This year marks the 20th
anniversary of Christ For the City International!
In these days it is always
wonderful to look back at our history and see all that God has done through us,
for us, and with us to bless others and bring them into His kingdom.
When the prophetic voice of God
is not present it is natural for man to turn to the law and traditions in order
to preserve the remembrance of when the voice of God was active among us.
During these times of
celebration, we are also being tempted. Instead of seeking to keep the
voice of God prophetic and active in our lives, our families, and our ministries,
we can be tempted to start to build monuments to commemorate what God has done
in the past. This is dangerous for any of us. While keeping God's voice active
in our lives is not an easy thing with all the noise and the pressures we feel around
our busy lives, it is absolutely essential.
I want to share with you an
interesting and somewhat obscure verse. It’s one of my favorites because it helps
me to maintain my thirst to hear God's voice. It is Galatians 6:17.
In Galatians, Paul is dealing
with a church that has lost the prophetic voice of God in their midst and who
has started to substitute that voice for laws and traditions of men. In this
case, circumcision. This upsets Paul very much. To the point that this is the
only epistle that Paul writes where there is no loving salutation from him! At
the end of Galatians, Paul writes these words in verse 17.
“Henceforth
let no man bother me for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.”
Our workers and missionaries
inspire me to remember that we owe our allegiance to God alone. It is God who
owns us, not man or the world. In fact, we do not own ourselves!
Our workers have many years (for
some, decades) of faithful service to God through a variety of hard and dark
circumstances. They are truly warriors: in prayer, definitely, but also in
being so faithful and committed to God's work through their lives in order to
bring others into the Kingdom of God. They have fought the battles, they have
been faithful. You who have fought the battle with us understand what I'm about
to tell you.
First, let us remember that
because we have borne the battle for so long we bear the mark of Jesus in our
hearts and souls. For some, even on our bodies. You need to honor and celebrate
these battle scars; not as a source of pride but of ownership - God’s ownership
of your life. Because of those scars we are not accountable to mere man; we are
accountable to God. You are no longer held accountable by man’s culture, by
man’s values, or by man's manipulations. You have passed the test, and you are
only accountable to God.
Second, these scars should also
remind us that we are not owned by our feelings and desires. You were crucified
with Christ when you became a Christian and put Jesus Christ on the throne of
your life. At that time you died, and you dedicated the rest of your life to
being God's servant and doing God's will on earth in a way that would
demonstrate His Kingdom.
In other words, we have been
set free from the slavery of sin and now are slaves of God and so enjoy the
fruit of holiness as well as eternal life. (Romans 6:16-22)!
The conclusion is that we can
relax. God is in control of our lives and the history of CFCI. Seek, cherish,
and listen for the prophetic voice of God in your life and enjoy the freedom
that God brings to us all!
Maranatha!
Chip Anderson is the president and CEO of Christ For the International.
To give to Chip or other missionaries who continue pouring themselves out for Jesus Christ and the good of others, follow this link.
Edited By: John Michael Den Hartog
No comments:
Post a Comment