Pile On The Burdens?...

Many of you may know by now, and by many, I mean the 3 or 4 of you who are up to date on this blog, that the university that I was primarily ministering to has been closed. It is a lengthy explanation as to how a university can just shut down and send 16,000 students home mid-semester, but I believe the expression, This Is Africa, will suffice. Things don't always make sense, and sometimes it makes even less sense to ask questions... It is just a stalemate of cultures. I can't understand the logic behind it, and they can't figure out why I can't rationalize closing a school. 

So, this has resulted in a little confusion as to exactly what we are supposed to. I had gotten very comfortable in my routine ministering to students on campus. At times, feeling extremely  proud of the things that God had done in and through our team. It was exciting, and some of it happened so fast that it is a blur of about 4 weeks of fantastic ministry. But, with the closing of the university, I lost all of my relationships and any contacts that I had. So, "Where to now?" This is the question I have been asking myself for a few days. "What to do with the next 3 weeks?" 

In retrospect, I had a ton of passion for the students on campus about 5 weeks ago. I would get up each day, and sit down with the Lord and plan my day. I would get all ready to attack that campus with the Word of God; and I did. It was really exciting, and as I said, I got into a bit of a routine with it. It was great, and I think a lot of people were impacted with and for the gospel; I also met some great guys and got to disciple some guys who were new believers. All well and good right?

However, it is going to be little different for the next three weeks. I am getting the feeling that it is going to be much less relational and much more keeping your nose to the grindstone, and hitting the streets with the gospel. Although, the prospect of a new focus is exciting, what that entails will, I am sure, not be so easy. 

I have been reading through the sermon on the mount lately; reading it once, sometimes more than that each day trying to glean as much as I can from those radical words. Trying to square this challenging message with other things that Jesus said, and trying to see where I fit in all of these sermons while in Dar es Salaam. I wish it was simple enough to say that all of the things that Jesus tells us to do in Matthew 5 and 6 were suggestions for us, but He is God. He doesn't offer us suggestions. He offers us truth; commands. All of this seems to point to one thing. If you were unfortunate enough to hear me preach at Central before I left, you heard this. But as I look at the teachings of Jesus, I see that God is concerned with my relationship with Him, and my relationships with my neighbors. We are to constantly be reaching up to God, and simultaneously reaching out to people. They are inseparable. Read Matthew 23:37-38. 

So, lately, I have really been praying for a burden for the lost around. Although my focus will change a little bit, there is still a ton of lostness around it. I know that it is crazy to ask for burden, but it is a fitting word. According to the apple dictionary, a burden, is an especially heavy load; a duty that causes hardship. If you have ever ready The Pilgrims Progress, this makes 2 or 3 references on this blog to that book, the main character, Christian, arrives at the Cross, and he is loosed of the burden that had been a strain on him thus far. It is a beautiful image of the way that Christ relieves us of the burden of sin. With all this in mind, it seems crazy to pray for a burden. But that is what it will take. Although the need to be burdened for the lost around me is ever present, the desire is not. I think it is a prayer that all believers need to pray continuously, but it is hard. It is one of those costly prayers. It will demand action and radical obedience. 

This was long and drawn out, but I want to leave you all with a question to think about. I only do this, because I am thinking about it too. Keeping in mind I am always dealing with my own sin, I want to pose this question. What would my world look like if I was genuinely and wholeheartedly burdened for those who are dead around me? Not the whole world, just my little cluster of interactions that I call "my world". What would it look like if I was consumed by an unquenchable desire to see lost people come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Sometimes it seems like I am the lost one... not "them". It seems like sometimes I, being "found", could not be more lost. I am the one who has the task clearly before me, but I wander around- aimless, like I have no direction when in fact, I CARRY THE MOST WONDERFUL NEWS THE WORLD COULD FATHOM. I need to be burdened. We all do. 

Please pray for our team to finish well. We have 17 days until be go to debriefing; 21 until we are home. Thank you for all of your prayers- from the beginning of this journey up to now I am so grateful for them. 

Peace,

Joel

It's Stinkin Oppressive

Recently, I was able to catch up with a dear friend that I haven't seen or communicated with in nearly two years. It was just an email or two, but it was enough to see that when the Lord blesses us with friendships and relationships, and they are from Him, it is a beautiful thing. In the brief message that I received, it was clear that God had ordained this time and this conversation. 

Lately, I have been thinking and reading a lot about prayer. Last week, I read these words from John Bunyan, author of The Pilgrim's Progress, arguably the best allegory of the Christian faith ever written (who would actually argue that I don't know). He said, 

"Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, 

a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan."

-John Bunyan

So with these words somewhere in the back of my head, for some reason I had the desire to contact this long lost friend. He, obviously was unaware of my recent thoughts on prayer, but nevertheless, he gave me these words- not necessarily in this context, but this phrase is exactly as it appeared in that message-  "...[if] one doesn't have a spirit of prayer, then its stinkin oppressive."

How true! Over the last two weeks, I have been praying, to be a better pray"er". I had been thinking on the fact that so often I offer God cheap prayers, but I want to be known as one who prays costly prayers. I am reminded of Cain and Abel's sacrifices. God didn't want Cain's. They both gave sacrifices; they both gave the best they had, but God said that it wasn't enough, and that it would not do. It was not a blood sacrifice. It was not as costly; and the cost of sin was very high.

I am still praying to be a better pray''er''. It is hard. honesty is hard; But it is good. I would encourage all of you who read this, to consider your prayer life. I have considered mine, and it is rather cheap. I shudder to think that I have been living my Christian life thus far offering, almost exclusively, cheap prayers to a most high God. The God who gave us everything, is He not worthy of the most costly prayers from the deepest groaning of our souls?

This blog was a joy to write for two reasons. I got to write about some of the things that I am learning and God is teaching, but I also got to share how God works through others in our lives. To my friend, if you read this, it has been a while, but God has not stopped using you to impact my life. It is my hope that I am impacting others half as much as you have impacted me. Thank you brother.

Peace,

Joel