Think about this: the disciples had spent three years with Jesus. They had followed Him all over Galilee and all the way to Jerusalem. Most of them had given up a lot to follow Jesus on a risky mission, so they obviously believed in Him. But then things started to get dicey. Quickly. There was a riot and Jesus was taken by the religious police. After that, Pete, their unofficial team captain, panicked and threw Jesus under the bus. Then Jesus went and got himself murdered—hung on a tree like a dog between two gang-bangers. What would you think? You might still believe in Him, but would you fully believe what He had told you about all this.
Even though Jesus told His closest friends and followers that all this had to happen to fulfill Old Testament prophecies, it still threw them for a loop when it did happen. Why? They probably didn’t imagine their King would really have to die! So just for a moment, stretched as thin as a spider’s strand in redemptive history, it looked as if that small band of eleven brothers was on the verge of breaking up. And then just when we think this true story is going to have a tragic conclusion, the entire plot shifts. The disciples went from walking alongside Him to being willing to die rather than renounce their love for Him. History suggests that all of them except John ultimately died as martyrs as a direct result of their galvanized faith.
Take a look at the promises Jesus makes to His followers before He ascends into heaven:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8
In other words, these aren’t gifts Christ followers have the option of refusing. If you have put your hope in the sacrificial death and supernatural resurrection of Jesus Christ, you will receive power. The gifts are non-negotiable and non-refundable. Like an all-you-can-eat dessert bar at a weight loss convention, these gifts show up in unlikely but oh so beautiful places. And like a muddy dog on white carpet, the Holy Spirit will definitely make marks on our lives if we welcome Him in.
It’s easy for me to say I believe in Jesus. But actually believing Jesus is a different story. The World Race has been my initiation process for believing Jesus. And believe me, it’s a conscious decision I have to make every day—I have to put to rest the lies I’ve believed for so long and finally believe the Truth. The undeniable proof of my Redeemer’s resurrection has transformed me from being a woman who simply believed in Jesus to a woman who believes Jesus and all He has taught me. You see, there’s an important radical difference between the cognitive belief that Jesus is the Son of God and that he exists and actually believing Him. Believing Jesus means you’re willing to risk everything you are and everything you have based on everything He taught and everything He did. It means learning to love Him more than you love your own life. It means no one and no thing is more important to you.
Let’s just apply this to the World Race for a second. Can you imagine being in a foreign country where you couldn’t understand a word people were speaking around you, and then suddenly, in a flash, you were able to speak and understand everything fluently? I can honestly say that I haven’t been able to full on speak any language fluently since serving on World Race. But, I do believe I have moments where I experience a modern Pentecost (Acts 2). The supernatural tongues God has given me have enabled me to share compassion, food, and ultimately the unconditional love and living hope of Jesus Christ with strangers that I’ve come in contact with. Strangers, who don’t speak my language, who were lost. The real miracle has not been in the dramatic manifestation but in the message. When tongues are generated by the Holy Spirit, it is a powerfully redemptive gift. It doesn’t hurt; it heals. It doesn’t confuse, it clarifies. And it always, always, leads to Jesus.
Speaking in tongues was a somewhat new concept for me prior to World Race. I’ll be honest, I was a skeptic and believed that supernatural tongues have ceased to exist in my lifetime. But, God spanked the self-righteousness I had about this subject out of me hard. I now believe that one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the manifestation of supernatural tongues. However, if the supernatural doesn’t impact the way we live in the natural—if it doesn’t deepen our love for God and the people He’s called us into relationship with—then it really is just bells and whistles.
I’ve made a lot of memories here serving on the World Race. But the memories that have been the most meaningful are the ones where I’ve left the most proverbial skin on the pavement. The ones that are recorded in my heart and mind as precious because I paid such a high price for them, and unladylike scars were my currency. The same thing could be said about life in general—the higher the cost to obtain it, the more valuable we believe it to be.
I’m currently serving in Quito, Ecuador as a PE teacher. One day after lunch, one of my students plopped down next to me and said in broken English, “I so happy, I full.” Regardless of what your personal view is regarding the specific gift of tongues, I think the real treasure in this potentially polarizing passage in Acts 2 is found at the beginning of verse four: “They were all filled” (Acts 2:4). Like this child with a stomach full of food, the disciples felt full, completely satisfied by the Spirit of the Living God. I believe this is the best gift in the Holy Spirit’s prize closet—a deep sense of belonging to the family of God. The security of divine adoption. The empowering realization that we have the right to call God “Dad” (Romans 8:15). Which begs the question, do you feel spiritually full? Are you satisfied in your relationship with Jesus? If not, maybe it’s time for you to take the risk of asking the Holy Spirit to crash your party.
My hope and prayer is that you will have no uncertainty about the direction your life is taking—that you won’t let any fear or label hold you back from believing Jesus. I hope you feel the absolute assurance of God’s love for you, His total forgiveness of all your sin, and your worthiness to be a member of His family. It’s a done deal. You belong to Him, and He won’t let you go.
Begin your journey, friends. God walks it with you.
I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Isaiah 41:9
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I’m currently still short of my fundraising goal ($13,000) that I need to have met by September 30th. I’m about $500 short of that goal. If you would like to partner with God in what He has called me to by donating financially, you can click on the donate tab at the top of my blog.
Thank you for all your continued prayers and support!
Coaching basketball in PE class (Quito, Ecuador)
