, when we came across a house with three men in front. They were sitting in plastic chairs, simply talking, when we approached them. Entrances are usually fairly awkward; we request permission to come onto their property, introduce ourselves, and then introduce our mission. We did all that, and then got into talking.
We got a feel for where they stood in their relationship with the Lord; we asked if they went to church, if they read their Bibles often, and if they pray. They responded yes to going to church, as they go weekly, and implied that they pray often. Reading the Bible, not so much. They said that they love God. They love the things He had done for them and want to pursue an even deeper relationship with Him. But they found it difficult.
At that point, I felt a verse on my heart for them, so I decided to share it:
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)
After sharing the verse, they did not say anything. They were a bit silent. So we asked them if there was anything we could pray for them. They all replied yes. But, as we began to pray over them, one of them spoke up.
“Please… please pray for us, for our alcoholism. We are all alcoholics.”
It does not seem like a lot at first, but it had a profound effect on me. These men had faith, and not in a small amount. They had a lot of faith. They brought up a HUGE struggle to a few random strangers because they had faith that, through prayer, they could be cured. They depended on the people God provided to them to seek support. They had faith that, these followers of Christ, these members of the body, could help.
As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed. (Acts 5:15-16)
In this passage, people were putting the sick in the streets so the shadow of Peter would pass over them. They knew that Christ resided in Peter’s heart, and had the faith enough to know even just his shadow sweeping over them could save them. They trusted in the body, they trusted in Christ’s ability to save others through the people He sent out to spread His words and proclaim His message.
That’s what I believe these men saw. They saw members of the body of Christ standing before them and had faith that Christ was working through us. So they sought support, spiritual support. And I believe Christ truly moved in that moment.
It is so important to reach out to the community of believers that God places around us. Christ works in and through each and every one of us. We have the power to heal, to support, to change a life. So I believe the message God revealed to me in July even more now. It is time to rely on our communities of believers, because they can do so much positive work in our lives. So now I see the importance of unpacking our baggage. Christ is in each and every part of any community of believers. So let’s open up, seek guidance. Let’s unpack.
