Nearly everything that I watched or read as a kid had one thing in common. They were about adventures. They were all fantasies in which a hero sets out on a quest with some companions and just goes out to save the world from some powerful bad guy. And they always had some super awesome power that they used to eventually save the day. They would go through all of these tough times but through them they would get stronger and really just grow up. They had to train and work as hard as they could because everyone was depending on them and there really wasn’t any other option.
Sadly none of that exists in the “real world”…or does it? I hope this analogy helps.
Let’s think about this for a second. We have been given a quest to tell the entire world about Jesus and to show them his life-changing, sacrificial, love. We have been called to work together with “companions” as the church to “go out” and then make disciples. There are “bad guys” who want to kill us for what we believe and will do anything in their power to stop us…and we are called to love them. Sounds impossible right? But we have the “super awesome power” of the holy spirit. For real. Read through Acts. Crazy stuff. We are called to “carry our cross” and are promised that it is only when we can die to ourselves that we can truly live. Making the decision to die to yourself everyday is “super tough” and really tends to make you grow up pretty fast. 1 Timothy 4:7-8 commands us to “train to be godly…godliness is of value in every way.” Here is where my analogy breaks down a little bit. God does not need you or me or anyone, and we have already won the victory. But shouldn’t that makes us even more zealous to preach the gospel knowing that we can’t lose?
What if we actually treated this life as more than just a series of boring days, but as an adventure where everyday is a day where we allow God to use us to change the world? In fantasies such as Lord of the Rings there is tension and anticipation because the whole world is in danger and lives are at stake. Look around at your job, in your neighborhood, in the poor parts of your city. Lives ARE at stake. Not just lives, but eternal destinies. And you have been given the quest of helping save them. How freaking awesome is that.
I truly believe that we are all called to change the world. I also believe that changing the world doesn’t look like a lot of people think it does. I’ve learned that much here. I believe that by just showing one person love, you have changed the world, because I also believe that someone cannot experience the awesome love that God has for them and not be changed in some way. The crazy thing about love is that it tends to multiply, so by showing one person love you have made it possible for even more people to be shown love:) Even if my whole life culminated into me just showing one person love, then I would die happy. Things that are truly momentous almost always start with a seemingly insignificant decision.
The early church lived as if this was the truth. They stopped at nothing to tell people the good news of Jesus. They gave up everything, including their lives. Don’t those sound like heroes to you? Everything about the early church sounds like a fantasy…except it actually happened.
So do you believe that you can actually be used by God like the early church was? If so then why don’t you live like it. Why don’t we train so we can be better used by God? Why don’t we get to a point where we are desperate for the Spirit to move? How can the Spirit move in our lives if we live in such comfort and safety that we never need to rely on him? It’s like expecting a parachute to open when you haven’t even jumped. So jump, and who knows where you might end up:)
