Missions = building relationships

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19 (ESV)

            Growing up this was the verse that honestly scared me the most, mostly the first part. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” That was because it convicted me. It convicted me because I was not telling others about Jesus Christ at all. From what I thought of this verse I needed to go to other countries and tell them about Jesus. Or I had to preach about Jesus in my high school at lunchtime or in my classrooms. But if I was truly smart I would know and realize that any fear we have it can be refuted in the Bible or with prayer time. God knew my fears of this verse and has now decided to give me the wisdom to see what this verse really means to me.

The context of this verse is that Jesus had risen and was now going to ascend into heaven. As Jesus is ascending into heaven He says “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19. These were his LAST parting words with his disciples…did you get that His LAST parting words. Jesus could have said anything to them, but He chose these words. He chose these words because they are the most important. Go and make disciples meaning go and bring people to be followers of Jesus. You might be reading that verse and saying NOPE not doing it, I can’t go out in the world and talk about Jesus. They are going to think I am crazy. That is what I thought too, but now a year later from when I decided to follow Jesus again, I can now say making disciples is not that hard. Although I am only a baby in my faith I am not that scared anymore. It is actually pretty easy and you probably do it already but do not even know it. But I will explain why I think it is pretty easy.

            I am lucky enough to be a part of a college ministry called Chi Alpha where God has taught me a lot. Through this past year God knew I needed a body of believers to surround me with love to survive and He graciously gave me Chi Alpha. But through Chi Alpha I got to go to a retreat called SALT, which was four days full of God time and knowledge. On one of the days I got to learn about missions and how it applies to us today. We went through Luke 10, which I recommend going through and analyzing each sentence. But through this session I learned that all that when Jesus says “Go therefore and make disciples”  he means just build a relationship with them that glorifies Him. For that is what “missions” means…to make a relationship with someone. I don’t mean a romantic relationship; I mean a friendship with someone.  Think about it what do you do when you make a friend? You get to know them. You find out what they are interested in and they find out what you are interested in. You talk about life: past, present, and future. It doesn’t have to mean that you have to evangelize at them, although you could and that would be fine too. But it can just be talking with them and through those discussions they will see your love for them and see your passion for Jesus. What do you think missionaries do in other countries? They build relationships with people and the culture so they can eventually talk about their faith and their love for Jesus.
            If you don’t believe me look at the biggest missionary of all time…..Jesus Christ. Read the Gospels, follow his life…it is all about showing love to people and understanding them. Throughout Jesus’s ministry He healed people, talked to people one on one, preached to them, fed them, understood them, and loved them. Mark 8:1-10 talks about Jesus feeding people. Think about that today we could do that. We can get lunch with people or even have coffee date with them. How many coffee dates have you been on…what do you think you were doing... you were building a friendship.  In Luke 19:1-10 Jesus met with Zacchaeus, in John 3:1-15 Jesus met with Nicodemus, and in John 4:1-43 Jesus met with the Samaria woman at the well. Jesus met with these people and built a relationship with them so they could see the truth. We can easily do that with coffee or lunch.  With all of Jesus’s walks of ministry He showed love to all of the people no matter what. Jesus came to Earth to foremost be a sacrifice for us but to be an example for us to follow. So if He made relationships with people we should too. If He loved people we should also love people. For in John 13:34 Jesus says “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” I don’t know about you but in my opinion Jesus was a great missionary and we should follow his example.

            So missions doesn’t always mean that you have to preach on a pulpit or go to a different region of the world to bring people to Jesus, like I originally thought. It can though and those that do are truly amazing. But to me missions or making disciples means showing Jesus through my love for others or the coffee dates that I have with people, or the new friends I make in class. For if those people get to know you the way friendships normally do… it would be hard for Jesus not to shine through you to them.  So go make disciples in your classrooms, your work, your home, or even a different country. It isn’t that hard if you have Jesus on your side. Jesus called each one of us to do this and with His help we can do it, but ONLY with his help. He even says it in Matthew 29:19 “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Missions = building relationships

In Him 

Waiting for Life

           Life always seems to be about waiting. Waiting for the next step of life or the next season to come. The funny thing about waiting is that once we get to the step we wanted, we want another step in life. Seems we as humans are not content in who we are or where we are in life. Let me just say that I struggle with this as a human of the world and as a child of our Abba. 

            In life there is a lot of uncertainty in every single step of life. God never said it would be easy to follow him. He calls us to live by faith. “For we live by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 Can any of us really say every day we live by faith?   No, we usually tell God I am not happy in the step of life you have given me. God, when am I going to be out of this waiting period? I have asked God this all the time, until I got an answer. “If you keep doing this my child, you are going to miss out on the life I have given you now.” It shocked me to the core, just that little sentence from God.

            I don’t know about you, but once God gives me an answer about my future…I take off with it. I try to get there as soon as possible so everything is lined up and THEN I am certain I will be content. That is why that little sentence from God hit me so much. If we keep wishing for life, we are going to miss out on the life we already have. When it comes to planning for the future we cannot get ahead of God, for he is the ultimate maker of our plans! "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." -Proverbs 16:9

How can I be content in every step of my life?

            In Philippians 4:11-12 Paul writes “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”  Did you get that….”I can do all of this through him(God) who gives me strength.”

            Paul understood this that in every step and every season in his life, he KNEW God was with him. Paul later writes in that chapter that “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19. God would give him what he needed for that step in life.

Those of us who know Paul’s story would probably admire him for being an amazing servant for God, I know I do. Even though Paul was not content in his entire walk with God, he still served! He was still a servant of God and did what God called us to do; help His children to know Him and love Him.

            God knows our desires without asking us. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 Our Abba knows what we want in life, we just have to submit our wants to Him and he will make our paths right with those wants or not.  "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

To be Content in Life: Submit your wants to him; Live by faith knowing he has a better plan for us; serve him through out every season.

All of this is a daily struggle for myself but this is what I aim to do.

In Him

Lighthouse

On my way home this weekend I was thinking about lighthouses. This is what I came up with. Lighthouses are a sign to call boats home for safety; their bright lights are a beacon to the lost boats.  They are used to mark dangerous coastlines and to assist in navigation.

It reminded me of Jesus in a way. Jesus is our light to come home; he keeps us safe when we are lost. When we are in dangerous areas he shines his light as a beacon to us to get out. When we are in need of direction he assists us and brings us to our destination. Jesus is our lighthouse when we are lost.

Watch for His light to bring us out of trouble and bring us home safely.  

Trials we face

Trials, they can be such hard and painful processes in our lives. Some haven’t experienced them, others more than they care to talk about. Each one of us have our issues. From the first sin of Adam and Eve we have all had trials. Trials of all different kinds: death, poverty, physical pain, family hardship, broken hearts, sickness, ect. We all have our own trials to deal with. God didn’t promise it was going to be easy, living a life for him in this world.

“No one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted.” 1 Thessalonians 4:3.

So why are things so unfair or unjust? The truth is we are living in a universe that is occupied the “rebel”. C.S. Lewis said it perfectly in that we are living in an “Enemy-occupied territory—that is what this world is.” So it makes sense that we have trials, but why does God allow things trials?

God gave us a beautiful gift of free will, a choice to follow him with our actions or not. Since we chose a life of sin, we are destined to have trials for that choice. There are consequences to our actions and they are usually hard to deal with.

            Some of you know that recently I have had some family worries and troubles. These are and have been some of the scariest trials for me personally to go through. So on a side note, thank you so much for those of you who have been praying!

I am blessed with a family that loves each other deeply and are always there to help when it’s needed. So I thank God for that quality in my family. When I first was dealing with these trials I found myself questioning what is the BIG picture in this? I cried and still cry many times saying “I can’t deal with this trial on my own.” But the beauty of walking with God is that we aren’t alone in these trials and tribulations. “I have summoned you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. “Isaiah 43:1-2

I must admit that I am ashamed of my thoughts when I first heard about the news or trial of my family.  I wanted to say this isn’t fair, why are you doing this.  How could you do this? But I found that this reaction did nothing for my soul and my heart. So  my questions is what is the right reaction when trials come our way?

The best part is that He tells us what our reactions should be…in God’s letters to us…the Bible. “Dear, friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” 1 Peter 4:12-13 

The answer is so clear, REJOICE when you face trials. Yes I know this is easier said than done. But with His help you can do it. Just ask Him for help. Rejoice that He has entrusted this trial to you. It is funny, once I gave it to Him and gave thanks did my heart and soul find peace in my trial.

So when trials come your way GET your cry out, or cries out. Then move on by giving it to him.

In Him.

A Pursuable Woman

             It is funny that when we, women of God, come into contact with a Godly man we immediately think that that man is the man God has sent for them. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard other woman say this or have experienced it myself.  Once we think they are the one for us we watch them see how they react to things. Why do we do this? We constantly think about the future and the man we are to marry. It just so happens that is natural for us, for woman to feel like that. God said “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” Genesis If God said it, then its true…so we wait for him. We pray for him, write letters to him, and dream about him. We know exactly what we want from our man: God man, stable, leader, lover, friend, trustworthy…the list could go on and on.

            But have we ever thought about how we, as women have a role in this too when it comes to being suitable for our future man of God. So what would make us suitable to be pursued by our God man? The only place to go for answers is the Bible, for that is the only truly pure love story we have. For how are we to understand what love is without knowing God’s love? So in Proverbs 31:20 it writes “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised” So we should be women who fear and love the Lord above all else, above our looks and what we wear for that doesn’t matter. “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.  Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves.” “ 1 Peter 3: 4-5. For each one of us is “fearfully and wonderfully made” Psalm 139:14. So our beauty should be inward more than outward, for if we are women of God than we should care more about what God thinks of our inward beauty that what man thinks of our outward beauty.  Don’t get me wrong it is good to get dolled-up now and then but do it for the glory of our Creator.

            Sometimes I wonder how I can be a woman of God who puts aside the outward feelings of the world, but our Abba gave us examples to follow. They are in His love story that He wrote to us, the Bible. For it says in 1 Peter 3:5 “For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves.”  There is Sarah, Abraham’s wife, who had her faults but she was faithful and respectful to her husband and to God. Men feel loved when they are respected and she was a prime example of that. Then there was Rachel, Jacobs second wife, whom he waited for 14 years before she became his wife. Could you imagine being pursued for that long before marriage?  She must have been an amazing woman to be pursued for that long. Or how about Ruth who was so devoted to her mother in law, her friend that she never left her side. “Where you go, I will go.” Ruth 1:16 She was a true example of being devoted to someone whether it be her mother-in-law or not. These are just some examples of Godly women that we as women of today could follow.

            Even with all the examples of women, books, and stories we here we still have our doubts. Every so often I hear girls say their man will never come or that they wont be able to tell if that specific man is for them. But if we trust in God like he says we should, he will help us out. He never left the sides of Sarah, Ruth, or Rachel so why would He deny us, his children. Our God will put a spark in you and your future husband’s hearts for each other because of the love you both have for God. But it doesn’t hurt if we as women are preparing ourselves for our future and our future God man.

“A woman’s heart should be so lost in God that the man has to find God to get to her”

In Him 

Seeing God everywhere

Have you ever taken a minute out of your day to look at the wonders of God? God shows himself through His art. Just looking at a tree for instance or even a flower, did you know that both of these things defeat gravity. Gravity the thing that keeps us on the ground and not floating in the air. Those beautiful flowers and trees all have water going UP to survive, they defeat gravity. It is the little things that God does that show us parts of Him. Like why a caterpillar has 248 muscles in its head. Or things such as ice circles where a river bend will create enough force called a rotational shear. That rotational shear will break a chunk of ice off and will twist it around and grinding it making it a PERFECT circle. What are the point of these ice circles? Or why do we have so much force in our blood that if an artery broke it can squirt to about 30 feet. All these things plus many more add up to God’s beauty. None of those things could be done without God. That much detail into one caterpillar can only be done by a God who loves us enough to show us his wonders. His art speaks of himself, reflecting who he is and what he is like.  

Genesis 1:31 "God saw all that He had made, and it was very good."

In Him. 

Hosanna

I see the King of glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes, the whole earth shakes
I see His love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing, the people sing

Hosanna, hosanna
Hosanna in the highest 
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/h/hillsong_united/hosanna.html ]
I see a generation
Rising up to take the place
With selfless faith, with selfless faith
I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees, we're on our knees

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like You have loved me
Break my heart for what breaks Yours
Everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause
As I walk from earth into eternity




This song I have heard over and over again in my lifetime like many of you. But I have never actually read the words of the song until tonight. What an amazing song, I want to see the King of Glory coming from the clouds. I want to have a selfless faith that stirs others. To show love to others like God shows love to us. Walking daily from Earth to Eternity. 
"If you decide to take your salvation and calling seriously you will live as though Jesus died yesterday walked out of his grave today and is returning tomorrow." 


In Him 
Sarah Beth