What the World Needs Now :: Part 2
What does the world need now?
One thing that has always been true about God, He has always been on mission to save the world.
Ever since sin entered into the story God has been working to bring healing to broken people, light to darkness, hope to the hopeless. The ultimate expression of this came when Jesus humbled himself & moved heaven to come to earth so that we could all experience the help & healing we need in the light of his presence.
And now He has entrusted us with that light, He has entrusted us with that healing to carry His hope to those around us in His name. The question is, will we have eyes to see others the way Jesus sees others & will we join Him in making things on earth as they are in heaven?
[Tweet “Will we have eyes to see others the way Jesus sees others?”]Help & Healing
When I was growing up in Alabama, my dad was a Bible teacher & chorus director at a Christian school. During my high school years, I got to be a part of the chorus he directed & we would get to travel around to different churches on Sundays & sing.
One hot & humid spring afternoon, we went to sing at this country church that was having a big homecoming. The only problem was, the AC in this church wansn’t working that day. Of course, all of us guys in the chorus were all dressed in our suits. It had to be 120 degrees that day!
So we start singing. And I can remember it like it was yesterday. About half way through the performance, it was like everything started happening in slow motion. I was singing but I couldn’t keep up. Then everything started going dim. And for a moment I thought I was dreaming. But I wasn’t dreaming, I was fainting.
I don’t remember what happened next, but my friends told me that as I fainted they caught me. I was standing on the top row of the risers so they laid me back onto the stage behind us. A couple of doctors in the audience came back to check on me.
But my Dad kept directing the chorus.
And the chorus, all my friends, they kept right on singing as if nothing had happened.
Don’t misunderstand me, my Dad did exactly what he was supposed to do in the moment & so did my friends, but sometimes there are people that are fainting & fading all around us & the church just keeps singing. But in the world we live in we need more people who are willing to stop what they’re doing & help those who need help & healing all around us.
Crazy Met with Love
This is a picture of one of my good friends, Jason. He was born in Korea. So, he’s Asian through & through. But when he was a baby he was adopted. This is a picture of Jason’s mom holding him in the airport the day they “got” him.
This picture was taken 30 years ago, but a couple of weeks ago, in light of recent events, Jason was motivated to write an article about the racism he experiences on a daily basis. I count Jason as a good friend, but I was still shocked by what he wrote. By the comments he endures on a weekly if not daily basis.
But Jason is a Jesus follower. And you know what he said? Here’s what Jason said in light of recent events…
“Do not give them fuel to make that bond stronger. Instead, show restraint, respect, and love. Protest the idea, but show the people that there is something better that they can belong to. Crazy, met with crazy, usually results in crazy, but crazy met with love…, now that has the power to change.” – Jason Mundie!
[Tweet “”…crazy met with love…, now that has the power to change.” @jasonmundie “]Who does God want to reach through you?
Who does God want to bring healing to through you?
Who are the people that God has uniquely positioned you to share the love of God with?
Naaman, a gentile, an outsider, comes to Elisha, a man of God for the people of God, for healing. And God through Elisha heals him.
When we love people with the love of Christ & share the hope of God with them, we open the door for them to be eternally changed.
And if anything, the story of Naaman & Elisha reminds us that…
When we love others, especially our “enemies,” & share the hope of God with them, we open the door for them to be eternally changed.
Because “…crazy met with love…, now that has the power to change.”
God has uniquely positioned you, He has uniquely positioned the church in your city for your city to shine the light of Jesus, to bring the healing of God to those around you.
The simple question that you have to answer is this: Is there anything you wouldn’t you do to help someone experience the love & healing of Christ?
For God so loved…
I’m sure you remember this verse, where Jesus says, “For God so loved…
…everyone in the world that looks & thinks & believes & behaves just like me, that he gave His one & only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but will have eternal life.”
You know that verse, right?
O wait, that’s not what Jesus said. What He actually said was, “For God so loved the WORLD…”
He even loved Naaman, the military commander of the enemy army.
He even loves your enemies.
He loves those who are not like you.
He even loves those who have hurt you. And God wants to save them, rescue them, heal them.
God didn’t come just for you & those like you.
He came to save the world. And He wants to do it through you. Through us.
Will you step into the mission of God, no matter how uncomfortable it may be, to demonstrate his grace, his mercy, his healing to the world around us?
There is power in the name of Jesus. But that power isn’t just for us, it’s for all people. And God’s wants to bring His power & healing to ALL people through his church!
Click here to read What the World Needs Now :: Part 1
