Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Jesus-Style

Acts chapter 9 tells the story of the conversion of Saul, who went on to become the Apostle Paul.

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 

One translation says Saul was "uttering threats with every breath against the Lord's followers."  He sought the government's permission to take them captive, take their rights away, and hold them as prisoners.

In North Carolina and Mississippi, recently, discriminatory legal actions have been taken against the LGBT community.  People with closed minds cannot handle that LGBT people are different from the majority, mainstream society.  They want to extinguish our identity.  They seek permission from the government to take away rights and protections that are common to all Americans; to discriminate against us and take us captive.

It's almost like some of these anti-diversity people want to cram everyone into little pods shaped just like themselves, in hopes that everyone will conform, change, surrender and come out looking no longer like our God-intended selves... looking and behaving just like them in form and features but without FREEDOM.
Now, at this point, I could churn up a pep rally for LGBT people or any other downtrodden minorities on the defensive, but look at this scripture:

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.  “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 

Saul was ON THE WAY to put his plan into action when JESUS showed up and STOPPED him! A bright light flashed around Saul, probably blinding him, and he dropped to the ground. His knees gave out and he could no longer stand! And Jesus stopped him in his tracks, and told him, "I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting."

Are you getting this? Saul was out to get Jesus' FOLLOWERS. But Jesus told him, "It's ME you keep persecuting."

We are all God's children:  LGBT or straight, whatever race, religion or socioeconomic status, Jesus died to claim us ALL as His own.  And when someone tries to harm God's children, take from us, threaten us, discriminate against us or otherwise, God Himself stands up and says, "You mess with them, you mess with ME!"

The Lord's followers that Saul was after did not even have to fight. God headed off the attack and stopped it before it even reached His children.
Not one hair on one head was harmed or even blown out of place. God stopped Saul and put him on "pause."  He said, in essence, "You just sit here awhile and have a think about what you stand for and why."

Continuing with this scripture passage:

The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. 
10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.
11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem.  14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
God sent Ananias to Saul to minister to him, the threatening opposition.  Ananias was a believer.  Ananias had to obey God and reach out in kindness to Saul, the one who had been out to capture believers.  When Ananias obeyed and laid hands on Saul, it was THEN that Saul was able to see again.  Scales, it says, fell from his eyes and he was able to see.
And what did Saul see?  He saw a follower of the Lord, who had just been God's conduit to free him from his blindness and change him on the inside.
God did not handle this situation by having his people retaliate in anger and hurl insult for insult.
We are, right now, to stand our ground - but not lose our cool.  The Holy Spirit gives us self-control.  God will provide every strength and ability we need to stand firm through this trial.  We need to stand firm, Jesus Style... "and, having done all, to stand."  (Ephesians 6:13)
So how do we win this battle Jesus-Style?  Here are four suggestions I would like to share with you:
1.  Jesus often answered a question with a question.
Matthew 21: 23When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?" 24Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25"The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?" And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe him?'…
When people tried to corner Jesus asking him ridiculous questions, Jesus kept His cool and responded using a very wise tactic.  Sometimes answering aggressive questions with even your very best answers will just lead to another question, then another, and another, and can end up in an argument.  Jesus did not take the bait for this trap.  Instead, he asked a question back to his accusers.  This put the focus and pressure on them, and the foolishness of their motives was brought to light.
2.  Jesus never wavered on His purpose or who He was.
Luke 9:51 - "As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem."
Jesus, knowing he had come to Earth to die to save God's children, "resolutely" pushed forward toward the fulfillment of this purpose.  He did not allow himself to be stopped, slowed down or dissuaded by persecution, temptation or distraction.  He knew what He had to do, and he determinedly set out to do it.
What is your purpose?  If you don't know, you need to find out!  Ask the Holy Spirit to show you, and then listen patiently.  Once you know your purpose, you will be motivated to fulfill it; distractions and nonsense will have no sway over you.  And always keep your eyes on God.
Colossians 3 "Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God."
So don't let people's petty or derisive words or actions - or discrimination or attacks of any kind - distract you from why God put YOU on this Earth.
3.  Jesus knew when to draw near to His Father and rest.
Luke 5:16 says, "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."
Sometimes you need to get out of the crowd and go spend time alone with God.
Always remember that, in the midst of the battle, God will give you rest.  One of my favorite scriptures is Matthew 11:28.  (I actually claim this as my birthday scripture, because my birthday is 11/28!)  Matthew 11:28 says, "Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."
When you have been facing opposition, accusations, discrimination or whatever kind of battle you might find yourself in, remember Jesus.  Remember, at the end of the day, to lay your burdens down at his feet and let Him take them for you.  You will not survive a battle without doing that.  Jesus gladly spoke this invitation out of his own mouth, and His words are true and alive!  Lay your burdens down.  Let Jesus give you rest, refreshing and renewal.  He will give you living water, so that you will never again be thirsty.
No battle lasts forever.  Like Ecclesiastes says, "To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven."  So let's not just focus on battling, but let's purpose to live our LIVES...
Jesus-Style.

Amen.

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Feed My Sheep

For a long time now, I have had a strong desire to reach out to the homeless.  I am not a multi-millionaire but I am WEALTHY compared to so many others who lack just the basics.  Like food.  Like warm clothes in the winter.  Like a home.  Like basic healthcare.  Like eye glasses, for goodness sake!  Like a TOOTHBRUSH.


You get my point.


I often think about how great it would be to go around with a cooler full of sandwiches and just hand them out to homeless people.  At the same time, the thought of doing something like that also scares the socks off me; what if I approached someone who attacked or hurt me?  Some homeless people I've encountered are just normal, nice, unfortunate people.  Some are a little off their rockers, mentally, but are otherwise harmless.  And some are SCARY.


So I thought, a group... definitely something best done in a group.  So that has been sitting on the back burner in my mind along with all my other "good ideas to do someday,"

Right now, I am in the first few weeks of a 6-month period I have declared for myself, committing to be more active in my church, study the Bible and pray about what direction God has for me next in the ministry that is my life.


So, fast forward to this week.


On my job, sometimes I work on tasks that have my hands busy but leave my mind more free.  There is a minister whose messages just feed my soul and spirit until I feel fat!  When I'm able, I like to pull up a sermon on YouTube from Rev. Terri Steed Pierce of Joy MCC in Fłorida and listen while I work. I respect Rev. Terri and do not at all intend to put her on a pedestal, but I would like to share how, in the course of just a few days and through the content of just a few sermons, God chose to use her words to carry His message to me.  


1.  Many things about stepping into a new area of ministry can seem scary. The responsibility. The commitment. The expectations of others. All that scares me to death; makes me want to jump in bed and hide under the covers. I question all the time my ability to do this; to do it RIGHT; to carry it through.


In one sermon I listened to this week, Rev. Terri said that true dependence is attempting something large enough that failure is GUARANTEED unless God steps in. 


Yes, Lord.



2.  Still questioning myself... you might say I was kind of "Going Moses," heh... can this really happen? Am I the one who is supposed to take this on? 


And my ears hear, "God didn't call someone else to do what God has called YOU to do."


Yes, Lord.


3.  Seriously. I am not kidding. Rev. Terri told a story of her niece and the niece's friend seeing a homeless man... questioning whether approaching him might be safe, deciding to trust God, going to get this man, then buying him a meal in a restaurant. And finding he was a really nice man who hadn't had a good meal in weeks and JUST NEEDED TO BE TREATED LIKE A HUMAN.


That was a goose bumps moment for me.


Yes, yes, Lord.


4.  And I'm doing my work, listening to thes sermons, when I hear God's little megaphone say, "I believe there are three ways God wants us to feed people."


My head shot up and I had to laugh! 


Yes, Lord. Loud and clear.


5,  I've been thinking about all the needs homeless people have. Wondering if just a sandwich once a week is enough for me to do. Feeling very inadequate and substantially overwhelmed.  And I heard something to the effect of, "You can't meet all their needs, but do what you can with what you have." And something to the effect of, "Jesus fed thousands on the lunch of one little boy who was willing to share what he had."


Yes, Lord. It's YOU IN me, not just me.  Yes, Lord.


6.  And to top it all off, (maybe God just wanted to MAKE SURE I was taking Him seriously), I hear Rev. Terri share a story of a team from her church following God's call and going to a rough part of their town to hand out food, coats and blankets.


Boom... There goes the dynamite.  💣


SO.  I got started.  First thing I did was post a survey online to gather data on where the most homeless people usually are and who might be interested in being a part of this outreach.


A couple of friends mentioned to me that they knew of groups already working on feeding homeless people. I want to talk to these people, get tips from them, and find out which areas they go to so as not to duplicate efforts and reach people who might not be getting help.



I also went online and discovered an agency called Capital Area Association for the Homeless. I made a donation to become a member of this group and marked my calendar to go to their monthly meetings.  I feel a strong push in that direction, that this agency is where I am to get started.

I'm excited. Seriously anticipatory, and eager to see what God is going to do! I mean, after all, He went to great lengths to make it abundantly clear to me that THIS IS WHAT NICOLE IS SUPPOSED TO DO. (YES!!!)

Like Rev. Terri often says, "I love me some Jesus!"

So, if I might summarize this blog entry, I will do it in honor of The Most Right Reverend Terri Steed Pierce... and do so using...

Three Points.  😄

1.  God has something important for you to do... and it's something for YOU to do.

2.  God knows your worries, insecurities and concerns. You don't have to feel ashamed. And if you listen, you will hear Him address those concerns directly and specifically. As many times as it takes.

3.  My prayer for myself is that I might speak God's words; not just my own. And I hope you pray that for yourself as well.

Because you never know when God will use the words you speak... to speak directly into someone else's life.

Amen.

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John 21:15After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?e
“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”
“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.
16Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”
“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.
17A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep."