Interpreting a Dream

During the holidays, I have had the joy of getting to know our college-aged girls a little better. In addition to discovering their senses of humor and talents for singing, cooking, or others, I have been blessed to have some good conversations. During this time, these girls have really become little sisters to me.

One of our girls told me of the dream she had the night before. I will attempt to relay her description as accurately as possible: God had descended and clothed everyone He chose in pink. I thought that was a little humorous, but then I remembered that her favorite color is pink. She looked around her and didn’t know anyone else clothed in pink. Then God and his angel went back into heaven and left everyone in pink here.

A pretty simple dream. But her questions to me about the dream I believe were the exact questions the Lord was leading her to ask. She first said, “Why did He choose me?” She had some difficulty expressing it, but eventually articulated how special she felt for being one clothed in pink and chosen by God. Her next question was, “..and why did He leave me here?” I nodded, then smiled, knowing that I once asked the same question in a very different circumstance. Then I told her as much.

I asked her, “You remember my testimony, right?” She replied, “Oh yes. Your testimony taught me very much.” I then recounted to her that at my lowest point of greatest pain, I asked God with all sincerity to let me die and enter the rest of Heaven. But He said, “no.” What He revealed to me in that time, which struck me more sharply than all the pain I was in, was that He only left me here because He had purpose that remained for my life on earth. And the day, the moment, that my purpose has been fulfilled, I will immediately enter His presence in Heaven. Therefore, every day that I wake up once again, every breath that I draw, has God’s divine purpose behind it. I assured her that we had the same question…and the same answer: purpose.

She repeated a single word to me: “Purpose,” as her demeanor and expression changed into a fascinating combination of resignation, contentment, and deep satisfaction. She smiled. Then we were interrupted (a continual occurance in India, perhaps the subject of another post). The conversation was over.

A simple dream. From the Lord? I believe so. And perhaps He has used me to help to partially interpret her dream, such that she never forgets that God has purpose for her life. Every day. Every breath. And the great news is that the same is true for you and me. I pray that you have that same assurance of purpose this very day. May the Lord turn your countenance into contentment and deep satisfaction, just as He did for my little Indian sister. Amen.

Finishing Christmas in India

Phil 1:6 – “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Well, my Christmas week this year is one of the most unique I have experienced. After all, this is my first Christmas outside the US!

I had the privilege of preaching in church on Christmas morning. I realized that although I don’t preach much in the U.S., I get the opportunity often in India, and this year I preached both on my birthday and Jesus’ observed birthday. Pretty cool. The topic was “Missing Jesus,” and it went as well as I could have hoped, given the minimal amount of time I was able to prep.

But the best part of my Christmas was spending several days away from the city and very near to our oldest girls’ home. Sitting on top of the guest house in the cool mornings or evening, taking in the peaceful scenery or crystal clear night sky, getting ample rest and peace and quiet…to quote the Christmas carol: these are a few of my favorite things. And on the evening of Christmas, as well as the days that followed, the Lord blessed me abundantly with quality time with our girls.

For 3 days, I was 2 things: older brother and teacher. On Christmas day, I gifted our girls a world globe and told them about when I was growing up and I had a globe. I would close my eyes and spin the globe as fast as I could, then plunge my finger down onto the surface, abruptly stopping the speeding globe, often pointing to some fanciful, exotic place that I had never known existed nor ever hoped to see. Sometimes my finger would stop on India. As I recalled that portion, they gave out an “ooo” of delight, which I had not expected. I told them that I had wondered what India was like and decided that I would never go there. Wrong!

Finally, I told them that a person never knows where God might send them. Then they each took turns spinning the globe, eyes closed, and “discovering” where the Lord might take them.  Russia, Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, many African countries, Brazil, Mexico, and Canada were of those that were “discovered” with curiosity and delight.  And even a couple of girls landed on the U.S., bringing the biggest smiles and exclamations. It was a wonderful time.

The rest of the week, in addition to playing many games, I tutored our 5^th-12^th graders in the subjects of algebra, geometry, chemistry, physics, general science, and English. I’m not sure who enjoyed it more. Below is a picture of the board at the end of the physics session. Nerd alert: I must say that to my eyes, there is a certain beauty in meaningful equations and theorems written on a chalkboard!

 

Finally, on my last evening with them before having to travel back into the city, we were down to our final hour together. I told them, “We have one hour. What would you like to do?” To my surprise, “message” was the popular response. They wanted me to preach? (You should know that this wasn’t because my sermon on Christmas was particularly powerful or special. I rated it a C minus.) Many thoughts ran through my mind. How many teenagers would you expect to ask to be preached to if they only had 1 hour with a person who is not a preacher?  It soothes my heart to see how hungry our girls are for the Word of God and how readily they receive it.

Well, if you know me, you know that if anyone voices a desire for Biblical teaching, I can’t help but at least try. So I thought for about 30 seconds and realized this was very similar to our littlest girls asking for a Bible “story” unexpectedly a few weeks ago. So I decided to go with Gideon again. Except this time, we could dive into it a little heartier than just story telling.

The easiest way to preach in the whole world, in my opinion, is a scripted sermon through an interpreter. While they are interpreting, you can read your next line, look up, and deliver every word that you have chosen exactly. It’s virtually unnoticeable. But easiest doesn’t mean best.  Now, I took several hours to prepare for the Christmas sermon (though much less than normal). I wrote every line prior to speaking (well, most of the lines). And on this night in our girls’ home, I took 30 seconds to prepare and went completely off the cuff…and it was better by leaps and bounds than my Christmas sermon. Sure, with a few hours of prep it could be polished and improved, cross-referenced and summarized with punch, word-smithed and flow established.  But the Lord reinforced something in me through that experience. He is enough. His Spirit is present. He is ever faithful. He is the Teacher.

I don’t know if I’ll go scripted or go extemporaneous in my next sermon in India. Both have been blessed by the Lord at different times, and I’ve struggled with both at different times. But I do know that whatever the approach, it is God who makes the sermon powerful. It is also comforting to know that there is at least one sermon that I can go to “in season and out of season,” (expected or unexpectedly): Gideon. I must thank my Sunday School teacher and classmates back in the U.S. for allowing God to use them to burn the application of Gideon’s life into my brain in such a way.

Finally, since I’m on the topic of preaching. I am often asked in the days leading up to a day that I am preaching, “Have you finished your sermon?” My response has come from experience, “It’s never finished.” What I mean by that is that even when I think it’s finished, the Lord never ceases to change it. Every day and especially the night before, it changes. In fact, it also always changes somewhere between standing up to approach the pulpit and the words leaving my mouth! I thank the Lord for that. I think being a little “out of control” ensures that the Holy Spirit is still taking the control. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t for lack of trying to get it all done and perfect beforehand! But thoughts enter my mind while delivering the sermon that illuminate points that I hadn’t even thought of before. That is a lot of fun to experience, but also a little unnerving because I’m not always sure how it’s all going to tie back in together. And sometimes (I chuckle as a write) it does dead end and I have to reset back on track.

But the Lord hit me with a realization the other day, after being asked yet again if my sermon was finished. I started praying about that. And I had a revelation. I had told the person that the sermon is only finished when the last word is spoken, as we both chuckled. I meant it. But what a sad ending if that is where it ends! No, my prayer now is for an ever-unfinished sermon. A sermon that Lord continues to finish in the hearts and minds of the listeners as they walk through life that week, month, or even years. In fact, the sermons that have impacted me most…they still aren’t finished…as the Lord continues to use them in my life.

My personality type has a quest for conclusion. Finishing. Completing. Achieving. Marking off the list. And so I have always approached preaching in the same way. I search with my whole soul for the end of the sermon and have an almost restless inner stirring until it has been spoken. My prayer has often been for the Lord to help me finish it. Well, I now pray the same words, “Lord, help me finish this sermon,” but with an entirely different meaning.  I now look expectantly to give unfinished sermons. I pray that every sermon, teaching, and interaction I have with another human being remains unfinished…simply because God is still working in them through it.

And such is life with Christ. Ever being finished, never finished. Ever being sanctified, awaiting that glorious day when we enter our Lord’s perfect rest and completion in Heaven. Our Lord Jesus cried out on the cross before His last breath, “It is finished.” What a glorious declaration! And as Jesus has completed His redeeming work on the cross, as He completes every work He begins (Phil 1:6). I want to encourage you today to know that in the bounds of time, you and I may not yet be finished, but in the timeless existence of our Lord, He is proclaiming over you, “It is finished.” May we walk in such assurance and liberty with our Savior. Amen.

"A Future and a Hope"

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the  Lord , thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV)

The past few weeks have been very busy. Thus a long gap between posts. We have had the privilege of hosting partners and friends from the U.S. who have come to see how God is working through us in India and to minister to our staff and children in our care. This past week contained a couple stories special to this chemical-engineer-by-training and teacher-at-heart. This post is just one of those stories, but stay tuned in the coming days to hear the other.

We often ask our girls what they want to be when they grow up. It is fun to watch how they determine what they want to be, as well as how those things change (or don't change) over time. One of our girls continues to want to be a police officer year after year, and I believe she will be one day! Some of our girls have expressed that they want to be teachers, and in reply two of our littlest have expressed that they desire to be principals. I chuckled out loud to see that interaction. Sort of a "you may have seniority now, but one day I'll be your boss!" I have no doubt that at least one of these little ones will one day be principal and "rule the roost." And one of the sweetest responses which comes primarily from our youngest girls is simply to be a "servant of God." I have yet to determine if in their minds this means that they do not know what profession they will follow, that they want to be in vocational ministry, or something else...but whatever is behind that response, it is sweet to hear.

For the first time, many of our girls are expressing interest in becoming engineers, and those numbers continue to grow. Many of these girls come from a place where basic education was in question and their concept of a future was extremely limited, if not unfathomable. It is so great to see these children begin to grasp that there is no limit to what God can and will do through them, including what education or career to which He may call them. In addition, it is such a blessing to see them excelling in the scholastic subjects in which they are gifted such that those dreams may be achieved.

One of our middle school girls has continued to be the only one to say "I don't know" when asked what she wants to be when she grows up. I have been paying special attention, looking forward to seeing her little mind at work in the day that she first expresses what she may want to pursue, even though at that age it is likely to change. Well, this week was it, and what a blessing to hear her soft voice speak these words: "chemical engineer," as she shyly stole an almost imperceivable glance at me. Man, I felt like a million bucks.

What makes this perhaps even more precious to me is that she probably has a very limited idea as to what a chemical engineer does or what a person must do to train for that profession. And this child might not have even heard of chemical engineering until it became known to all of our girls that I was one. But with the combination of seeing her older sisters setting their sites on their own engineering goals (of a different discipline) and knowing my educational and work experience, this special girl felt confident to whisper the fragile initial dream to become a chemical engineer. That's all that it was...a whisper...perhaps to be swept away by God's true calling in her life, or perhaps to be strengthened into a shout. But whatever God's will, it is my blessing to watch Him work in her life, to watch her formulate her first career dreams, and of course to feel honored by her choosing my own initial career path. I had just told a friend that I'm waiting for the day that one of our girls first says "chemical engineer" as her career dream and that would be a special day. Well, that special day came that same week.

Perhaps you will join me in praying for each of these precious girls, their career dreams, and direction from God along His paths. May the God of all grace grant us all the boldness to dream, the means to achieve, and the direction to walk in His perfect will. Amen.

Unplanned Thanksgiving

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” – Proverbs 19:21

“In His heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” – Proverbs 16:9

In India, you will be hard pressed to find a Thanksgiving holiday celebration, and even harder pressed to find turkey of any kind. Thanksgiving week is just another ordinary workweek here…after all, the holiday is an American tradition from the early settlers of the U.S.

However, just because Thanksgiving is not an official holiday here, it does not mean that this week failed to be special in my experience.

I had the newfound joy of tutoring some of our elementary school children in mathematics early in the week. For these specific girls, math is their most difficult subject, and being a Chemical Engineer by training, it is one of my favorites.  So I gave it a shot…and loved every minute of it. Seeing their faces focused, learning…then full of delight in a right answer or realizing an epiphany.

The session moved from mathematics to science to God. We discussed the sun, moon, and the earth…specifically their relationship to one another. I presented the example of how as Christ followers, Jesus is like the Sun—he is the source of light—and we are like the moon, in that we reflect His light for all the world to see. When others see us, they should see the light of Christ as our source. Furthermore, if we think for a moment that we ourselves are the source of light and goodness, it is like when the earth gets between the moon and the sun: if the world comes between us and God, we are in utter darkness, separated from the Source. We must choose to remain in the light, reflecting Christ to our world.

Well, our oldest in the younger girls’ home lit up at the end of that teaching. She gave praise with delight at how we combined academics with teaching about God. Finally, she told me, “If you become a teacher, God will bless you and bless you.” What a sweet moment that I absolutely cherish.

On Thanksgiving day, the end of the day did not go according to plan. I was supposed to be picked up from the girls’ home at a specific time to go home for the day. But my ride showed up 2 hours late. This is not a rare occurrence by Indian standards, but as an American, type A, task oriented, scheduler and planner…well, you can imagine that I don’t naturally accept such things with contentment. I chuckle as I recount the story to you because one of the sweeter days in my first month here occurred because of being so far “off-plan.” (God continues to faithfully, and tenaciously chip away at that part of me until I am fully surrendered to Him.)

In that extra time, I was requested to give another math tutoring session, in which more girls, down to 1^st grade, attended. Then I played various games with the girls for about an hour, one of mine and their favorite things to do. Lastly, as they sat down for dinner, they began the normal practice of praise songs and prayer. And since they had a “special guest” with them, I was asked to tell a story.

Being put on the spot, I paused for a second, then realized God had prepared me to talk through Gideon, since my Sunday School class just studied it in detail this summer. It is a special thing to have the full attention of over 30 children ages 3-12, without them making an unsolicited peep for 15 minutes. We had fun with it, guessing how many soldiers God chose to fight an entire army, demonstrating the different ways the soldiers drank water as God chose the few who would be at the battle, dividing into torch holders, pot crushers, and horn blowers. Finally, we flexed our muscles at the end, declaring that God has made us mighty warriors for His Kingdom, even when we are scared.

It is evenings like these that endear these girls to me with even greater magnitude, as the love God places in me for them continues to grow. And it seems to endear me to them, as well…because when I arrived the next morning, I was hit with an uncommonly large mob of girls asking me to play games, give tutoring, and tell stories! Although I was unable to join them on that day, due to other responsibilities, it made my heart glad to see their response.

Dwight Eisenhower wisely said, “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indespensible.”  Oh how well said.  The truth is that plans are going to change, especially as we are surrendered to God. However, the act of planning, while holding those established plans loosely, prepares the planner to make the best adaptations to the plan. The act of planning carries value outside the value of the conceived plan.

Finally, I ponder these two Proverbs in conjunction with Eisenhower’s assertion:

 

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” – Proverbs 19:21

“In His heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” – Proverbs 16:9

I will continue to plan. It is who I am, who God has created me to be, and how He has gifted me.  He does use my planning nature for His purposes. But my prayer for you, and for me, is that we would learn to submit our plans to a sovereign, good, and loving God.  May we learn to do more listening to God’s voice, taking a part in establishing His plans, and less dictating to Him what our plans may be. May we come to realize the freedom, peace, and awe of a God whose purposes always prevail and who determines our steps.  And may God continue to give us some of the sweetest moments with His children when our plans fall apart. What a wonderful God who loves us!

My Cup Overflows

Psalm 23 (NIV84): “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Nearly every one of our girls has memorized Psalm 23, and for many, it is their favorite passage of scripture. There are many truths to discover in this passage, but today my attention is on “my cup overflows.”

The meaning of this statement is twofold: 1. Abundance, and 2. A welcome to stay. In the time that this psalm was written, the overflowing cup had a special meaning: When a guest would come to stay and dine with friends or family, their cup would be filled to the brim and then purposefully overflowed…that is, of course, if they were welcome to stay. Having our cups overflowed by our creator first indicates His willingness to bless abundantly, beyond what we could ever need; and second, it indicates His desire for us not to leave and instead remain with Him in His house.

When a guest had his cup overflow, he or she knew that they were being welcomed to stay longer…another meal, another night, and sometimes a lifetime. In the same way, we have each been invited into the house of our Lord, and Psalm 23 declares that we are welcomed stay there with our God forever. Our cups truly overflow.

I feel blessed to be part of a ministry that makes it clear that our sincere desire is to offer an overflowing cup to each of our rescued children. We invite them to remain in our family for the next meal, the next night, and their entire lifetime. And in truth, we make this offer in response to our Lord Jesus Christ. It is God who is first offering each of these children an overflowing cup, an invitation to remain with Him, and He with them, forever.

So today I have this overwhelming sense of blessing to be part of God’s offering of the overflowing cup. To be used by our God to pour into the lives of each of these children, such that their cups would overflow. Each time I hear our little ones and young adults recite this verse, I am now reminded of this blessing. And it is such a joy.

And finally, I realize keenly that my own cup is overflowing. I have told the Lord that being a part of the lives of each of these children that are now in our care makes me quite content. I need nothing else to feel God’s abundant blessing and to notice my own cup running over. And yet, God has even more in store. Every newly rescued child, every way He continues to grow the influence and impact of the ministry, every plan He has for our future to make His name great in India. Yes, my cup continues to overflow.

I praise the Lord my God that not only does my cup overflow in Jesus Christ, but that He allows me to be an instrument of His overflowing the cups of many others. And I am not unique in this…this is God’s design for every one of His children. We are like a pyramid of cups, starting with a wide base, and being built row by row, higher and higher. Wherever we are in the pyramid, as we allow the Lord to pour into us through our brothers and sisters in Christ, and as our cups overflow, we cannot help but overflow into the cups immediately below us. And so the Lord has designed our life in Christ such that being filled and filling others…being overflowed and overflowing others…is the only possibility.

I encourage you to read Psalm 23, meditate on it, and praise God for all of the truths He has given through that passage. May you receive His overflowing love and grace, in turn offering that same love and grace of Christ to others. May we each continue to fill and be filled, remembering that there is one source: Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Sermon That Stuck: "Be a Burning Bush"

Today I was able to attend one of our churches within our network, and specifically the same church in which I preached just this past July. It is always a joy to visit and see familiar faces worshiping God with all their might and experiencing their authentic joy to see you again.

At the end of the service, it is customary for every single person to greet every single other person...every single person! As I was coming to the end, saying "Praise the Lord" again and again (this is how you say hello in the church here...love it!), there was one woman in the back that spoke to me just a little bit longer. What she said really meant a lot to me.

She told me that she remembered my sermon the last time I was there, and most amazingly, "I ask God every day to make me a burning bush." Wow. She actually remembered the sermon and it has changed her prayer life!

When you preach or teach, you sometimes wonder if even one person remembers one little part such that it makes a real impact in their life. And I reason with myself that if even a single person remembers a single thing that has real impact on their life, then it was worth all the preparation and spending yourself for the message. The message was for them...they are the person you were preaching to, if the only person. That gives the teacher or preacher purpose.

And so to know that God continues to work powerfully in the message long after it is given is a special blessing.  As I prepare to preach again next Sunday, Nov 11, I would like to invite you to pray for a sermon with equal or greater impact on listeners such as the woman today who has been impacted by Moses and the burning bush. 

Specifically, I am praying for three things:

-Simplicity
-Clarity
-Power

I believe these elements will be used by the Holy Spirit to make lasting impact in the lives of those who will hear.

The topic of my sermon next week will be Waiting on the Lord, specifically highlighting the account of Jesus raising Lazurus in John 11. It is partially inspired by the post the Lord moved me to write last November: The Pain & Glory of Waiting on the Lord.  I had no idea at the time that I would be preaching on this topic in India within the year!

Until then, for those that are curious, and for those that migh be similarly impacted, below is a summary of the Burning Bush sermon from July:

Key Scripture: Exodus 3:1-10

Thought questions: Have you ever ignored a burning bush? What does a burning bush look like in your life?

1. Examining the burning bush
- Was the bush God, or special in any way? No, it was ordinary. God IN the bush made it extrordinary.
- What does a burning bush look like today? - 2 Cor 4. A burning bush is anyone who is under trial, but is not consumed. Without Christ they would be consumed, but with Christ, they are not.
- Everyone is set on fire by the world. Will you be consumed?
- Daniel 3:22-25 - Jesus, the 4th person in the furnace is the difference.

2. Responding to the burning bush - Lessons from Moses in Exodus 3
- This was an ordinary day for Moses. 40 years, 14,600 days of silence, exile, and obscurity.
- Moses' role? He simply "turned aside" to behold the phenomenon.
- God speaks through burning bushes today. Look for them and "turn aside" to listen. In addition, your testimony will be God's miracle and mouthpiece to speak to someone else.
- God called Moses by name, and He will do the same with you.
- Moses' and our calls are the same: (Eph 2:8-10)
  1. To God Himself
  2. His purpose for your life

Thought questions:
1. Does today feel like just another day?
2. Are you preparing yourself to respond to God's call?
3. If you have received a call from God, are you remembering daily that He calls you to Himself first?

Conclusion:
1. Be the burning bush in Christ
- Hope of not being consumed yourself
- Joy of sharing that hope with others

2. Turn aside and listen to God in burning bushes (fellow Christians)
- If you have failed, if you have not heard from God - today He chooses you by name
- First call is to God Himself
- Second, walk in obedience in the works that have been prepared for you

Short Thought: Ministry and the Individual

John 10:3 - "...he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out."

We must never lose sight of ministering to the individual, both in theory and in practice.  If we become ministers to the masses and not to individuals, then we cease to see the full potential of the power and life of Christ in our ministry—both the external fruit and the inward man.  But if we keep fresh in the front of our minds the soul of the individual, we may very well win the masses, one individual at a time.

This is contrary to our engineering or business training, which is all about efficiency and greater output per input.  However, Christ ministered to many at one time and we know that He saw each and every individual.  We may not yet have the full capacity of Christ, such that we could minister to a mass of people and see them all distinctly individually, but I believe that keeping the mindset of the individual in need of the life of Christ helps make our efforts more authentic and powerful.  I believe this because I believe it is the mind of Christ, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, He is not encumbered by our limited capacity to personally minister to specific few individuals.

May we walk in the mind of Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to minister to the individuals whom, in His sovereignty, He places in our path this very day.  Amen.

Guest Post - Re: The Power of Proper Identity: Ministers of Reconciliation

A dear friend of mine responded to my latest blog post titled, "The Power of Proper Identity: Ministers of Reconciliation" with some very insightful and edifying assertions. With this friend's permission, I cannot help but share, as I enjoy and value the perspectives offered in this reply:

"I agree that the calling is to Christ Himself, because the relationship is more important than the roles we play. So often we seek to establish ourselves in a business relationship with God, instead of a personal one. We strive hard to be servants when God has called us to be sons.

In being sons, the ultimate thing is the love and intimacy we share with Christ. Since we share in His kingdom, we share in His kingdom's work. The scripture seems to discourage segregating this work into higher vs. lower within the kingdom because, after all, the highest is the least servant in God's kingdom. Philippians does talk about the high calling, but never the higher calling.

The term "higher calling" has been used to distinguish those who are following a specific calling with the organized church or full time mission effort. When I say full time mission, not to be stuck on semantics, I mean one whose life activities are not fungible in the securlar market place. His economic needs must be subsidized by others of the "lower" calling (so to speak in keeping with the topic). So, in this sense, I would agree we would be off-base to say one Christian has a "higher calling" because he does not have a day job.

But the status of being supported by the Christian community is Biblical, and is a specific calling, albeit not higher. Those in that role tend to be held to a "higher" standard, which is also Biblical. Of course we are all held to the same standard which is the Word, but Biblicially speaking leaders of the church throughought the Bible have been expected to demonstrate exceptional holiness as they naturally become leaders. In being in this office it can be said that we "follow them" as they follow Christ. It is in this sense that the "higher" terminology would gain some historical basis - but I would agree that it still is inaccurate.

The secular perspective says jobs are to produce products, and the "better" we are, by worldy standards, the more products we produce. In that lifestyle, if I were to "do my best," I would always be trying to maximize my competitiveness and success would be measured in magnitude.

The Word says, the kingdom of God is like a treasure someone found in a field, burried it, went and sold all he had, and bought the field. If I won the lottery, my paycheck would diminish as an important factor to me. In the secular sense, my paycheck is my master - because its presence commands my obedience (speaking in worldly perspective). If I were to become a millionaire, it would no longer have any meaning for me. My paycheck would decrease, and the need to enjoy my work would increase. Similarly, when we are saved, we are set free from the shackles of status, the need to produce. We now do those things because we enjoy them.

Some may try to correct me there and say "because we serve Jesus." But serving Jesus is joy. We continue to do what we are good at because of joy, nothing else. God knows who he gave a good voice to, a quick body, a bright mind...we use those gifts out of joy. When your future is secure, your present takes on a new identity. The law, no longer our master, fades as the love and joy of Jesus fills our lives. God lacks nothing, yet he intervenes to save the needy. Why? Because he is so full of joy, it is overflowing. He is so full of love, it is overflowing. His actions are a result of His love and joy.

When you are full of fear and hate and bitterness, you seek to share it. When you are full of love, joy, and peace,you share that too. And when you get grafted into the vine that is love, joy, and peace.....you can't help it. That becomes who you are.

Being a Christian is being free from status. What would it matter if I exchanged one activity I enjoyed for one I will enjoy even more? This would be the case for a Christian transitioning from engineering to full time missions. I believe a man I greatly respect once said, missions exist because worship doesn't. Worship is the goal of the church, not missions. Paraphrasing alot but, he goes on to say: because God is ultimate, not man. Whether I'm a slave, free, engineer, nurse, ditch digger, or whatever else - it is for worship. For joy. For the life I have in Christ. Missions is just one more role - but a temporary one like all the others. Preacher is temporary, because Jesus is our true shepherd. Engineer is temporary, because by Christ all things were made. Whatever role He puts us in, He is highest, not our role. He has called us to only one thing, to worship Him forever. The rest is just the details."

The Power of Proper Identity: Ministers of Reconciliation

2 Cor 5:18-20 – “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”

We must get the idea of a higher calling out of our collective minds. It is misleading and destructive to the pursuit of the Lord and hearing His voice in obedience. It puffs up if we receive what we feel is higher, and it casts down if we receive what we feel is lower. A higher calling alludes to a lower calling with lower standards…but there is only one standard: Christ. Therefore, there is no higher calling than to Christ Himself by Christ Himself. And if you call Jesus your Savior, you have received the highest calling, and one shared with everyone who calls Jesus Lord.

This calling is into full-time ministry, for we are ministers of reconciliation. At different points in my life, I have considered what is commonly referred to as “full-time ministry,” at times being very much unattracted to such a life and at times being very attracted. I have wanted to give my full life to Jesus so thoroughly, such that all that I do and every ability with which He has gifted me is to serve Him and His purposes, and to do this in a way that feels impossible or at least very hindered in a common “secular” job. And tonight I am convicted more than ever of my error in thought within the aforementioned framework.

I have heard it preached and have nodded my head in agreement with numerous others who sincerely follow Christ that we are all in full-time ministry, right where we are. But I challenge you as I challenge myself: how well are you attending to that calling and do you really believe it in your heart? Is it your identity or a side-gig that you continually wish was more dominant, but never seems to be preeminent?

I want to challenge our spiritual world views. When you view your head pastor and others such as John Piper, Francis Chan, or Billy Graham; or going back in time, Oswald Chambers, Charles Spurgeon, or Martin Luther; or even going back to Peter and Paul…when you view them in your mind, do you hold them higher? I certainly do. These are amazing and inspiring men after God’s heart and dedicated with lives that some even laid down both in the spirit and in final bodily death. Men who are mentors, if by their words and examples only, on whom Jesus has built His church. Men who fit together in the sentence above…a sentence that we wouldn’t dare place our names within and alongside these names. But what if you did? Peter, Paul, [Your Name]. How does that sound? I chuckle as I think, “Terribly inadequate or terribly and misguidedly prideful.” The truth is that we should never place our own names there. In fact, we should seek to have no separate set-apart list whatsoever. The reason is that we have all received the same call from Jesus: “Come, follow me,” and since then have been commissioned as ministers of reconciliation. Peter, Paul, [Your Name], ministers of reconciliation and disciples of Christ. What a privilege to be called as such…a privilege because of the nature of the blessed gift of the calling that we could never deserve, not because of the uniqueness of it, for we share it with every soul throughout time who calls Jesus Lord.

Too often we look at our new lives in Christ as adaptations of our old lives. We see where the call to be ministers of reconciliation fits into our day-jobs and lives as they have always been. We are set free to live a new life, yet we don’t. The truth is that for the newfound in Christ, there is no adaptation of the old life…the old life must die and a new life be erected in its place. This means that every framework of self that I have believed, every way that I perceive the world and my fellow-man, my every purpose and desire, is transformed into nothing less than Christ Himself. In Christ alone am I to know my identity, in Christ alone am I to perceive the world and fellow-man, and in Christ alone is my every purpose and desire. And therefore, any circumstance that lies before me is quite secondary to my identity in Christ. Any job or calling by which I am the hands and feet of Christ is quite secondary to the calling as a full-time minister of reconciliation. This may seem elementary or it may not, but how easily we get it squarely backwards! We try to build Christ into our frameworks that are external to Him. We try to fit the ministry of reconciliation into our lives, as if God was saying, “Will is a chemical engineer. How can I now work the ministry of reconciliation into that job?” God is not saying that, although I am prone to. Quite oppositely, as a believer in Christ, we have been called to the ministry of reconciliation since the foundation of the world.

1 Peter 1:20-21 – “He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you 21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”

Eph 1:4 – “…just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love…”

Thus we see the Word of God paring up the commissioning as ministers of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18-19) with Christ who was foreordained from the foundation of the world to reconcile us to Himself (1 Pet 1:20-21, Eph 1:4); therefore, our commission as ministers of His reconciliation is most certainly present from the foundation of the world. And therefore, it is preeminent over anything that you or I have become, learned, or have been gifted with. And so we must take on the new view in truth that our current circumstance, whether a job or otherwise, is a subset of the ministry of reconciliation, both in importance and in time. That means that what is commonly referred to as “full-time ministry” is also a subset of this same call to be ministers of reconciliation. In this we see the peer-to-peer brotherhood among all who are ministers of reconciliation, whether they serve in the church, on the mission field, at the office, or in the home.

The first misunderstanding that we have in our identity is that our primary calling is to any particular service or purpose...our primary calling is simply to Jesus Christ Himself, in the solitude of our hearts before Him. The second misunderstanding we have in our identity is placing the subset above the superlative office…i.e. placing any “full-time” ministry or “secular job” above the ministry of reconciliation to which we have been called. The final misunderstanding of our identity that I want us to examine is that one subset is higher than the other…which turns out to often be the result of the first and second misunderstandings. If our secular jobs or works in ministry were indeed our superlative calling and the ministry of reconciliation was but a subset of that calling, then there certainly would be a difference…for the observation is that much more reconciliation to Christ is happening in these works of ministry than in the common, secular workplace. But even in this misunderstanding, we have placed the value on the ministry of reconciliation itself after all, judging between the two callings, “secular” vs. “works of ministry,” by their fruit. In any case, we can more easily begin to see that the first calling was to Jesus Himself, being commissioned as ministers of reconciliation…a calling that we each share and that dominates our shared identities. Therefore, there is absolutely no difference in the height or greatness of the callings that lie in the subset…only a difference in obedience. Let us note that often the reason for attributing one calling as consistently higher than the other is that we perceive greater obedience to the call of reconciliation ministry within the works of traditional ministry. Oh, but what our world might look like if we took the same sold-out passion and love for Christ into our secular jobs! The fruit of the harvest that we could reap! This is where the droves of the lost reside, and we have been given access to the front lines of the battles over their souls, having greater contact with these than many of their closest family members and friends (how many people do you spend 40+ hours with each week?).

So what is the conclusion? Firstly, that there is one, singular calling to Christ, which is manifested in full-time ministry of reconciliation. Second, that this is manifested in numerous ways, for the Spirit gifts as He pleases (1 Cor 12:11). Thirdly, that all specific endeavors, works, and sub-callings are subsets of the calling to the ministry of reconciliation, and we need not consider that one calling is greater than another, such consideration being futile, elusive, and even destructive. And finally, that we cannot measure the greatness of the calling by the level of obedience of the multitude in that calling: Firstly, because we have examined that in principal, the callings are the same in necessity and value, though different in means; and secondly, by what means can we determine that one calling is greater than the other? We might better judge obedience, but even in that, we have difficulty seeing clearly the spec in another’s eye, due to the plank in our own.

I encourage you, I challenge you, I implore you: heed your calling. It is as magnificently great as it is common, the calling as a minister of reconciliation. As Christ dominates our identity, this ministry dominates our daily works. There is no greater calling than to Christ Himself. There is no greater blessing on this earth. There is no greater joy. And there is no escaping the full-time ministry of reconciliation as a follower of Christ, for to follow Christ is to minister to each other of reconciliation with Him. There are different ministry methods, but one ministry of reconciliation. May the Lord continually call you to Himself, and bless you abundantly in your personalized, yet shared calling as a minister of reconciliation. Amen.

*This post was inspired by current events in my life, as usual, as well as the first two chapters in "The Cost of Discipleship," by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a book that I most highly recommend.*