living the gospel

I gotta say, the series The Well just finished, "Have You Seen Him" totally rocked me.  Not in a new or revelatory way; its reminded me of a deep longing in my soul that seems so ancient.  It's been put to the side
for what seems like forever, and it feels like its time to be re-awoken.

I long to devote myself to the redemption of the human race.  To choose the path of a return to Truth.  To fight for the restoration of our souls; to take responsibility for the condition of the human race.  To bring the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth. 

We get trapped. blinded... I get trapped, blinded.  By culture, by a false sense of need and security.  We dupe ourselves into believing the lie that we have to fight for ourselves to survive.  I'm scared of money and of not having enough.  I look at other people and think i should have this or that, should be doing this or that, should be smarter or better and so I view myself through that lens.  I'm angry that the pressure of these lies are so great upon my life.  I crave to release the tension between my worldly fears and my deepest soul longing.

      
Cause here's the reality: the world is messy.  Look anywhere and you'll find brokenness.  In the thousands of people dying needless deaths everyday, in the nations killing and maming each other, in the 2 children being sold every minute, in the false beliefs we carry about ourselves every day.  The world is severely broken, and in need of radical redemption. 

      
Seeing this and and feeling this longing in my heart, holds my life and career in front of my face.  And my soul screams in anger!  FOR WHAT!!??!?!?  My subconscious fear-based choice to be a self-focused, lifeboat-rowing bystander on this Earth is precisely what creates the collective state of humanity!  I want something different.

It's no coincidence that Jesus calls us to the harvest field.  Its ugly, messy, and scary, he says.  But he commands us to announce with our LIVES that the Kingdom of God has drawn near!  He ends his teachings by saying, "Now go and LIVE like this."  DO this!  Did we miss that part?

      
There's a huge disconnect between the "call of God" and Christians (I think Rob Bell would back me up on this).  I think we're afraid to embrace the power of Christ in us.  WE are the hands and feet of Christ.  Yup, people just like you and me.  But we're afraid of embracing this because it's hard.  It means we'd have to give something up... maybe everything.  We'd have to be willing to be counter-cultural, to break the mold of all of the lies and pressures that we know all too well, and go against the grain of everything we've ever know!  Ahhh, but that's exactly who Christ is. 

      
I want my life to stand for something.  I want more.  I want to fight for Truth... for LOVE.  Love is all that matters.  What would love do, when stripped of all pressures? 

      
The world desparately needs restoration.  Bringing restoration is up to US.

May we radically embrace the Christ within us, and take responsibility for the condition of humankind.