Messed up by Christ

"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation."  ~ II Corinthians 5:16-18

As so many know, once Jesus enters your life, there's no going back, is there? So many lives have been (and are being) radically transformed by the message of Jesus Christ. Simply put, when you allow Christ into your heart, the process of regeneration and renewal begins through the work of the Holy Spirit that now lives in you. Through Christ and the work done on the cross, you become a 'new creature' with the old, sinful part of you 'dying' and the new 'you' emerging. As a caterpillar emerging from the dark dormancy of a cocoon, we emerge better than before, with new, more amazing capabilities, such as the capability to live lives of reconciliation, forgiveness and restoration.

Amazing, isn't it?

Just the other day, I read this incredible letter by a church member to her pastor. At first, as I was reading it, I wasn't real sure where it was going as it seemed very negative. But after continued reading, it made perfect sense. Here is a woman who allowed Christ into her life, and as a result, Christ messed her up. Maybe you can relate? I can.

Here it is. Enjoy... 

How to rebuild a nation

How do you even begin to rebuild a tiny nation where, through acts of mass genocide, there were approximately 100,000,000 deaths in just 100 days? If you have no idea what I am talking about, you must go rent the movie, "Hotel Rwanda." It will change you.

So, I'm sitting in this large conference room with the Bishop of Rwanda (the Rwandan President's right hand man, by the way) and instead of revealing the gut-wrenching facts regarding the Rwandan genocide that took place in 1994 as I had somewhat anticipated, he instead turned to the audience and begins to speak of the incredible strides that are being made in a country once torn apart by ethnic violence and ages-old mistrust. But even more specific than what is being done to restore his country, he focused on  how things are being done. Get  ready for this one...

The Bishop revealed that the nation of Rwanda has decided to rebuild it's infrastructure, schools, churches, universities, etc., based specifically upon the cornerstone of the spirit of forgiveness that can only be experienced through the work of Christ in people's lives. Hutsies and Tutsies, now reconciled through the commonality of their faith in Jesus, is what is healing the nation of Rwanda. When you think of this implications of this, it's just staggering. The Bishop went on to say that the nation of Rwanda wants to prove to the entire world that through the love of Christ, that the worst of all possible human situations can be healed and fully restored-not through pacts or alliances or governmental intervention, but through confession, forgiveness and reconciliation-the kind Christ calls all believers to live out in their everyday lives.

One of the most often misquoted verses from the Bible is this: "...and you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free."  Most people read this and think, "...well, if we just find the facts of the case, then we can fix things..."  Or to put in another way: the facts will free us...right?

To read this verse in this way is to entirely miss the point of this text, not to mention that it must lifted out of it's context to read it in this way. Sure facts, are important, but the word "truth" here means something a little different.

Here's the whole passage:

"So, Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free...they answered him...'how is it that you say you will become free?' Jesus answered them, 'Truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin...So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.""

I guess, then, it could be boiled down to this:

Abiding in Christ = Knowledge of Truth.
Truth = Jesus.
Jesus = Freedom.

You see, it's not facts that set us free. It's Jesus. If we know and "abide" in him, we are free. Free from sin. Free from slavery. Free from hate. And perhaps most importantly, especially for a broken people such as the Rwandans...

...free to love.

And...we're here...

After a busy day of cleaning, packing and airports, I have arrived in my comfy hotel room here in Atlanta (or if you're from here, @lanta). I'm here with a ministry buddy of mine, Seth Bartel, a pastor at LifePoint Church in Indy, and we are anxious for what is God is going to do through this year's Catalyst Conference. Not only am I looking forward to all of the great speakers (such as Rob Bell, Francis Chan, Andy Stanley, Tony Dungy, etc.) and events, but perhaps more exciting for me is the chance to hear from a Rwandan Bishop who lived through and has been a part of the reconciliatory efforts between the Hutsi and Tutsi tribes of Rwanda. This, of course, is interesting to me because Susan and I are currently in process of adopting a child from war-torn Rwanda.

If ever there was a ministry that the Church should get out in front of, it's orphan care. In the book of James, we are told that religion that is "pure and undefiled before God" is this-one that takes care of orphans.

Be sure to check back as I share what the Bishop shares with us....until then, good night!