Okay, so I am part of this thing called The World Race. What is the purpose of this trip? What is the vision that started it?
We have all given up some of our American privileges to come on this race and learn about God and ourselves. But what does that really accomplish? What do we do with that at the end of 11 months? And what comes after that?
If you talk to any of us individually, we would probably offer some response about finding our inheritance, and the call on our hearts for the Kingdom of God. We are all searching for what our future holds, where we will go from here, what our ministry will be. While that is all well and good, the vision for this trip is so much bigger than that.
We are not only in training for what we will do this year, or for what we will do after this. We are in training to discover who we are in God’s eyes, and knowing that changes everything! When we recognize that our position and authority extend beyond the physical/visible realm, our focus changes from what we see in this world to what we cannot see, but know to be true in the spiritual realm. With this new perspective, we see this everything differently. Nothing is impossible, because God is involved in everything and we are His ambassadors. When we truly realize this, we come alive to the fullness of the life that we were created for from the beginning. That is only part of a bigger vision.
Although self-discovery is important, it doesn’t end there. There is a whole world full of people that live within the confines of what they see as reality. They are oblivious to the war waged against them and around them. They do not know about the God that loves them and pursues them daily. Neither do they know about the devil that torments and manipulates them. They do not realize the choices they have or the freedom that was bought for them. They do not know the love of God or the authority and purpose He has especially for them.
Christians are not immune to this deception. There are churches full of people that have been saved by grace, but never learned how to live in that same grace. They fill the pews and serve on committees and meet all of man’s expectations in order to “earn” what was given to them freely. Freedom and redemption are preached from the pulpit, but so few people live free or redeemed. So many people are still caught up in the chains of sin and condemnation without realizing they have the right and the choice to walk away from it all. They know about Jesus and the stories of what He did, but they don’t really know Him at all. I know this because I am often one of them.
I am learning what true freedom and redemption look like. I am learning who I am in Christ and my position and authority in the spiritual realm. I am learning that being a Christian isn’t something I do, it is who I am – regardless of how well I do it. I am waking up to the reality of Christ and what He actually did on that cross. I am learning, but I still miss the mark daily. Praise be to God that I have learned not to care so much about doing it right. I just get up and practice what I learn, teach what I know, and when I mess up He cleans it up and I try again.
It is not enough for me to make this journey alone. I cannot change the world inside of myself. It is only when we pass the torch, when we teach what we know, when we activate other Christians, that we begin to make a difference. Our vision is not to make converts, but to train Kingdom leaders who will train and lead a whole new generation.
We have that exact opportunity with the new World Racers that just arrived in Swaziland to begin their 11 month journey. We have been trained by some awesome people in the last 5 months, and now we get to teach along side of them. It is time to pass on the knowledge and wisdom that was imparted to us. The goal is to empower these new racers to do even greater things than us. That was Jesus’ heart for His disciples, and it should be our heart for everyone we have the opportunity to pour into.
I’ll admit that my pride still struggles with this a little. Part of me still wants to be better, and to be recognized as great. I hate to admit that, but it does no good to try to hide it. Despite that, I know what is right and good, so I will set my feelings aside and choose to stand for righteousness. God will strip away my lingering selfishness in His own way and time. I know that He will purify my heart to rejoice when I see my brothers and sisters do greater things than me, and I love that I can leave that part up to Him.
Now a few days into the training, I can honestly say that God has changed my heart. The moment I acted by choosing righteousness, God responded by extending His grace to me. I really have enjoyed taking this new “generation” of racers under my wing. I do rejoice in seeing them “get it”, and to see them standing in boldness and authority to claim their spiritual inheritance with passion. They will do greater things, and that is the whole point. The Kingdom of God is growing and advancing on earth. They will pass the torch in time to still another “generation” and so on. Amen.
