Live it, Tell it
Not this past weekend, but the weekend before, I had the opportunity to go to Park Hill and lead the small group for 12th grade girls at their D-Now. As you have probably noticed, I'm a bit behind. Nevertheless, the weekend was nothing short of amazing! God is so awesome!
Friday evening, we headed to Park Hill for the D-Now. The girls rode with me and the boys rode with Ryan. The drive down proved to be rather hilarious and a lot of fun. We stopped for some Christian chicken from Chik-fil-A and there was a bit of confusion as to whether the boys actually knew how to get there or not. Thankfully, the girls' vehicle knew exactly where to go, much thanks to Jessica.
The experience was such a blessing. The speaker, Ken Freeman, shared the truth unashamedly and the results were overwhelming. So many lives were changed this weekend, both students and adults alike. My friend Kacie and I hung out with the 12th grade girls, and they were all very cool. There are so many things from this weekend I would like to share, but I shan't bore you with my rambling. (I hope)
In Luke 5, Jesus heals a paralytic. Bro. Freeman used this passage as part of his message Friday night when he was talking about faith. The single most important decision a person can make is choosing to follow Christ. One of the biggest highlights of this weekend was watching students accept Christ and give their lives to Him. As we were reading through this passage, I couldn't help but notice that the account doesn't show this paralyzed man praying, speaking, or even asking for forgiveness of His sins. Christ healed his paralysis, and because of his faith, was forgiven. I'm not sure that I've ever stopped to really think about the faith that it took for these people to be healed. If I were paralyzed, and had been my entire life, I would probably be a little hesitant to try my hand (or feet, rather) at walking. However, it says in verse 25, "Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God."
Immediately.
His faith in what Jesus said was displayed by his immediate reaction to the command he was given.
Jesus didn't say "Get up and walk" or "be healed." He said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven." When the paralytic stood up, he was accepting everything he had heard about this Jesus fellow to be true. He was believing that Jesus was who He said He was, and that He was, in fact, capable of healing both his physical and spiritual disabilities. What faith!
We seem to find it so difficult sometimes to humble ourselves and simply admit to the Father our desperate need for Him. This man had to stand up for the very first time in his life, in front of a gigantic crowd of people! In fact, so many people were there that his friends had to lower him in through the roof. Talk about packed! If I had been in this man's position, I would have been terrified. And maybe he was. But he didn't let it stop him from immediately answering His Savior's call.
Maybe you're reading this and you've heard this story a thousand times. I know I have. Yet, I can't help but rejoice when something jumps out and grabs my attention, when God decides to reveal something new to me. I hope that never ends. I never want to become numb to the gospel. As simple as it is, it's life changing. Every single time.
This guy had a story that was totally, completely unique to him. How neat, to be able to tell all of your family, the members of your town, even perfect strangers, that your life had been changed so radically? Part of the focus of this weekend was learning how to share our individual stories. I know that my story is unique to me. God has planned each experience of my life specifically for me.
I don't know that I always do the best job of sharing my story: where I've been, what God's done for me, what He's doing right now. I think a lot of it has to do with my own inhibitions. For example, my testimony of salvation seems pretty simple, pretty typical. It's not one of those stories that has some big "wow" factor, like turning away from an addiction. Nevertheless, I've been redeemed. God has saved me from my sins, changed my eternity, and now leads my life. That's pretty fantastic in itself.
Another inhibition I have about my story is that a lot of what testifies to the mighty God I serve are difficult times that He's been perfectly faithful to see me through. When it comes to these parts of my story, I'm never sure as to when they should be shared. The last thing I ever want to do is burden someone or make them feel awkward. But I don't want what God has done in my life to be on lock down either. The only solution I've discovered thus far is to simply rely completely on God to show me when to share my story, and when not to share it. And when He does want me to talk about my story, how much to say and which words to use. I'm going to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide me as I should go, and trust that my God is perfectly faithful.
Because He is.
Friday evening, we headed to Park Hill for the D-Now. The girls rode with me and the boys rode with Ryan. The drive down proved to be rather hilarious and a lot of fun. We stopped for some Christian chicken from Chik-fil-A and there was a bit of confusion as to whether the boys actually knew how to get there or not. Thankfully, the girls' vehicle knew exactly where to go, much thanks to Jessica.
The experience was such a blessing. The speaker, Ken Freeman, shared the truth unashamedly and the results were overwhelming. So many lives were changed this weekend, both students and adults alike. My friend Kacie and I hung out with the 12th grade girls, and they were all very cool. There are so many things from this weekend I would like to share, but I shan't bore you with my rambling. (I hope)
In Luke 5, Jesus heals a paralytic. Bro. Freeman used this passage as part of his message Friday night when he was talking about faith. The single most important decision a person can make is choosing to follow Christ. One of the biggest highlights of this weekend was watching students accept Christ and give their lives to Him. As we were reading through this passage, I couldn't help but notice that the account doesn't show this paralyzed man praying, speaking, or even asking for forgiveness of His sins. Christ healed his paralysis, and because of his faith, was forgiven. I'm not sure that I've ever stopped to really think about the faith that it took for these people to be healed. If I were paralyzed, and had been my entire life, I would probably be a little hesitant to try my hand (or feet, rather) at walking. However, it says in verse 25, "Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God."
Immediately.
His faith in what Jesus said was displayed by his immediate reaction to the command he was given.
Jesus didn't say "Get up and walk" or "be healed." He said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven." When the paralytic stood up, he was accepting everything he had heard about this Jesus fellow to be true. He was believing that Jesus was who He said He was, and that He was, in fact, capable of healing both his physical and spiritual disabilities. What faith!
We seem to find it so difficult sometimes to humble ourselves and simply admit to the Father our desperate need for Him. This man had to stand up for the very first time in his life, in front of a gigantic crowd of people! In fact, so many people were there that his friends had to lower him in through the roof. Talk about packed! If I had been in this man's position, I would have been terrified. And maybe he was. But he didn't let it stop him from immediately answering His Savior's call.
Maybe you're reading this and you've heard this story a thousand times. I know I have. Yet, I can't help but rejoice when something jumps out and grabs my attention, when God decides to reveal something new to me. I hope that never ends. I never want to become numb to the gospel. As simple as it is, it's life changing. Every single time.
This guy had a story that was totally, completely unique to him. How neat, to be able to tell all of your family, the members of your town, even perfect strangers, that your life had been changed so radically? Part of the focus of this weekend was learning how to share our individual stories. I know that my story is unique to me. God has planned each experience of my life specifically for me.
I don't know that I always do the best job of sharing my story: where I've been, what God's done for me, what He's doing right now. I think a lot of it has to do with my own inhibitions. For example, my testimony of salvation seems pretty simple, pretty typical. It's not one of those stories that has some big "wow" factor, like turning away from an addiction. Nevertheless, I've been redeemed. God has saved me from my sins, changed my eternity, and now leads my life. That's pretty fantastic in itself.
Another inhibition I have about my story is that a lot of what testifies to the mighty God I serve are difficult times that He's been perfectly faithful to see me through. When it comes to these parts of my story, I'm never sure as to when they should be shared. The last thing I ever want to do is burden someone or make them feel awkward. But I don't want what God has done in my life to be on lock down either. The only solution I've discovered thus far is to simply rely completely on God to show me when to share my story, and when not to share it. And when He does want me to talk about my story, how much to say and which words to use. I'm going to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide me as I should go, and trust that my God is perfectly faithful.
Because He is.
Comments
Post a Comment