Looking forward to the next six months can be an ominous experience. Sometimes we live with the fear that we are not exactly in the midst of Gods will. I don’t personally believe that we need six hours of teaching to know Gods will. Now that I think about it even this letter is overkill. Even my interpretation of the commands of Christ might be a distraction, and I might accidentally make them sound more complex than the simple truths that Christ taught us. It reminds me of the words of Soren Kierkegaard;
“The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obligated to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My, God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world? Yes, it is dreadful to be alone with the New Testament!”
There is a terrible imbalance to the world God created. Look around you! This earth is broken everywhere you look. Everything is broken…You are the balance. You are the Chosen ones to bring in Christ Kingdom! You ask your King what needs to be done and His response is so simple. “There is a lot wrong in the world, why don’t you do something about it.” He whispers it in your ear every day until you find ways and excuses to drown it out. After a while you don’t hear it at all anymore. You fill your life with all sorts of distractions, and eventually your life is less about what your king has commanded and ALL about you.
“There is a lot wrong in the world, why don’t you do something about it.” This command is simple, but it does have a few requirements. Faith that Christ would receive our simple acts of restoration. Hope the Christ would come soon and restore His Kingdom once and for al. Love that is endless and sacrificial. But there is something else. Something that could answer Christ’s prayer that he prayed in the garden; that His kingdom would come. Recklessness! The recklessness abandon of any weight that so easily entangle us. The pursuit of money has destroyed more of my friends than all other snares combined. It will numb you to the brokenness around you and the world will tell you that is a good thing. And that is dangerously similar to alcoholism or drug abuse. I know you are sick of me talking about this, and manu or you are rolling your eyes at this point, but I beg of you with all that is in me, guard your heart against greed.
“There is a lot wrong in the world, why don’t you do something about it.” God has given us gifts to accomplish this task. This most important gift we suppress most of the time, but it is the gift we must use at every stage of our life. Anger. Anger at injustice. To have a holy rage that people believe the lies that have been spread across the face of this earth. To rage against the powers that would abuse innocent children. To rage against the philosophy of self indulgence, and greed. To rage against a church that has abandoned her King. To rage against the abandoning of our elderly to be cared for by strangers. To rage against the exchange of money for sex, and money for happiness. To rage against drunkenness of any form. To rage against the lie that all women are not beautiful just the way they are. To rage when obese politicians talk about starving children from their banquet table. To rage when the poor are exploited by high interest loans and credit cards. To rage when war is glorified and peace declared a scandal. To rage when good children have no mother, and good mothers have no children. To rage when the cost of one day of war could pay for ten years of clean drinking water. To rage when so many have never heard about our loving King.
“There is a lot wrong in the world, why don’t you do something about it.” If you listen to those words you will not be confused about the future for long. When you ask Him what His will for your future is I doubt you will get the response you want. I am unsure if He really cares if you are in Africa of Boston. And I don’t think it matters if you are in ministry or not. Chili’s or Harvard, whatever. “There is a lot wrong in the world, why don’t you do something about it.”
I want you to meditate on this prayer for a few minutes. Then speak it out loud. Think about the orphaned and abused in your locations. Think about your families and friends, and all of the brokenness back home. And then pray this prayer again.
Father in heaven
Your name is holy
Your kingdom come
Your Will be done!
Amen
Our time in Mexico is almost over. I have fallen deeply in love with all of you, and my heart aches knowing that we will never be in this place together again. I want you to know that as long as I am around you will always have a place to be.
Peace and Love,
Tag
