This past week at Baltimore was both frustrating and good. It was frustrating dealing with the spiritual opposition and resistance in the lives of our young people. But overall, it turned out good for the youth (and leaders) who went. They are now excited and understand the need for church planting and are ready to get involved in serving the community. I’m really excited, and excited for them!
I had a revelation this past week being involved in the community service projects. I have often spken and taught on how love is action. I also taught on how Christ instructs is to live a life of love, and how he said, “obedience to God is to walk in love.” “He has shown you, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).” “We are saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. We were created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God predestined before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 2:8-10).
That passage right there says it all. God wants us to live lives of service, both to the believing and unbelieving world. But of the unbelievers, Paul says, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the time” Col 4:5 (HCSB). So with the unbelieving communities in which we inhabit, we must live lives of service, opening them to the gospel and engaging them in love.
With the LORD's SOON return, we've all got to be busy engaging and serving our communities. I think that's where many of us as churches have dropped the ball. We focus on doing programs and courses and looking inward at the church and the health of the body, while losing focus on the community right around us. Being part of this church plant for the Gallery church in Baltimore (www.gallerychurchbaltimore.com) was refreshing and opened my eyes to this.
Another thing that was really cool, and that the youth thought was really cool, was that we got interviewed and had an article wrote up about us in yesterday's Baltimore Sun paper. If you'd like to check it out, see http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.ci.youth04jul04,0,5831783.story. They even quoted moua!
Showing posts with label Baltimore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baltimore. Show all posts
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Angels in Baltimore
At the beginning of May my family took a preview trip of our summer missions work to Baltimore, MD. Our first morning there, had some time before our first meeting, so we decided to go down to Lexington Market, where Tara's dad had eaten when he was 18!
We drove downtonwn, and reached Lexington Market, which was literally 'inner city' Baltimore. As we walked in, the sights, the smells, the people. We had Christopher on his Elmo leash so he wouldn't wander or get lost in the bustle and snatched! The food plaza was great. It made me think of something you'd see on Rachel Ray's Tasty Travels. The plaza was immense. The main floor had hundreds of food shops, and up on the second level, there were tables seated around the sides looking down to the bustling floor below.
We entered in, and were looiking for a particular shop. Christopher loved it. He is still very trusting of people, and would run as far as I'd let him go on his leash. We meandered through the plaza, going around different corners in search of the famous crab-cake shop located somewhere inside. Finally we found it, and got in line to get a ginormous crab-ball, a little larger than a softball! And it cost $13!!! :-O Tara's mom makes a really good 'crab-puff,' so we had to try one so Tara could compare and tell her mom of the taste and ingredients (that Tara had tasted~ my wife's good!).
From there we went across the street t investigate more of the market. There were shops on the outside selling souveneirs, belts, cell phones, combs, etc. We went in the other side, and it was more of a market selling whole fishes, crabs, lobster, though there were still food shops with lines of customers. The entire market was very crowded, bustling with people in their daily routine. Pretty soon, the odor of all the dead fish, seafood and other aromas(!) began to overwhelm us, so we decided to go back onto the sidewalk, where at least the air was open.
We went onto the sidewalk, and began back the direction we had come. I was trying to direct Christopher and keep him from walking in front of a moving car. As we went up a little further, there was this little old black lady walking down the sidewalk. Her hair was short and graying. She had on glasses with thick sides. Her dress was old and faded, and she had on a shawl over her dress. She was passing by us, and didn't look at us as far as I could tell. But as she passed, I heard her say something clearly, sternly without yelling, "Jesus is coming back!"
At the time I thought it was sweet that this old lady was witnessing to people in her way, walking through the busy marketplace. Most modern day methods of evangelism would teach you more of a presentation, or that evangelism happens best in relationship. I think I would agree. As I got to thinking about it, it occurred to me, "What if that was an angel?" Theologically speaking, God has ordained for humans to play a role in the redemption of their fellow humans, showing the transforming power of His life in us, giving us compassion and love for our deceived and enslaved fellow humans. But the meaning of angel is "a messenger of God," and in scripture, we see that it appears more than just heavenly beings can be angels (Rev. 2:1, 8, 12, 18, etc.).
This morning when thinking of writing about this occurrence, and this little old lady, I thought about the prophet Jonah, and his tactics. We know that clearly we are living in the (very literally) last days, when we see that the labor pains are now much closer together than just 59 years ago, when Israel was brought back to its promised land, fulfilling Ezek. 36 & 37. This little lady did just as the prophet Jonah was directed thousands of years ago. She marched through the market, as busy and bustiling as Ninevah in Jonah's day, I dare say, and proclaimed the near return of our Lord to all who might hear her.
Oh, how much more should we all be seeking to warn people to seek refuge in our Lord, who freely offers salvation to all! 11 Knowing, then, the fear of the Lord, we persuade people.
18 Now everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ; certain that God is appealing through us, we plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” 2 Cor 5:11, 18-20 (HCSB)
Galatians 6:9 9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.
We drove downtonwn, and reached Lexington Market, which was literally 'inner city' Baltimore. As we walked in, the sights, the smells, the people. We had Christopher on his Elmo leash so he wouldn't wander or get lost in the bustle and snatched! The food plaza was great. It made me think of something you'd see on Rachel Ray's Tasty Travels. The plaza was immense. The main floor had hundreds of food shops, and up on the second level, there were tables seated around the sides looking down to the bustling floor below.
We entered in, and were looiking for a particular shop. Christopher loved it. He is still very trusting of people, and would run as far as I'd let him go on his leash. We meandered through the plaza, going around different corners in search of the famous crab-cake shop located somewhere inside. Finally we found it, and got in line to get a ginormous crab-ball, a little larger than a softball! And it cost $13!!! :-O Tara's mom makes a really good 'crab-puff,' so we had to try one so Tara could compare and tell her mom of the taste and ingredients (that Tara had tasted~ my wife's good!).
From there we went across the street t investigate more of the market. There were shops on the outside selling souveneirs, belts, cell phones, combs, etc. We went in the other side, and it was more of a market selling whole fishes, crabs, lobster, though there were still food shops with lines of customers. The entire market was very crowded, bustling with people in their daily routine. Pretty soon, the odor of all the dead fish, seafood and other aromas(!) began to overwhelm us, so we decided to go back onto the sidewalk, where at least the air was open.
We went onto the sidewalk, and began back the direction we had come. I was trying to direct Christopher and keep him from walking in front of a moving car. As we went up a little further, there was this little old black lady walking down the sidewalk. Her hair was short and graying. She had on glasses with thick sides. Her dress was old and faded, and she had on a shawl over her dress. She was passing by us, and didn't look at us as far as I could tell. But as she passed, I heard her say something clearly, sternly without yelling, "Jesus is coming back!"
At the time I thought it was sweet that this old lady was witnessing to people in her way, walking through the busy marketplace. Most modern day methods of evangelism would teach you more of a presentation, or that evangelism happens best in relationship. I think I would agree. As I got to thinking about it, it occurred to me, "What if that was an angel?" Theologically speaking, God has ordained for humans to play a role in the redemption of their fellow humans, showing the transforming power of His life in us, giving us compassion and love for our deceived and enslaved fellow humans. But the meaning of angel is "a messenger of God," and in scripture, we see that it appears more than just heavenly beings can be angels (Rev. 2:1, 8, 12, 18, etc.).
This morning when thinking of writing about this occurrence, and this little old lady, I thought about the prophet Jonah, and his tactics. We know that clearly we are living in the (very literally) last days, when we see that the labor pains are now much closer together than just 59 years ago, when Israel was brought back to its promised land, fulfilling Ezek. 36 & 37. This little lady did just as the prophet Jonah was directed thousands of years ago. She marched through the market, as busy and bustiling as Ninevah in Jonah's day, I dare say, and proclaimed the near return of our Lord to all who might hear her.
Oh, how much more should we all be seeking to warn people to seek refuge in our Lord, who freely offers salvation to all! 11 Knowing, then, the fear of the Lord, we persuade people.
18 Now everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ; certain that God is appealing through us, we plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” 2 Cor 5:11, 18-20 (HCSB)
Galatians 6:9 9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.
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