In Christ Alone

Have you ever noticed that Jesus was unusually attracted to people who had emptiness in their lives? And not just sometimes, but often. Losers and loners, the sick and the lame, the weak and the hungry- these were the ones He came for and whose needs He met.

God didn’t sit at the door of a building and say: sorry you can’t be a follower of me because you didn’t take these membership classes, or sorry we don’t accept divorced people into heaven, you killed someone? Definitely not! You love on the wrong side of the tracks?! Think again! You have AIDS, well you must’ve done something terrible to deserve such a punishment. Not in my church! Not in my circles!

Oh but wait…didn’t God call Moses (a murderer) to lead the sons of Israel out of Egypt? Didn’t he call Jonah (a rebel) to go and preach in Nineveh to which the whole city turned from their wicked ways? And why the Virgin Mary and not some princess who would be more fit to raise the newborn King? Why did he go out of his way to meet with the woman at the well? Why would he give the short man Zaccheus the time of day? Do you see a pattern here?! God surrounded himself with the broken and empty people of this world. He rid himself of all societal boundaries by being born in a manger. He could’ve come into this world in the classiest of palaces and then would only associate himself with those of high class. But he didn’t, because love was more important.

Who do you hang around? Who do you pursue? Do you sit in judgment of those who have made poor decisions in their life? Do you prevent true ministry from happening because of all these man made rules in our churches? Jesus came to seek and save the lost. As disciples how can we do this if the lost aren’t allowed in our churches or in our circle of friends?

Then why do we as Christians who are to be followers of Christ, why do we screen people, and exempt people from being apart of the body of Christ. You hear all the time, “oh but I can’t go talk to that person do you hear what they do on the weekends?!” “But it’s in a bad part of town” “That’s for missionary’s” “Someone else will reach them, not me- I’m too busy” “But I might die” “There’s no money in ministry” “But I’m not good at speaking to people about that stuff” “But she’s catholic”

Coming to Africa I’ve had so many moments of weakness. Moments where I thought I couldn’t do it, that I wouldn’t make it. It’s scary, it’s not safe. But when you allow God to move you where you need to be moved and to speak where he wants you to speak he will give you the strength to do anything.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10
And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

This is why I’ve made it here. Only through my weakness have I been made strong. This is why I can be in a corrupt country, this is how I am able to love these children who come from abusive homes, this is why I can reach out to my friend Theresa who has been driven from her home in Zimbabwe because of war, this is how I can reach out to our maid who’s mother just died of AIDS, this is how I can preach the word of God every Sunday through the gift of translation, this is how I can volunteer at an AIDS orphanage for babies, this is how I can leave my family and friends to serve Christ, this is how I have the confidence in Christ to share with political leaders,
this is how I can have the strength to be here alone. The only reason I am able to do what I do here is only through God.