RAK

            My third and final MAJOR thought I came away from the missions’ trip was that people are curious/suspicious of free.

            Now, I don’t mean the type of free that isn’t really free because of a few strings attached that will come back and bite the person later kind of free. No, I mean literally free.

            One thing I learned about New Yorkers is that they are suspicious of everything and everyone. I personally believe that all Americans can be like that; however, this trait is particularly noticeable in New York.

            A few friends and I went to a street corner and started handing out free coffee and free water. Literally. Now, you would expect lines wrapping around the city full of people who really wanted some free stuff, right? Right?

            Just kidding. People would stare at us like we were aliens. Someone even remarked, “You guys must’ve poisoned that stuff.” People generally ignored us.

            Let me back up a little. The focus of this post wasn’t on those poor mislead (suspicious) people, or even on the American trait of being suspicious of everything. That was more of an observation.

            No, the focus of this post is on the few (curious) people who did stop. Some cocked their heads. Some smiled. They would ask, “What is this all about?” while we would respond, “Nothing much, just serving the community.”

            Random acts of kindness (RAK). That gets to people in a way that nothing else will. We could’ve been doing ANYTHING other than standing out there in the (relative) cold, handing out free stuff. We were being nice for no other reason than wanting to love those around us.

            This should be the mark of the Church as a whole and of the Christian as an individual. Picking up litter, helping nursing homes, ministering to those whom the majority ignores. The Church can and should be a leader in this area.

            Random acts of kindness can break through the hardest of hearts. As someone who is theologically/philosophically minded, that can be hard to admit. While the truth affects some, love affects all*.

            When was the last time you did something nice for someone for no real** reason at all?

*Now, this love will spur people to find out about the truth behind it. However, as an introduction to Christianity, love (RAK) often is more effective than a philosophical conversation.

**By real, I mean with no personal agenda behind it.

Depart from Me: Answered Prayer

            I asked God, “Okay, so I know you can hear me. I’ve read all about it in the Bible. Is there any way I can know you are listening?”

            As I sat there, completely dejected, a friend came down to help see what I was up to (more like down to). I told this person a little bit about what I was feeling. I’ll never forget what she said.

            “My dad and most of my family isn’t saved. I used to cry all night long and for several days I was depressed. But I learned something. God is good.” Then she left.

            Now, I’d been listening the entire time, but the ending is what truly hit me.

            In my position, I won’t know or understand everything. I don’t completely understand why people have to go to Hell (of course, I get the whole “we rebelled from God and He has to punish us". I’m talking understand with my heart, not my brain).

            However, God is good. I can hold onto that even when my mind isn’t satisfied. I am a finite being; God is infinite. I won’t understand God because that is impossible in my human position. Goes with the job description, I guess.

            God answered my prayer. Though I still hate Hell, I understand that it is not God who wanted people to go there. God is good, and He is just. His goodness is the reason why I, a wretch beyond compare, am saved.

Depart from Me: Despair

            One night on the missions trip (I took a couple weeks ago), God moved me in a way I’ve never been moved before. As I was praying with my Christian brothers and sisters, a wave of grief hit me that I can’t adequately describe.

            You see, during the prayers I’d been lifting up a friend who KNEW Christianity was true. He knew it, however (in his words thru text), he just wanted to “flush it down the toilet.” At the same time he admitted he knew the Gospel was the truth.

            While I was praying for this young man, the words “I never knew you, depart from me” (Matthew 7:23) entered my head and refused to leave. For the first time this verse hit me. Words do not do justice to the pain and the sorrow I felt during that night. Supreme emptiness.

            If my friend died now, he would go to Hell. As Christians, we don’t like thinking about it. We like thinking about OUR eternity, but others?

            After the prayers ended, my brothers and sisters went to the dining room to eat and fellowship. I could not; I felt terrible. I went to our sleeping area and kept crying.

            I cried out to God, “People are going to Hell. Do you know that? Do you care? Do you love (the man I was praying for)? Can you hear me? WHERE ARE YOU?!?!”

            I could not reconcile Hell with the fact that people God created and loved will spend eternity there. How can this be?

            “Depart from me,” Jesus will say. People will be looking into those sad eyes; they will collapse in tears and despair. There will be no joy or peace where they go. No hope. No life.

           As I was by myself, the words “depart from me” would not leave. I felt an ache I’d never felt before. An emptiness, a hopelessness.

New York Missions Trip: We Are Family

            “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren…” (KJV)

            That is what John writes in the beginning of I John 3:14*. And we miss it.

            Badly.

            I recently went on a missions trip to Nueva York (New York) to a church that actually got it right. I went there and was astounded. They loved each other.

            For the next couple of posts, I’ll take a break from talking about the various world-views and focus on where I spent a week (and what I learned).

Whoa

            I grew up in a military home. We moved around a lot, so i was able to see many churches. They generally were the same. Come on Sunday, sing a lot, hear a lot (or a little), and leave (quickly). Afterwards I would observe people, and they generally made a b-line for the door. I always had a vague notion that something was wrong with this picture.

            It wasn’t until I went on this missions trip where my vague notion turned into a concrete belief.

            Churches in America have it wrong. We’ve missed the boat.

            Over the missions trip I kept thinking of I John 3:14. How do we know we are saved? Because we love each other. Love. Each. Other.

            For the first time I saw this in practice. I saw a church body that actually loved each other. They wanted to be around each other. They were a family. They lived this verse.

What Happened?

            America happened, really. We’ve been bred to be independent (self-dependent). The mindset of actually needing someone other than yourself is alien to American Christians.

            Contrast this to believers overseas. They need each other. Desperately. They need encouragement, support, food, water, teaching, etc. They love each other because they realized how blessed they are to HAVE family. For that is what they are, family.

            But in America, we keep everything compartmentalized. Never let weakness show. Never let people in on the pain and suffering in your life. Must. Never. Show. Weakness.

            How does this affect worship and the fellowship of Christians? We view each other with suspicion and estrangement. What’s in it for me? What can I get out of church and expending energy in friendships? You mean I have to invest myself in another person’s life? But that’s messy!

            Contrast that with Paul’s words to the Thessalonians (I Thessalonians 2:8):

            “So being AFFECTIONATELY desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were DEAR unto us.”

            If you read the Thessalonian epistles, it’s basically a love letter between Paul and the church in Thessalonica. He LOVED them, and it showed. “Affectionate” is a word we don’t use a lot anymore, but it evokes thoughts of “aww” and “thinking of you all the time” type words. “Dear” is another word we don’t say very much (though we write it) , but it has the same feel.

            Christianity in America is dying. We are becoming Europe, which took the plunge centuries ago. Reasons for this abound, but one of them is the fact that we don’t stand for each other. We don't stick together. We look at a fellow believer and ask, “What in the world is she wearing?” We see a fellow Christian and ask, “How’s the weather?”

            We don’t love. I see you and I should see a brother or sister. I should see someone that I need to protect. Defend. Fight for.

What Do We Do?

            1) We have to recognize that there is a problem. Humans love to ignore problems and hope they go away. No. In this case, the problem won’t go away. We will.

            2) Become involved in each other’s lives. Johnny has a soccer game? Invite some fellow brothers and sisters to watch. Going to the movies? See if anyone else wants to go (just try to avoid “third wheel” situations. Not fun). Just meet up with people for no other reason than just wanting to talk (yes, that came from a guy).

            This step is very practical. Get creative.

            3) Go on missions trips! See what we are blessed with so that when you come back, you’ll be changed.

            4) Pray and ask God to open up doors to those close to you. Sometimes it can be tough when you live a half hour from your church building, so see if there are Christians in your neighborhood (or interest group) and get together.

Conclusion

             I could’ve gone on forever in any of the sections above. I’m very passionate about this particular aspect of Christianity. “Double Back” by Flame (a Christian rapper) is the basic thought behind this post (if you can't follow the rap, here are the lyrics).

             The simple conclusion is that Christians do not love each other today. There are exceptions, but I’m not talking about those. I’m guilty of it, too. I don’t know how many times I’ve talked with other believers and viewed them as necessary evils (just deal with them long enough until I can do something else).

            The Father loves Jesus. Jesus loves us. We are to love others. A passage sums this up (John 15:12-13):

            “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

            “Greater love hath no man this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (KJV)

            Jesus loved us, and we are nothing of worth. Surely we can love those equal to us, right? The ultimate show of love is laying down our lives for our friends. We are family.

*The other part of the verse is “He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.” I refrained from allowing myself to write about that section of the verse. I would’ve gone ballistic and things wouldn’t have been pretty. Just think of James 2:20, and my post would’ve resembled that tone the whole way through. With a few exclamation points.