Here I sit, in Dunn Bros, listening to my favorite, John Weirick, who, whether he knows it or not, is a hero mine. His music is an inspiration to me.
I'm excited/nervous/excited about our upcoming series at Jacob's Well. What if being a Christian looked a little less like Ned Flanders and a little more like Jesus? What if? And what exactly does it mean to see yourself as a missionary where God has placed you, to those in your dorm, across the hall, across the street? What does it look like? I believe Jesus has set the perfect example for us, and to flesh it out is going to be an exciting adventure for all of us.
Consider Luke 8:26-39.
Jesus and His posse sail across a lake to this place called Gerasenes. No sooner do they get out of a boat than they are met by a crazy crazy naked guy, who flings himself on the ground before Jesus, asking what Jesus wants with him. It is quite apparent this naked crazy man is possessed by demons. Jesus casts the demons out, but to be fun, I guess, He permits them to possess a large heard of pigs. Just the thought of pigs makes me laugh, let alone the idea of demon-possessed pigs... what does a demon possessed pig do? Drugs? Sex? Play rock n' roll? ... My tone is sarcastic of course. But these demon possessed pigs don't do any of the above... instead they stampede... kinda like The Lion King when Simba is running away from the stampede of Wildebeests the hyenas created... the pigs stampede right into a lake and drown themselves... do demons possess pigs that are dead? something to ask God in heaven I guess... anyways, back to the story...
Needless to say, after this series of somewhat startling events, the town's a little freaked out and wants Jesus gone. But here's the whole point of the story... the naked crazy demon-possessed man who is no longer naked, crazy, or demon-possessed wants to go with Jesus - he begs Jesus to let him go with Him. But what is Jesus' response?
'"Go back to your home and tell all that God has done for you.' And off he went, proclaiming throughout the town all that Jesus had done for him." (8:39)
Why didn't Jesus let the once naked crazy demon-possesed man come with Him? Because where would the once naked demon possessed man be most effective? Going with Jesus to places that are foreign to him to to tell people foreign to him, "I once was like this, but look now."... or, to tell people who he is familiar with who are familiar with him who have seen life-transformation, "look at what Jesus has done for me!" He is most effective in the context he is most familiar.
The principle here: we must see ourselves as missionaries where God has places us. More to come in the upcoming series. What a beautiful story in scripture!
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