Enkindling

Recently, I was honored to sit with a U.S. Soldier returning from IRAQ on a flight…

I sleep safely at night…
because you keep watch.

I have more than I could ever need…
because you sacrifice your wants.

I sit here…
because you stand tall.

Because of you keeping watch…
I see the hand of God in the world.

Because of you sacrificing your wants…
I cherish my freedom.

Because of you standing tall…
I kneel and pray.

Yesterday I arrived in New Jersey for a week long business trip. I scheduled an early flight so I could get to my hotel and settle with enough time to visit Manhattan for the rest of the day. Little did I know how uninformed I truly am as to my identity in Christ.

I arrived at the hotel, unpacked my bags, and set out for the train from my hotel in New Jersey to downtown Manhattan. My first stop after departing the train in Penn Station was Times Square. Along the way you run into all kinds of people from all over the world. It’s a fascinating place to be. The people, sights, and sounds are like no place else. As I walked I could hear a man shouting in the distance. A crowd was gathered around him. He was a black man wearing some sort of traditional African clothing. He stood on top of two 6 foot high speakers with a microphone. Surrounding the speakers were several men who appeared to be with him commanding every one who walked by to listen. Of course I had to stop for this. In that few minutes I learned the true Jews were in fact black. In fact, God is black as well. The evidence of this as we were told is by the brown tint in all of our skin. Little did he know I was nursing a nasty sunburn. At the time of this writing there is definitely no brown tint to my skin. Nor has there ever been. There is no way the shade of red I am displaying could be mistaken for brown tint! The man asked me if I wanted to comment. What do you think?

I began by pulling up my pants legs and shirt sleeves and asking him and the crowd if they could see any brown tint to my skin. All said no. So I asked him… Does this mean I am an outcast from God’s kingdom? Guess what? He told me it was not about the color of my skin! Oh really? I asked. Then why are you making those comments? Please tell me what it is about then? The man then motioned to a guy from his team. The guy grabbed my arm and began pulling me away because he wanted to consult with me and offer guidance. I shrugged his arm off and asked him not to touch me again. In the meantime, a NYC police offer approached who was monitoring the event. He asked if I was ok. I said yes. However, I was not finished with my questions. Next I asked the man: What is the kingdom of God about? He paused. Then I told him all I have heard are statements about Jews, God, and color. But you have said it is not about color. So, please tell us what it is about? By this time I was shouting because he was trying to shout over me and ignore me. The police officer stood behind me. The man then informed the crowd they were finished with the speech and put down the microphone. I asked him for a conversation. He shrugged his shoulders and walked away. I was encouraged to speak with several people in the crowd afterwards.

I know these kinds of things happen all the time. Yet, I am still amazed and perplexed. In all fairness, these arguments have been presented from Caucasians as well. Therefore, I am left with a few questions. Who do I say Jesus is? How do I know for sure I am accepted into His kingdom? What does the color of any one’s skin have to do with entering the kingdom of God? I am so thankful my identity as a Christian is not dependent on anything other than santification through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus.

Romans 3: 21 - 25 21But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight–not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago. 22We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. 23For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. 25For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us.

“Bali, Indonesia — At least two bombs exploded almost simultaneously Saturday in tourist areas of the Indonesian resort island of Bali , killing at least 22 people and wounding about 50 others, officials said.” — Fox News

Bali, 595 miles east of Jakarta, is Indonesia’s most popular destination for foreign tourists. The predominantly Hindu island is home to 3 million people and is famous for its beautiful beaches, rich culture and picture postcard landscapes of rice fields and volcanoes. — Reuters

Today I arose thinking of all I needed to do this weekend. Pay bills, clean up around the house, run some errands, and enjoy the beautiful weather. What about you? Today my friend Jeanne escaped bomb blasts in Bali. One exploded within a mile down the beach from where she ate dinner. The other exploded in a shopping center where she had been 2 hours before.

If you assumed she was on vacation taking in all the beautiful scenery and living in luxurious hotels you were wrong. She’s on a journey for God. During this time she’s been sick and had to use, as she calls them, “squatty pottys”. In the midst of the uncomfortable she is there to be a blessing. Why? Simply put, God blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others.

Jeanne is there teaching business skills and assisting Indonesians in the formation of businesses. Some of her students have had success in leading Muslims to Christ. In fact, it is their sole purpose in creating a business. How many of us have started a business for His benefit and not ourselves? Not long ago Indonesia was affected by the Tsunami’s. In the midst of this, Indonesia’s president has managed to grow their economy and rip a hole in terrorism. Today the terrorists struck back.

We thank God for keeping our sister Jeanne safe and using her to be a blessing. But, just for a second, I wonder how many of us would thank Him if she had been killed? Where would our faith stand if she departed us? Would we rejoice if we had lost a woman of purity, heart, character, and integrity like Jeanne?
I celebrate her death. I celebrate the death of her students who risk their lives to love Muslims with the love of Christ. If you think I’m being a little extreme or melancholy I’m not. In case you have not heard… NONE OF US ARE GETTING OUT OF THIS WORLD ALIVE! It’s about VICTORY. It’s about being RESCUED.

Romans 8:9-11 (The Message)
9 - But if God Himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of Him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won’t know what we’re talking about. 10 - But for you who welcome Him, in whom He dwells–even though you still experience all the limitations of sin–you yourself experience life on God’s terms. 11 - It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, He’ll do the same thing in you that He did in Jesus; bringing you alive to Himself! When God lives and breathes in you (and He does, as surely as He did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With His Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s!

If you’re a Christian, right now, where you sit reading this, I challenge you. Get up. Go outside. Feel the breeze hit your face. Stretch your arms out. Open your hands. Close your eyes. And say: You are my Joy! You are my Joy! You are my Joy!

Dead to the world. Alive in Christ. Father, I thank you Jeanne is Alive in Bali.