Seminary has been a force to reckon with already for Luke and I as we have jumped headfirst into a community where theological discussions happen on a regular basis and where each person you meet is looking forward to a life of ministry within Christ's body. We have met people from all over the world; people of every race, every denomination and every background you can imagine. We've visited churches that are so far from our background we probably look more like tourists than worshipers and prayed with people whose native language we don't even speak. It stretches you. It forces you to examine your faith, to test it and see if it stands the test. You are, in a way, forced to pursue Christ deeply and earnestly; to immerse yourself in His Word in a way you've never done and to seek wisdom in a way you've never sought.
On the other hand, what a blessing to see Jesus in the lives of so many others! I have shared before about our "same but different" stories here. The people we have been privileged to share this time with have so blessed us by their single-hearted devotion to Christ and His calling on their lives. We come together and our burdens are the same: to see people active in a vibrant faith and walking in a growing relationship with Christ. Our visions are the same: to serve in the Church as ministers of grace and truth to stir people up by way of the Word and through the Holy Spirit. And our hearts are the same: to be fully His so we can serve fully for Him.
In each testimony and each prayer, we remind each other over and over again of this thing - we are not here because we thought it'd be cool to be in ministry or because we were bored with our lives as they were. We didn't leave behind friends and families on a whim or for a selfish cause. With each interaction we are reminded that we are here because we were pursued by a God who loves us wholeheartedly and who desires to use us as His vessels of grace and truth, to share His Word and His love to this generation, to be His hands and feet and to do so with all our heart, soul and mind.
And so as we are pursuing Christ, He is pursuing us, calling us ever onward to the "upward call of God in Christ Jesus." The pursuer and the pursued are no longer defined. He comes after us with his grace and we go after Him with our will. And the result, when our eyes are fixed on Him, is that unspeakable joy and faces that reflect the glory of the One and Only.
This blog was inspired by a few things. One, a dear friend of mine here at seminary recently wrote her own blog post about her faith journey and in it she wrote,
"Through those years, I ran from God. I thought that He wouldn’t want me to even claim Him, because I was so damaged and broken. And yet, He was always there. In the quiet stillness, I would cry out in my pain, and He would be there. His presence was tangible to me, His arms comforting me. Even so, I continued to push away. But God is not easily deterred. He is a God of mad love, crazy about me….crazy about you." (Read her whole testimony at http://familyinsanity.wordpress.com/)God pursued, God loved, and God never gave up. Having prayed with this friend, I know that she is now pursuing Him - pursuing and being pursued; never still, always growing.
The second inspiration was going to church with Dr. Stamps and his wife on Sunday morning. Before we went Dr. Stamps stopped by to give me directions and left me with this challenge that I cannot forget. He said, "This isn't church like you are used to but these people need Jesus. I have pastored three churches in my life, two in my tradition and one much more liberal. I won more people to Jesus in the liberal one than the other two combined. There is my mission field." God pursuing through Dr. Stamps in a way I never dreamed and I saw the fruit of his ministry on Sunday as he challenged and proclaimed, holding up a standard of truth in love and revealing his pursuit of His Pursuer.
And finally, through this sign on the seminary campus that has spoken to my heart many times since we started here. The text reads, "We grab hold of the grace that changes us." What a picture of beautiful pursuit! The grace that teaches us to say "No" to sin, the grace that covers all of our unrighteousness, the grace that unconditionally forgives and fulfills; we chase it and grab hold of it and it transforms us. This game of chase is not a game. It is life, fullness of life, abundant life. It doesn't wait until heaven; it is available now. This awesome opportunity to know and to be known by our Creator deserves our full attention. And as we join the chase, I know our hearts will lift in joy. The whole idea of God always being with us becomes even more amazing when we know that He is indeed pursuing us with His love. He's not just idly sitting by; He is coming after us with more life, more joy, more wisdom, more grace. As Peter says, "Make every effort to add to your faith, goodness and to your goodness, knowledge and to your knowledge, self-control, and to your self-control, perserverance, and to your perserverance; godliness; and to your godliness; mutual affection; and to your mutual affection, love. For IF you possess these qualities IN INCREASING MEASURE, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." There is more and more abundant life to be had! Pursue Him and be pursued by Him and grow richer, deeper, fuller in your knowledge of Him!
It may have taken seminary to help me see this but the reality is, it was always there. From the beginning of my walk with Christ, I can see the pursuit. From the moment we felt called to ministry, I can see the chase playing out. From the second we decided to take the step to go to seminary, I can see the quest from both sides - God calling, us following, us seeking, God answering. So the next time you see two toddlers chasing each other, laughing and squealing, imagine the pursuit you are in! God loves you, He is pursuing you, He has so much abundant life for you. Pursue Him and allow that grace to "grab hold" of you!
No comments:
Post a Comment