awaken humanity

(December 8th, 2006)

so erwin is doing a series called “awaken humanity” for the month of december. if you have access to itunes, i would advise you to download his podcast. it’ll rock your world.

just a few gold nuggets from last week:

make a better life for those not yet born. create the future.

the passages used were Ecc. 1:9-10, Isaiah 43:14-, Luke 1:26-

what you remember is who you will become – if all you remember is the hurt … you’ll become bitter. if what we remember is compassion … we’ll serve others in the same manner.

when God is trying to do something new, it pushes us to the edges of our faith.

give yourself away. make it your life’s goal to make someone else’s life better. decide that today is the day you will be remembered.

ask God to haunt you with the possibilities of greatness … to rise up a people against compromise.

after leaving the mayan that night, i decided i was going to start then. i wasn’t going to waste any time. so nate, dee and i went to wendy’s (where everyone starts when they decide they want to awaken humanity). this may sound crazy, but we were hungry and needed our nutrients before taking on the evil around us. before we even sat down, our mission began. a beggar approached us asking for money to buy groceries for his family. i told him that we were about to eat, but that if he would wait 30 minutes, we would take them shopping.

he left.

“it worked,” i thought. i’m off the hook … now i can eat my frosty in peace.

then he came back … with his wife. they sat outside and waited.

we finished our meal and went outside to introduce ourselves.

“this is it.”

he trusted us to keep our word, came back, and now i’m stepping into a divine moment.

with my two good friends next to me and our new friends loading up the grocery cart for their family, i found myself still trying to answer the question that has been at the forefront of my mind for about a week. a question that has propelled me to serve with my bare hands, yet find a disconnect in my verbal conversations with God. a question that has even made me wonder who i’m trying to connect with in my times of worship:

why should they believe in Jesus?

why should I believe in Jesus? …. nothing instantly comes to mind worth repeating …

it’s all church speak.

crap.

if i can’t explain why i believe, how to i communicate to them why they should believe?

so, we paid for the groceries and headed for the door. the man asked us to give his wife a ride to their apartment in a run-down motel about 7 blocks away. we said good-bye after a car ride full of laughter and merged onto the freeway that would lead us back to our lives so contrary to their present reality.

i felt no tinge of pride or sense of accomplishment, only a sense of responsibility that seemed to be inherent to my soul. i walked away knowing that’s what i should have been doing this whole time – sacrificing myself so that they could have a better life.

the next day, i found myself determined to move in a direction of greatness. as i sat at my desk, making preparations for my trip to india with chapman, i decided to approach my boss with an idea i had been contemplating since he had been on vacation. i asked him if i could coordinate a service project with an orphanage in india in order to help raise awareness of the AIDS crisis as well as raise interest in the possibility of our prospective international MBA students using their degrees to ignite social change. he loved it.

i’m on my way to india in a few months and will be working with students who have a desire to impact humanity through their talents and ambition to create a better world for those around them.

insanity.

am i really in the process of leaving my mark?

i’m becoming increasingly aware of my role in this world. will He become famous through these acts? i hope.

before that happens, i’m hoping to be able to answer that scary question of why should others believe in Jesus. as i read An Unstoppable Force, i’m coming across some scary truths. i’ve become aware that the gospel, even with unbelievers, has been built on the assumed authority of the Scriptures. the majority of my experience with divinity and evangelism has been, not among unbelievers, but focused on receivers – people who already accepted my world views.

ugh.

so now i’m in a position where i live in a city that is home to more than 10 million people. all nations are represented within this one county that i now call my home. no longer is there a church on every corner. no longer does my oikos consist of 96% believers 4% unbelievers. i’m now surrounded by people who are hindu, Buddhist and muslim and i’m trying to figure out how i live a life that captivates these beautiful people – who, by the way, are more spiritual than i and who are doing more to elevate human suffering than i – to wanting to be a follower of Christ.

taking that thought a bit further … where do i send them if they decide to follow Christ? here me out on this one … and if you’re easily offended, you may want to stop reading – the church, as we know it, isn’t exactly notorious for forward motion. even though it’s growing, it’s not exactly thriving. the world is changing so rapidly, yet the church lags behind in its efforts to be relevant. (i could have been WAY more harsh … but that’s just a waste of energy right?)

i’ve decided that since i can’t answer that question yet, i’m just going to keep serving without talking. there is no way to articulate why i’m a follower of Christ. i’ve learned that i’m far to immature in my faith to be able to communicate that basic theological foundation of my belief system to someone who doesn’t already believe that the Scriptures hold power.

instead, i am adopting a few Scriptures to keep me moving in a forward motion without getting hung up on this detail … habakuk 1:5 (He is going to do something in our day that we would not believe even if we were told … and i believe i will be used in that movement) james (if we know what is right and don’t do it, it’s sin) isaiah 61 (he has anointed me to brings good news to the afflicted, to bind the brokenhearted, and proclaim victory and liberty to captives and prisoners. they will repair ruined cities … the desolation of many generations) isaiah (i will not keep silent – i think this was written for me – i will clear the way for the people)

for now, a few things are on my plate. the homeless, india - orphans with AIDS, find God in my ridiculous questions, children of prisoners, and awakening humanity for the greatest movement of his Spirit in human history.

i’m being forced to engage in a battle i’ve been afraid to fight. here i go …