God has been faithful in the ways He has led my wife and I here to go to the nations to proclaim the name of Jesus. Ever since our marriage in December 2016, it has been clear that the Lord has brought us together to further His kingdom. We believe that God is a sending God. He CAME to us. The Father sent His Son into the world and through His Spirit He is continually on mission to reconcile the world to Himself. Now we are on a journey of following a God that sends.
On a Sunday a couple months ago I started to ask some fundamental questions about life as a follower of Christ. I had a deep curiosity about prayer. I wondered if my prayers had an impact or any influence in my everyday life. I asked the Lord to show me the power behind prayer. I knew that I could easily turn this into a testing experiment of God and prayer, but I genuinely wanted to see if God actually heard me and acted. So on that same day I asked God to bring people into my life so I can show them the love of Jesus through my words and deeds. Then it was a waiting game to see how the Lord would answer.
That Monday, I was at the church office preparing for the week of ministry as I heard a knock on the office door. I stood up and walked up to a man that looked exhausted and empty. His name was Matthew and he had a broken life and heart. Drugs and family neglect were the chains that he carried in his life. After an hour of conversation, prayer, and tears the Spirit was able to bring food to him and a hopeful, fresh perspective to this broken man. The next day I met up with my best bud from high school. He was a self-proclaimed Atheist, now Agnostic that initiated a conversation about Creation over lunch. He initiated that conversation and the Lord opened up a window to talk about God as Designer and Creator of the world and man. The next day, I met up with a coworker name Mark. He is a brother in Christ and we were able to edify one another and be near to the heart of God. Then, at the end of the week I was driving to Chick-fil-a to get some work done (they have good worship tunes to work in) and took the exit off the freeway as always. As I was strolling up to the light my heart came to an immediate halt. There was a slender homeless man 3 feet outside of my window lifelessly sitting with his head down, curled up sitting on the floor. John had his “please help” sign and his squinted eyes under the dark shadow of his tight-fitted hat. At that moment the Spirit compelled me to take him in… so the only answer for me was to let him in my car and bring him home. We spent the second half of the day together, and we were able to listen to one another and care for one another equally. He gave great advice on my sermon that I was giving that coming week, while I was able to love him and show him that he had dignity and beauty as one that is made in the image of God. Ever since, we call each other friends and treat another as that. Finally the weekend came and I was able to reflect and pray on my past week. It was then I realized that I uttered that prayer to God at the beginning of the week and, in that same week, the Lord brought to me Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They were divine appointments that the Lord scheduled that week and Jesus could be praised and known. Praise God!
Currently, my wife and I are in the midst of praying bold, hopeful prayers in hopes to seek Jesus and lovingly meet the refugees in the Middle East now. God sent His Son for us and, now, God is sending His sons and daughters to the nations through His Spirit. He sends with intent for people to come to know Jesus. The goal is presented in Revelation 7:9: After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.
In hopes of this, we obey the Great Commission.