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This Little Light

Posted on Sunday, March 26, 2017

“Everything is moving according plan,” God continues to remind me. Having moved past my 6-month anniversary of being in Berlin, the longevity of being on mission brings certain challenges and rewards.

 I continue to learn more about myself the longer I stay in Berlin. Because of this, I find joy in the season I’m in! Spiritually speaking, being pulled out of comfort of the familiarity and of the culture that professes Christ, there was a season of 2 or 3 months where I was wrestling with myself to understand what the Gospel really is, and how my faith ought to grow while being in a culture this dark. “This little light of mine” carries a new depth.

 

I could talk about a slew of different aspects in which this “wrestling” carries through, but that most critical in this season is found in understanding the core objective of my being here: to obey and worship Christ. There is a beauty in the simplicity of this statement I heard from some of the others on my team: “if there is no worshiping, there is the mission.” In cultures where there is no Worship of God and Jesus, there the mission exists. There is the need of remembering this personally. “If Aaron is not worshipping, how could I be on mission myself?” Here I see is the first point of why the Gospel is important: a check on idolatry. Why do I say idolatry? I may not be worshipping any aspect of the culture I visit, but I risk making mission itself my idol over God himself. Many a times I have walked through the streets of Berlin and thought: “Man, if only the Holy Spirit lit the place up, right now.” I’ve started returning to the work of Francis Chan, who exudes passion and greatly emphasizes affection towards God. Here I’m reminded that the Gospel serves to remind me to rest in that I am to be with God. My challenge to myself in meditating on the Gospel is to reflect on my OWN relationship with Christ, and let that joy and satisfaction flow out in my connections to those around me. Should I force God myself, nothing works and God is not honored fully.

 

I am reminded also that the Gospel serves a strong second purpose. The Armor of God are identified physically as different components intended to be applied to a person’s character in preparation for spiritual warfare. My struggle with the Armor of God is this; do I LITERALLY PUT PEACE ON MY FEET? I always was puzzled on how to practice putting on God’s Armor. I remember back in high school imagining myself putting on physical pieces of armor trying to will the Armor of God to be carried. This never seemed like it got me anywhere I felt prepared. It wasn’t until this last summer during training I had this profoundly simple idea given to me. The Gospel message and meaning serves as a template for how we move on mission. From the Gospel, we find peace as foundation. Also from it we find the guarding of our thoughts and vision with the truth of salvation. Also with faith we keep fast when being attacked.

 Through the Gospel we are given the Authority (the Honoring Word) of God’s Spirit to push the front.

 

Therefore, the ultimate bottom line is this that whether you’re on mission or working in career: meditate on the Gospel and worship in the truth from that, God’s light naturally shines out when this is given its place, and God makes himself obviously near to us in all that we do. The Gospel serves as the central point for bringing our focus on God.

I pray for Joy and Peace to those who find this. May God work to empower and grow His Kingdom in those whom He loves. 

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