How much is too much?

Jesus said there was a cost to following Him,He said there would be a cost in order for us to see the Kingdom of God established on earth but how far will that cost take us,how much will it require of us?

Recently I have been coming to grips with the reality of this truth,it will cost me something and  there is no such thing as too far or too much when it comes to serving God. After all if Jesus is our standard we should be willing to follow God unto death,shouldn't we? Its hard to hear but that is the reality of our faith.

I was reading the "Mark of the Lion" series by Francine Rivers and as I read this truly captivating story there was something that unsettled me to the core.It was one of her characters,a Jewish girl converted to Christianity,there was something almost offensive about her,and it was simply this...in the midst of her persecution she loved,she never spoke a harsh word to those who enslaved  and abused her,she loved her enemies..more than she loved herself and this love cost her her life.

It was offensive because deep deep deep somewhere inside of me there is a belief that "I have a right to be comfortable"  and this girl gave up all of her comforts for the sake of glorifying God.

I have been doing missions for about a year and a half now and I enjoy it,I really do.But it has cost me something,and I don't say this out of self pity or to make myself look good so just bare with me.I  have left behind whatever potential job my university degree could have gotten me,I have left behind my family my friends ..a sacrifice that brings me to tears on many a day,my culture...a warm climate ( possibly one of the greatest sacrifices),I laid down my rights to dress certain way, to eat a certain way etc etc Some days I don't feel like myself at all,who I have become is so foreign to who I used to be. But I die to self that Christ may be alive me.

God will never force me to do anything,He will not force me to continue in missions but He will present me with the truth and with the potential...He has opened  my eyes to the fields that are ripe for harvesting but now I'm wondering .. how far will I go to see those fields harvested.I am  coming to the end  ( two and a half months left) of my time here in South Africa and I miss home,I miss all that home represents: my independence,security,provision,I miss my family. 

The song below is a song I have sung  passionately on countless occasions,but if this is the cry of my heart there is one question    "how much am I willing to give to see these lyrics become a reality,how much am I willing to surrender so that 'Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven'

Because of who He is,whatever God asks me to forsake in the next couple months and years it can never be too much.

You said, Ask and you will receive    
Whatever you need
You said, Pray and I'll hear from heaven
And I'll heal your land

You said Your glory will fill the earth
Oh, Like water the seas
You said, Lift up your eyes
The harvest is here, the kingdom is near

You said, Ask and I'll give the nations to you
O Lord, that's the cry of my heart
Distant shores and the islands will see
Your light, as it rises on us

O Lord, we ask for the nations
O Lord, we ask for the nations
O Lord, we are asking for the nations

 

Evangelism 101

 OK let's try that again, Evangelism 101:

Step 1: Love God                                                                                   
Step 2: Love People
Step 3 Know that:God's love is not to force anyone into salvation
Step 4:Get in a car with a bunch of friends and hit the streets!!

Soooo I have  a huge confession...somehow,in all my 22 years,including a year and half in missions....I have never done street evangelism. Considering that I grew up in church that statement is probably borderline blashpemous..but its the truth,and I had no desire to do it.To me it always seemed,forced,awkward and archaic.But I think that's because I never really understood what evangelism was about,in my mind evangelism meant getting people saved and if you didn't have any salvations at the end of your outing you weren't really that effective...I  wised up a little but then I   still thought that evangelism meant chatting people up with an agenda. .to get the conversation on religion and ram Jesus down their throats.No wonder I didn't want to do evangelism.

But I've discovered a new meaning to  evangelism: presenting people with the love of God.And that could be a lot of things,a hot meal,a word of encouragement or a prophetic word,healing or a sidewalk deliverance..who knows? God knows what people need when you walk up to them.Its never been about the signs and wonders,not to God anyway...for us it can become all about the manifestations of God's power,so quickly forgetting that the only reason He does these things in the first place is because He loves us.

Last Friday our team set aside the day for doing evangelism,and of course  its always good to build up your faith before heading out..so we watch  the documentary/film " Furious Love"
Its the follow up to another film called "Finger of God" where the makers document miracles and supernatural "God encounters" from around the world. One of the points driven home was the fact that all of these wonderful things that happen are because of and motivated by God's love..it was amazing because no matter where they were,whether it was with people who were in prostitution or involved in the occult God's love never failed to deliver.Afterall its the kindness of God that leads us to repentence.( see Romans 2:4)

Needless to say after watching this we were sooo revved up,

OK so one team went to Cape Town ( my team) and the other to a nearby community. I won't go into all the details if not I would be writing forever but there were healings..and salvations.Me and my friend met with three muslims, two let us pray for them..with an understanding that we serve Jesus,the son of God not just a prophet.One of these muslims was a South African lady working in the flower market as we talked with her I felt to ask her if she had back pains,she didn't quite have back pains but she did have stiffness and pain in her left arm...so we prayed for her.Asked her how she felt after and...well her arm was good,she waved it around like she was doing a hip hop move.We smiled,laughed and  said goodbye.There was not a salvation no attempt to get her saved we just presented her with the love of God and who knows what will happen next time.




I think before I felt as though I always had to make something happen,manufacture a something out of nothing...but that is just stressful because the focus becomes about me and what i can do..which is not much. And at the same time loving people doesn't always mean that you have a "thus saith the Lord". I think effective evangelism is a combination of you stepping out: leaving your house,smiling at someone,saying hi and.. listening to what God has to say about a person,what can this person be encouraged with?do they need healing?

I'm still learning  but I said all of that to say...I like evangelism .

March Happenings

Beautiful Beginnings,Bethesda House takes off

Our open times at Bethesda have also been building momentum.. We haven’t fully arrived but our expectations for the future remain high. Each week we have had people  coming in off of the streets..and  even the neighbouring pub  who have been drawn by the presence of God...they don’t always  know that it is the presence of God drawing them but they come. One of the people I got to talk to during one of these times  was a man with a muslim background, however he was very accepting of Christians and what we were doing,.Unfortunately he didn’t believe there was any one way to God but the one thing he did say was that He felt the love when he came in to Bethesda house.

“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples”

                                                                                    John 13:34(NLT)

S-Cape Opens

After  a lot of prayer and anticipation our safe house ( S-Cape Home) has finally opened.

   We actually opened a week earlier  than we had planned due to  an emergency situation with one of  our women. After being rushed to the hospital for complications with her pregnancy she was then discharged with nowhere to go but back to the streets, When we found her back on the streets of Muizenberg the whole team shot into  action   and  moved her into the safe house with staff members taking turns staying in the house until we officially opened a week later.  It was a rocky start and  it was honestly a case of us being obedient to the vision God had given  us but despite our feelings of unpreparedness having our women move into the safe house was a huge milestone in our ministry and proof of God’s faithfulness to us.

And…….about two weeks later Hope gave  birth to her second son!!

 

This beautifully decorated  welcoming area of S-Cape.It may just appear to be a pretty room but for one of my coworkers this was he result of years of waiting on God to fulfill a word spoken to her while she was working as a missionary in the US. She has a passion for interior design  and God told her that some day she would be a part of decorating a safe house, right now this is part of her ministry..showcasing the love and beauty of God through furnishing and decorating the   home of trafficking victims.

It’s the combination of all our gifts that makes things happen.