rELevant - part 1

relevant:
a: having significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at hand
b : affording evidence tending to prove or disprove the matter at issue or under discussion
c : having social relevance
similar: crucial to a matter, having a striking appropriateness and pertinence, both to the point and opportune

one question constantly presenting itself to me is 'am i relevant?' i'm not asking this from a hopeless, depressed, nobody-loves-me state. those questions are, in themselves, irrelevant. there is no way to truly achieve a sense of identity, of meaning, outside of Christ. HE is the only thing/one who is ALWAYS relevant. we are lost and hopeless without His presence in our lives. But He has made a way for us to have a meaning and a purpose. to be relevant in this world... making a difference that matters now. a difference that will still matter in generations to come. most people who know me will probably agree with my saying that i've never been the most out-spoken, go-getter kind of guy. in fact, i'm usually the one chosen last, the last to raise my voice; and when i do speak, it's usually folllowed by a 'what?' or 'i can't hear you. talk louder.' and it could be for this very reason, although i'm quite sure there are many others, that i've been feeling such a burden on my heart lately as to the relevance i'm living.

as many of those close to me can attest, i have felt a strong calling into a ministry, particularly the worship leader/ music evangelistic sort. i've been feeling this way for the better part of a year now, so i know it's not a 'phase' sort of thing. most people also know that i'm not usually one to 'lead' anything, and especially in front of a crowd and a microphone... the thought of it used to scare me to death. but that was before God delivered me, setting me free from that paralyzing fear of anyone hearing my singing voice... now i simply don't care... i'm not entirely ready to be that worship leader yet, but God is still training me in the mean time...

which brings me to now. i recently read a book by Stephen Baldwin, titled The Unusual Suspect. he made several great points about the church being detached from society, not like we're better than them, but to the point that we aren't making any difference in the world. at least the western world, anyway. i know we are called to be 'in the world, not of the world,' and we are 'set apart by God for His purpose.' we have to live a life of 'living sacrifice, holy and acceptable before God.' this isn't the same thing as self-righteousness. this is having your eyes opened to the reality that is God; realizing that your life is not about your, that we were 'bought with a price,' that the function of the world is not to provide me with what i want. but the function of my life is to provide the world with what it needs; and that is the love of God. a love that can only really be experienced through a personal, living relationship with Jesus Christ.

When God set me free from the fear of singing, it also came at a price; at a personal cost to me. i can remember when it happened. it was as if God said to me, 'I set you free from this. Now do something with it.' God didn't call me to be a follower, but a leader. this means getting over my own flaws and insecurities about not being good enough. it means stepping out of my comfort zone, and really putting myself out there. God wants all of us to submit to His authority. not from fear, but from love. and in this love we will experience a freedom that all the glory of the world could never offer us. it is in this freedom that i now live, and continue to grow daily. not that i may boast, except in God, the One who set me free. i will continue on this path, and i will continue to be finding freedom. but this freedom can only be found when i completely lose myself to God. when i am completely submissive to His will, His calling on my life. and every one of us is called to this freedom. 'for God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.'

This is directed more to those of us who are now walking in freedom, instead of those who haven't yet found it. i'm referring to the Church. the organized Body of Christ. to those who claim the Name of Jesus, regardless of nationality, denomination, or past mistakes. we have done a terrible job, as a whole, in representing the Name of the God we serve. we have let our personal agendas, emotions, philosophies, greed, and simple laziness get in the way, thus negating any good Jesus might have done in His earthly ministry. how many times have we broken His heart, in His name, even?

it's time to make a change. God is raising up a new generation of hard-core, take-no-prisoners believers. and He will do this with or without our help. God doesn't need anything we can offer. He has everything at His disposal. but it is our duty, our obligation, to join Him in this. we are commanded to 'make disciples of all nations.' this isn't called the Great Suggestion, or the Great Idea If You Can Get Around To It... it's the Great Commission. it is a direct order from the throne of the King of the universe to each one of us. we have a job to do, but how are we doing it? are we even getting it done at all?

God is love. but are we? do we exhibit that love on a daily basis? can people tell from miles away that we are walking with Jesus? do we show it in our talk, our actions, our RE-actions? do people see Jesus when they look at us? shouldn't they? it's time for us to step it up, and stop living like the world owes us something. we have possession of the single greatest truth in the history of the universe. why would we not want to share it with everyone we meet? are we afraid they won't like us? are we afraid to hurt their feelings? they KILLED Jesus. of course they're not going to like us. we WILL hurt their feelings. the Word of God is offensive. it forces people to see themselves in the light of a holy God. and none of us can stand in that light, innocent. we are all sinners, doomed to death, and Hell. there, i said it... but the beauty of it is God's grace. it covers our sin. we no longer have to live in defeat, in fear. we are victorious; more than conquerors. that truth alone should set us free to give our lives to God's service. to share the Love that has so graciously saved us. we shouldn't worry about offending people or hurting their feelings. the Spirit of God will be the one doing that, not us. we are just to present the truth to them in a loving, godly way, and then follow through with what it calls us to. we must live a life of love. no one is coming to Christ through our hypocrisy. of course God will still love us and still use us even in our mistakes, but it makes it really hard on the people He is trying to reach. we need to get out of His way. He can take care of them just as well as He takes care of us.

that's not to say we should forget about them in their needs. We are His hands and His feet. We are the continuation of Christ's ministry on Earth. we must love as He loves, and give as He gives. we must live as He lives. it is a sacrifice. otherwise Jesus wouldn't have said 'take up your cross and follow me.' he would have said something like, 'get in your comfy new SUV and follow your GPS to where you think i want you to be.' but He was very explicit in His directions. and He lived it out as well. not only do we have the written instructions from His mouth, but we have a living example. he showed us how to live., but how many of us are really living it?

to be continued...