Mobile Prayer Station: DAY 27

Today, I had a very interesting conversation with a man named Mishael, who considers himself a Hebraic Christian. At first I thought he meant he was a Messianic Jew, who is a Hebrew who has found their Messiah in Jesus, the One who Moses and those after him prophesied would come. But, in further talking with him he explained that he was not Jewish but desired to live a Christian lifestyle with a strong Judaic foundation. Ok, I can appreciate that, wanting to truly follow after the 1st century disciples of Jesus' day. 

Part of Mishael's story is that God called him out from a lucrative business which gave him both money and fame. He felt God telling him to give it all up and begin living a simple lifestyle. As he put it, "Jesus shoved this big fat camel through the eye of a needle and into His Kingdom" (Matthew 19:24) and for the last 15 years he has lived as a sojourner, owning nothing and living by faith. He said most of the time he travels by bicycle and by way of God giving him or someone he knows a dream. Honestly, he reminded me of a mixture between an Amish, a Quaker and a Mennonite all rolled up in one. And from what I gathered he had very conservative views, all the way down to what he thought women should wear (everything covered). 

Now, I'm not out here to judge anyone about their views whether I agree with them or not. Mishael had a wonderful heart for Jesus and I was blessed to have spent well over an hour talking with him. We even spent some time praying together. I prayed out loud and Mishael prayed silently to himself which was a but different, but hey to each his own. I even got to prophesy over his life a little while we prayed which he seemed to received. We talked about lots of things. He shared how he was part of a fellowship of believers who were trying to live a communal lifestyle like those described in the book of Acts: "And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need" (Acts 2:44-45 NLT). Now what Mishael and his friends are doing is not terribly new, over the last 20 years or so there has been a growing house/organic church movement which also embraces these verses and are filled with people trying to do life together more so than just on Sundays. Regardless, I commend what Mishael and his friends are doing. My only hope is that they are actively moving missionally in reaching out to the lost children of God and are not overly isolating themselves in the hopes of keeping themselves pure and untainted by the world. 

Lindsey Kane: HE KNOWS

This is such a timely song for me because since coming back from Tanzania I've been feeling a bit disconnected. Now I know that this is natural in transitioning back Stateside, but on a heart level this disconnectedness has gotten me in touch with a deeper sense of loneliness that's always been within my heart. My sense is that this revelation is not a coincidence but purposeful by the Lord so that He can bring healing to the pain and burden of this loneliness that finds comfort in isolation, rather than in community. 

Just the other day I heard these words in my spirit "I know your pain." Then the Holy Spirit flashed in my mind pictures of Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane and the great anguish and loneliness He felt  in having to face the coming trial of the Cross (Matthew 26:36-45). He truly knows the deep pain of loneliness because He's been there. In that moment, He felt utterly alone, but rather than isolating Himself He sought the fellowship of both the Father (vv. 39, 42, 44) and the other disciples (vv. 40, 45).

This has moved me to begin asking the Lord to help me to remain faithful through this coming season as He pulls me from this loneliness and not isolate myself or seek after less than healthy or pure avenues to self-medicate this loneliness. But, to seek the comfort of the Father and the fellowship of the Body of Christ. Somehow I feel like I'm probably not the only one who feels this way. So this is my prayer: "Help us Lord, to find comfort in the fact that You know the pain of our loneliness and that we can trust that You will lead us out of this loneliness and into the comfort and joy of fellowship, both with the Father and others, as You bring healing to our brokenness. In Your Name Jesus, we pray amen."

Sacred Companions

"If I am to have a place of stillness at the core of my being, it will only be because I have learned to offer hospitality to the Spirit (47)."

We live in a world that glorifies the defiled image of God in people. The more outrageous, obscene, even offensive you are, the more attention you receive, both good and bad. This world thrives on lewdness, sex sells. We live in a pornographic world where porn stars are icons and pimps and gangsters are emulated. You may think these examples are extremes, but the truthness of this reality has impact a whole generation. This world operates from a use or be used mentality, in order to get anywhere in life you have to either climb over someone or step on them. Where is the redemption in that?

If we like it or not, this defiled image is at the core of who we are, that is reality. Jesus describes this perverted core when He talks about what makes a person 'clean or unclean:" "For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly (Mark 7:21-22)." But, it is exactly in this place, our sinful hearts, that we can offer hospitality to the Spirit of the living God. When a person gives their life to Jesus, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in that person's heart and begins to transform them by restoring and redeeming our defiled image. He becomes a new creation (2 Cor 5:17).

The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance of eternal life (Eph 1:14), a deposit of what's to come (2 Cor 1:22) which is to one day be in Heaven with Jesus. The more time we spend in showing hospitality to the Holy Spirit, the more of eternity we will experience in our day to day lives. Now, in order to show hospitality to someone we need to be present with them and in order to be present with them we need to be attentive to them. So, this practice of hospitality towards the Spirit means our spirit is actively present with the Spirit's presence in our everyday lives which means we are taking the time to be attentive to Him. Because it's only when we are paying attention to the Spirit are we then able to respond to the Spirit.

Redemptive Relationships

Friendships are important. When I think back on my life, what I remember most are the friendships that I held. Sure, I may remember certain times and places, but most of all I remember the people who shared those moments with me. When I look through the photo album in my mind that stores the snapshots of my life, I see people because all we truly have in life are our relationships.

Now if I call myself a Christian, the Bible challenges me to make all my relationships redemptive ones. What is a redemptive relationship? It's a relationship that always has eternity in view. Jesus was a man who lived his life on earth in this way. When Jesus talked to someone or touched someone he made an eternal impact on their lives. Sometimes it was for the better (those who accepted his message), but other times it was for the worse (those who rejected his message). Either way, people left Jesus changed.

Paul also knew the importance of always keeping eternity in view. He made sure all his relationships were redemptive ones. I'm reminded of Paul's friendship with Onesimus in the book of Philemon. One particular verse stands out to me: "I [Paul] am sending him [Onesimus]- who is my very heart - back to you [Philemon] (v.12)." Who's in your heart?

Paul continues on to say: "Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good— no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord (vv.15-16)." You see, because Paul always had one eye looking forward towards eternity, he saw the salvific nature of the situation and understood the redemptive role he would play in Onesimus' life. He was intentional about making his relationship with Onesimus a redemptive one.

Do you long for those who are dear to you, for those in your heart, to also be dear brothers and sisters in the Lord? I know I do. But, I also know that I need to be intentional about making all my relationships redemptive ones. It's a conscious choice that I must make everyday with every person in my life, including those whom I may only encounter for a moment.