Witnessing Jesus

Jesus' last words to his disciples, as recorded in Acts 1:8, were as follows: "and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

In this midst of Jesus' mission statement this is one word that is unsettling. Like the look a friend gives when you're listening to them tell a story while their words and expressions don't line up. Unsettling like the times you heard the words but it doesn't feel like you really caught meaning.
We will be his witnesses.
In a culture where is seems like every Christian is up in arms with defending, proving, protecting, and defeating, Jesus calls for witnesses. What does that mean? 

Simple. 

He called for people who would tell of what they have seen. 

Jesus doesn't need defending. He doesn't need protecting. He is not afraid that the other team might score. He is not powerless. Defense might win championships but it does nothing for the kingdom of God other than tell everyone that we're afraid of losing. People who already have victory don't need defense. What He asks for is witnesses. People who know what he is like and can tell of what He has done. This requires us to ask of the disciples, and ourselves, what exactly did they witness? 

They witnessed a man who spent a lot of time with the poor, the prostitutes, the outcasts, and the sick. A man who was threatened and hated but NEVER ONCE, no matter how many chances he had, responded in violence. A man who only seemed to act in anger against those who were manipulating his Father's law to serve their own purposes. A man full of grace and truth. A man that was hated by those who's power was threatened by him but loved by those that most had hated. 

They witnessed him saying "whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it." Also "whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Even "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." 

They witnessed Jesus not having many possessions in the world but never worrying. They witnessed him mourning for Jerusalem and weeping over those who are lost. They witnessed him voluntarily give his life. It was not taken from him. He gave it up. They witnessed him wash the feet of someone who would betray him in the worst way. They witnessed him love every person he encountered. They saw him laugh and play with children. They witnessed his life, his death, and his resurrection. Because they saw it, they could testify to the truth. 

The question we each have to ask is simple: have we witnessed the real Jesus? I think that many of us, myself included, have missed the real Jesus for a middle class, American version of him. One that wants to love people in a safe, protected way from a distance. One politician recently made a statement about giving Christians back their power. I wonder if we have really ever witnessed Jesus if we are more concerned with having power than loving people. I think we might have witnessed morals. Maybe even biblical principles. But Jesus isn't either of those things. Jesus is a person.

This morning I had the wonderful privilege of sitting down with Muslim family in their home and simply listened. I was just tagging along with a friend, and all I did was listen and nod. We laughed, joked, and told stories. They didn't pray and cry and repent. We just showed love to them. We blessed them with a small gift to help get through a rough time. There was no reason to be afraid of them. I think maybe they witnessed a little of Jesus. I think maybe I did too.

Repost: Forgettable Generation

The amount of articles one can find either defending or attacking the millennial generation is astounding. Whether it be sarcastic twenty somethings who are tired of being called lazy or abrasive or 50 somethings who are tired of having basement dwellers, there are volatile voices on both sides pointing fingers back and forth.

It's getting old.

When you begin comparing scars between generations what you will find is that you've got a bunch of people who are all human. Each one with social, economic, and religious stressors that push in one direction or another. Each one no better or worse than the one before, and really not that different either. If the millennials were born in the 70's they would probably have experimented with psychedelic drugs, ruined the eco system, and tanked the economy. (because all of those things happen in one generation of course... oh wait...) If the boomers were born in the 90's they would live in their parents basement and work part time at Starbucks.

Why? Because each generation does what normal humans do with the circumstances they are given. You can't blame some one for doing the best with what they have. This finger pointing is just proof that each generation is still very capable of pitching fits and tattling like children.

If there is one great danger the millennial generation is facing it is this: spending more time complaining about our world than  doing something about it. We're in danger of being entirely forgettable.

Myself and my peers love being "aware" of the need in the world. We love buying Toms and shopping at 10,000 Villages. We love knowing that our light roast single origin coffee was purchased sustainably from an environmentally friendly farm that helps orphans. To over simplify it's this: we love supporting other people's efforts to make the world a better place in a way that eases our conscience.

This leads us to use controversial hashtags, wear mildly offensive t-shirts that question the norm, and make a big deal online or at a rally about the problems we see. That is not a bad thing. In fact holy discontent is a good thing. As believers we should look at the world and be unhappy with the injustice that we see. Here's the caveat: We only have the right to complain if we're willing to do something about it.

It's not that we shouldn't spend our money through responsible organizations like Toms. It's that we shouldn't pass the responsibility for change off on other people by purchasing expensive shoes that make us feel like world changers. Buying Toms is great, but the shoemaker is bringing about change by making the shoes, I'm just buying shoes like a always do.

We must each find our place in making a difference instead of simply wearing tshirts that quote Ghandi. We're in danger of being forgettable because we're in danger of not doing anything. It's time to do something. It's time to live our values instead of just buy them. If your passion is the environment, keep buying organic, but do more than buying food. If your passion is ending human trafficking, do more than wear the tshirt. If your passion is helping the hurting, then go physically help someone.

Changing the world is our responsibility, yours and mine. The Holy Spirit doesn't use people who don't do anything.