Our God is a God who Saves

I am so excited about Jesus right now.

Jesus said, "Follow me." THAT is the challenge of all challenges. It's almost a dare. I have spent the last few months not understanding why following Jesus was so hard. I mean...I have always known that it wasn't easy, but for some reason it was so hard to even get the motivation to want to follow Him and seek God. But tonight I sat with some amazing people who spoke so much truth into my heart. They reminded me...NO...the Spirit reminded me that if I want God, I have to remember who I am as a sinner and who God is as God. The gap between us and God is so huge and undeniably large that we truly TRULY cannot comprehend it. And once we grasp even just a little bit how wide that gap is...it is then that we can truly desire and seek God because He is God and not just so we can feel better about ourselves. It is when we understand that gap that we remember the task we have been given.

But it is that very task that overwhelms me right now. The church as been given the task to be Christ's ambassadors in a fallen world. I have failed the church and thus failed to focus on my task on a daily basis. I'm not getting legalistic or doubting the extent of God's love for me or the fact that it's by grace, through faith that I have been saved. I'm not saying we have failed to complete the task because our task still lies fresh ahead of us. I am saying that we have forgotten our task and how GREAT it is. The harvest...the PLENTIFUL harvest is all around us and we often choose to spend hours upon hours of our day [insert somewhat useless activity here] instead of acknowledging God or the task He has given me. Again...I'm not getting legalistic. I once heard a pastor say something like "...you don't have to be a radical missionary who drops everything and goes across the world...just make your life make sense with what you believe in the Bible."

The Gospel is a 2000 year old story that still transforms the hearts and minds of man. It's as powerful today as it was when Jesus ascended into heaven after his bodily resurrection and the disciples realized their task to proclaim the good news to all as Jesus commanded. God is still who He was when he created the earth and all in it. Unfortunately, overtime, we (the Church) has forgotten those things and forgotten the Gospel's power. We've forgotten who it is about. I am amongst that population. The result of our forgetfulness is an undefined and separated body. I'm not talking about denominations. I'm talking about the Church as a whole. TRUE worshippers and disciples of Christ. Denominations do not and CANNOT define who we are as Christians. Jesus defines who we are. Christian culture does not define who we are. JESUS does. And who are we? We are AMBASSADORS of the Gospel. We are the light of the world. We represent who God is and what He has done and will keep doing. As the church, we hold an unstoppable and unbreakable bond that can deter and defeat all pain, conflict, separation and enemies...especially the enemy. Our bond defeats everything that stands in the way of our purpose because God holds it together. Yahweh, LORD, Creator and Maker of all...He holds it together. Despite what the world says, I believe I am/we are a part of a generation that stands up for others and not just ourselves. Yes, we are all self-indulgent, prideful and live somewhat "safe" lives. But I have hope for our generation. In August, Campus Crusade sent 400 young adults to the world to be missionaries. Can you imagine what the numbers are when you add all the other people who are choosing to follow Jesus into the mission field? Every year, these numbers rise. I have no numbers and no real reasons except for why more laborers are being sent other than the fact that Christ is real. God is real. The Gospel is real. Being a disciple is real.

Because the faithful servants who have gone before us have prayed for us to rise up...we became disciples. Those faithful servants went to the nations, into their workplaces, educational institutions and streets and proclaimed the Gospel. We are not a new church...we are not a 'modernized' church...we are the same church that the book of Acts is about. But because we separate ourselves and set them on a pedestal, we don't realize that we are ONE. One mind. One body. One church. No walls. Ephesians 4:3-7 says

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope

when you were called--one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.

This is why it says: "When he ascended on high,

he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men"

Hebrews 12:1-3 says

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,

let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles,

and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,

who for the JOY SET BEFORE HIM endured the cross,

scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men,

so that you will not grow weary and lose heart"

Remember Jesus so you don't grow weary and lose heart. Remember our God. Abiding in Christ means you take hold of every one of Jesus' words every second of every moment of every day and don't let go. It means you count all you have as loss compared to the joy of knowing Christ. It means you run in a way to win the prize. The prize is Jesus. Don't become numb to the truth that God gave His Son for YOU. In your deepest moment of shame, Jesus died for you (Romans 5:8). The Gospel isn't just something we preach because we're Christians. We preach it because it gives true and real life. Walk in this truth every day.

REMEMBER our task to Love God and then love people.

REMEMBER that He has saved His people.

...most of all...

REMEMBER who God is.

REMEMBER that He gave His Son.

I'm ready to run. Please run with me! I challenge you reading this right now to RUN. FIGHT. GO. SEND. PRAY. ABIDE. LOVE. SEEK and SAVE the LOST.

I see revival. And souls are searching. Big things are happening and we have the chance to be a part of it. The time is now.