Arise Campus Ministry 9.23.14

Over the past few years, I've had the opportunity to be part of some awesome ministries. From time to time, I've been given the chance to speak and I wanted a place to keep those files. Here is where I'll post my talks, Bible Studies, etc that I'm either doing or creating.

 Arise Campus Ministry at George Mason University 9.23.2014

This week I want to tell y’all a little about my story, because the word “belonging” is extremely significant in it.

I came to Christ at the end of middle school – which for me were terrible years. Think about all the stereotypes of mean girls and being made fun of and left out, and that is my story. It all really fell apart for me at the beginning of my 9^th grade year when every girl I had left middle school fighting to maintain a friendship with completely ignored me.

I had a peripheral friendship with a girl who was a church goer and accepted her invitation to become part of their youth group. I had been on and off, but never fully committed due to my desire to keep my “mean girls” friends.  Once I finally committed, I was hooked. You could say that I found my place to belong – a place I was wanted and appreciated and could be myself. It wasn’t long before the Lord caught my heart and I committed it to him. It was especially 2 Corinthians 5.17 (ESV) that helped me change – “therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” How desperately did my soul long to hear that! All those years I spent trying to fit in, trying to be “cool”, trying to be something I wasn’t – they could be wiped away. I was a New creation in Christ – he had given me belonging into Him and there was so much opportunity for the New Person I could become with HIM! I soaked it all up.

Later in my High School years I remember being blown away by Romans 8. 17 (NIV) – “Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”  This verse still blows my mind. How is it that when God looks down on me, He sees a co-heir with Christ?! All that Christ did is SO MUCH MORE than all I could ever do, yet I am in it with Him. And you are in it with Him. And we are in it TOGETHER. We are a body of believers working together for the sufferings and glory of Christ. We are a team. We belong to one another.

Community and relationships have always been a huge part of my identity as a Christian. When I found a place to belong, I found that I belonged to God. The more I have belonged to God, the more community I have found with others in Him. Though my high school and college years were not without drama, through Christ I was able to be my most real self, the person He created me to be, in an environment that was safe, secure, fun and REAL.

Because my Christianity is so wrapped up in relationships with others, it made sense that as God called me toward maturity and leadership; it was in areas of community. I served on a Small Group Leadership team in college, worked in full-time Campus Ministry for two years and have always been quick to volunteer or join whatever sort of small groups the church offers.

It has been true in my life that I have more motivation to read my Bible if I am doing it with other people. I am able to hear better what God wants in my life if I have people to talk to about it – or who speak it to me. I thrive in relationships and God certainly uses and blesses that.

The 2 years previous to living in VA (so 2011-2013) were extremely dry for me. We attended the church where my husband taught and the community there was more than lacking – it was non-existent. I hate to admit that I was unable to turn that time into a great “me & the Lord” time, but it is true. When I don’t have a place to belong, to be real with others, to share my struggles and joys and to be pushed to grow, I won’t do it. Never in my life had it been clearer that I was MADE FOR COMMUNITY AND BELONGING than in those two years.

So, now we are here. To be extremely honest with y’all, I am just now coming up out of the depression that was Denver. We have joined a great church here and I spent last year building relationships with congregants there and finding a group of friends that my husband and I can do real life with. Now that I’ve finally got my head above the water – I know God is calling me to swim. He is pushing me to connect with others on a deeper level and into some more leadership roles in my community. I have to admit, I’m a little scared, but I know that by being in that place, I’ll finally start growing again.  It’s why I am here tonight – because doing real life in Jesus Christ is exciting and energizing to me.

I hope that y’all will feel the same sort of energy by being together with other believers and with God. My hope for this ministry is that you will see a place you belong – not only within these walls, but within the Kingdom of God. Because there is a place for you – He has called you.

I am doing a Beth Moore Bible study right now and this past week’s lesson resonated SO MUCH with me and all I could think about during it was how I wanted to share it with y’all. Because it is about community and relationships –and if you haven’t caught on already, that is my jam.

If you would, read with me 1 Thessalonians 1.1-10 HCSB. “Paul, Silvanus and Timothy: To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace. We always thank God for all of you, remembering you constantly in our prayers. We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work of faith, labor of love and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, knowing your election, brother loved by God. For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance. You know what kind of men we were among you for your benefit, and you became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit. As a result, you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. For the Lord’s message rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith in God has gone out. Therefore, we don’t need to say anything, for they themselves report what kind of reception we had from you: how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead – Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.”

The basic background is that Paul is writing this letter, with Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy to the new church in Thessalonica to encourage them to stay the course. He is in a way checking up on them and pressing them forward all in the same letter.

In these verses, we see there are 3 pronouns – We, You & They. The WE is Paul, Silas and Timothy. They are clearly the “on fire” people. They have all had unquestionable experiences with God and are on a mission to deliver His Gospel. They have been beaten and put in prison, yet they continue to press forward because “to them nothing in the visible realm was remotely as tangible” as the Gospel.

Then there is the YOU – the church in Thessalonica. They have a lot of believers who are just beginning to figure out this whole Christianity thing. They have desire and passion, but haven’t been Christians quite long enough to establish great wisdom, maturity and perseverance, but there is no doubt they will get there.

Then there is the THEY – the non-believers in the city, and surrounding cities. Those who see what Paul, Silas and Timothy have been through – and those who are watching to see what this new church in Thessalonica are up to. Scripture says “THEY” watched and reported as the Thessalonians turned from idols to God. THEY had their eyes on WE and YOU.

Now, you may have already connected the dots here. While Beth Moore was making the connection to the church body – that all three types of people are necessary for a congregation to thrive – I had already started thinking about people and relationships.

She describes the WE as those who are operating at full effect, fulfilling God’s call. Take a moment and see if you can think of someone in your mind who fits that description. I always think of older women who have lived more life than I have, been through more pain and hurt, as well as joy and celebration, and are just WISE. They can offer sound theology and advice in the most graceful ways. Those are my WE’s.

Then there is the YOU. These are the people who are beginning to affect others with their lives, who will be the WE once they get a little more life under their belt. I would put myself in this category. I’ve got some experience and can affect others with what I’ve already lived, like y’all, but I’ve still got a ways to go. I have to be honest here about my inexperience and maturity level. I’ve lived some, but have a lot to learn. I think this is also y’all. Whether you have been a Christian since you were 4, or you are just starting to figure out what Christianity means, your age alone is going to set you in this category. However, the awesome part is that you have SUCH AN OPPORTUNITY in this stage in life to really start affecting people with the choices you make and the life you live.  

Then there is the THEY – and that is obvious. It is those people in your life who are watching from the outside, waiting for you to prove your faith by your life. These are the people who aren’t going to take a Bible verse and change their minds, they want to see it lived out. The ESV puts verse 5 like this, Paul talking “you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake”. That is Paul’s WE wisdom speaking there – he knew that it wasn’t enough to just speak the Gospel, He had to live it out among them.

And the point of this is that it would work like a conveyor belt – the THEYs become YOUs, the YOUs become WEs until everyone is a WE. And of course there is room for digression and circle, but the ultimate goal is that everyone on the earth would be fulfilling God’s call on their life.

As a church congregation needs each of these people represented to thrive – I was COMPLETELY struck by how PEOPLE need each of these types of relationships in their lives.  If you are a YOU, then who is your WE and where are your THEY? Do you have at least one relationship in your life with someone who is older and wiser than you? Who can speak into your life 1 Thess. vs 4 to you, reminding you that “HE HAS CHOSEN YOU?” someone who inspires and encourages you to keep running this race? Looking back on my time in Denver, I realize that this was a HUGE MISSING COMPONENT in my life. There was no one to remind me that I was chosen by God, that He had a purpose and plan and to keep going. It was all too easy to get stuck in my complacency because there was no one close enough in my life to recognize it and kick me out of it!

If you have this person, that is awesome. If not, talk to one of us – we can get you set up with a mentor to put this relationship in place.

And who are your THEYs? One thing I realize is SO EASY (because I LIVED IT) in college is get inside a Christian bubble, with Christian friends and organizations. Then all of a sudden, your living out the Gospel isn’t affecting anyone, because there is no one for it to affect. And that is a problem.

But y’all – you are in COLLEGE. There is SO MUCH opportunity for you to actively live out your faith in relationship with people who do not know the Lord. Maybe it is your roommate, or a lab partner, or someone you see doing laundry every week. Who knows? But without a THEY relationship, and I’m talking about meaningful relationships with no deception or flattery, one with genuine affection for one another, without a THEY relationship, what is it for? The Gospel calls us to share the GOOD  NEWS.

And I’d just like to add that if you are here and you consider yourself a THEY – maybe you are just checking out Christianity, or a friend invited you and you didn’t know what you were coming to, or if you’ve had a bad experience with the church, but hope that there is something more – seek out someone you can trust to ask questions, talk honestly, and hopefully find someone who can show you the true Gospel and love of Christ. People make mistakes, that is for sure, but if you can find someone who is willing to lead you to see Jesus, and not themselves, walk down that road.

As a sidenote: the only two things you need to begin to build those THEY relationships is food and neighbors. And that’s biblical.

As we really finally wrap up this idea of belonging, I hope you will see the connection we’ve been making. Once we’ve found our belonging in Christ, we can become the Person he has called us to be. And by living out that calling in community with other believers, providing a space for everyone to belong, we can begin to form meaningful relationships that center on Christ. My hope is that tonight, as you consider your own belonging, calling and relationships, you will make room to be affected by those who are further along in the race, to affect those a little behind, and to extend belonging to those on the side.

Amen.