an EPIC reflection
"My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge." Psalm 71:15
I was biting my tongue during the EPIC closing ceremonies because I wanted to share so badly, but more so I wanted to see if EPIC had the kind of effect on people's lives that I was praying for. I wanted to see if God used our feeble efforts to equip "the body to grow and build itself up in love, as each part does its work." (Eph. 4:16b)
Well, I can't say that people we're pushing through the door to share what God had done in and through them over the summer (unlike the SALT prayer meeting that Angie talked about). And the lack of affirmation after a person shared seemed a little too... Baptist... for me. But I did find what people shared to be very encouraging and affirming. It would be nice to know if those who didn't share had been touched by God over the summer as well, but just were too shy to say anything. If you didn't mention something at the closing ceremonies, I'd love to hear what you will take with you from the summer.
As for me, God did a number of "righteous acts" in my life:
1) Focusing on Eph. 4:15-16 brought deep conviction on my heart of the necessity to "seek peace and pursue it" within the body of Christ. I realized that what separates the church from the world is not the absence of conflict (as is obvious with even a cursory read of the NT), but that we are committed to resolving our conflicts. It's when we fail to resolve our differences in love that we lose our testimony.
All summer long I have been involved in conflict resolution... and I have seen God bless every time... except one but I trust healing will come there too in time. My relationship with many people is and will be more centered in God's will from now on because of this summer.
2) My time on Welch was equally good for my soul. To take the church to the lost was the desire of my heart for that time. Even though that didn't transpire the way I had envisioned, God did freshly grip my heart for lost people. Getting to know Katherine, the gyro stand lady, Joe the juggler, and just looking into the faces of the "walking dead" put a burden on my heart for them that I hadn't felt that deeply for a long time.
My late Friday or Saturday nights will not be the same because of this summer. You'll find me doing what I can to hold out the Word of life to people who are seeking life in all the wrong places.
3) Hershel Martindale's message was a powerful classic that I strongly recommend everyone have on their computer and on a CD in their car for constant listening. After his challenge/ example of having a friend over for pizza with the expressed intent of sharing your life and your Lord with them, I decided to do it. I invited Muneaki to a movie (Pirates of the Caribbean) and then go out for coffee and talk about the central theme of the Bible which is God's plan of salvation for all mankind.
Mune agreed to both and we had a great time. We were up until midnight talking about Christ as I drew out the outreach diagram. At the end, he said that almost everything I shared with him was new. He had never heard this stuff before. He said that his Buddhist influence makes him feel like he could believe in Christ, but only as one of many spiritual guides. He couldn't quite accept that Jesus was God and that His death was absolutely necessary for his salvation. So after reviewing a few more points of the gospel, I gave him Tom Short's book "5 Crucial Questions About Christianity" and said good night. I'm looking forward to spending more time with him.
Comments
Tim- that's awesome about Muneaki. Keep us updated on how that continues to work out.
Turnover is finally over. See you Wednesday.
-nate
Posted by: nate at August 7, 2006 04:17 PMHey Tim,
So I only went to one epic meeting this whole summer. Feeling pretty bummed about that actually. But over the course of the summer God has gotten my attention, and years of lies, wounds and insecurities are starting to unravel. I just want to encourage you even if it seems people weren't that enthusiastic that God can and will use anything to bring us closer to Him. For some that was Epic, or Salt, for me it was a lot of really hard circumstances over the summer. I really do believe that God is carrying us all closer to completion. I'm looking forward to this fall and all that God has in store for us.
Posted by: tj at August 7, 2006 08:14 PMTim~
I was totally excited about the EPIC sharing time. I had a lot more to share than I actually did, but I decided to hold my tongue even if it meant silence in order to give others a shot at sharing. I also felt my heart break every friday night. Oh how hard it is to see dead people walking up and down Welch! My heart for the lost grew this summer.
Something God has spoken to me recently is in order to get others excited to hear the Gospel, I need to be excited ABOUT the Gospel. It needs to be sweating out my pours! I want to have real passion for the Lord, something genuine and noticeable. Something that breathes love. I need to have a verse that I focus on every day, ready to share with someone who wants it. This sounds so "idealistic", but I decided the other day to trust the Lord with it. I took my oversized parallel Bible to Stomping Grounds with the excitement of a Child on Christmas morning. This excitement was genuine! I felt so famished for God's Word by that hour of the day (it was 8PM-ish), that I couldn't WAIT to read it! I needed a good mystery, some passion, and some excitement in my day! I needed to read about an incredible battle! So I read some Psalms for the passion and excitement, and then went on to Joshua for the battle and mystery and even more excitement. I was just telling God how sometimes I felt like Joshua... seeing His big plans for my life, the big shoes to fill (Christ's in my case, Moses in Joshua's), and how the only comfort we both had was that God would be doing it all for us! Just then, one of my co-workers (who was working at the time) came up to me and asked what I was doing there so late. I said I was having a date with God and reading my Bible (which I'm sure sounded strange to this unsaved boy, but I was so excited that it came out more naturally than anything else and he didn't even flinch). He must have seen some kind of excitement in me, cuz he immediately asked what I was reading. I was like, "Oh, I'm reading in the book of Joshua! It is GREAT!" He's like, "I honestly don't know much about the Bible, what is it about?" So I told Him all about how Joshua was selected by God as a leader of the people right after Moses (the man who's face shined with God's glory) died. How it was a book about a man who felt so small but who believed God with such gusto, that he did BIG and amazing things. I passionately started explaining some battles and things, and he looked like he'd never seen any spectacle quite like me before, but the funny thing is, he stayed. He didn't try to break away or look uncomfortable. He actually was intrigued. We got interrupted in the middle of me explaining one of the battles in detail, but not awkwardly, and he seemed to leave rather reluctantly. After he left to get back to work, I was just like, "Wow... I've NEVER been that excited or knowledgeable before about the Bible when somebody asked me on the spot!" The Holy Spirit really got to speak through me when I opened my whole self to Him. THAT is something God has done in me this summer...
Posted by: Holly at August 7, 2006 10:33 PMWhat an awesome story, Holly. I love it.
I've heard two others recently too. One from Alicia Thompson and one from Dan and Lisa Bruce.