Moving Into Action

Originally posted on 8/7/08

I spent last week with my Church and many other Churches from around the US in Buffalo, New York. We went with an organization called World Changers. This is my favorite trip of all the trips we go on every year. It's just an amazing opportunity to share your faith by serving.

The one thing I love most about the organization is that it puts the focus of missions exactly where it needs to be. As Christians, we so often lose sight of the greatest commandment. John 13:34-35 says "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." We are called to share our faith through love. People should know what we believe by how we love one another.

During the week, we are put on different crews assigned to homes in the area that need work. We show our love for Christ by giving of our time and money to work on someone's house that can't afford it. You can only imagine the reactions you get to telling someone you paid to roof someone's house for a week. It shocks people to hear that someone would pay to do work for someone else and as a Christian that worries me. This is exactly what we should be doing, people shouldn't be shocked by the actions we do in love. We have been blessed to be a blessing to others. Christ has showed us love so that we may show others. As the Church, we should be doing more. We should be living our faith out daily by loving and serving others. It's about so much more than going to Church, singing the right songs, even saying the right words to people. It's about being the Church, worshiping with our lives, and loving beyond what words can do.

We learned a song in Buffalo that has become my prayer for not only myself but the Church...
God of Justice, Savior to all
Came to rescue the weak and the poor
Chose to serve and not be served

Jesus, You have called us
Freely we've received
Now freely we will give

We must go
Live to feed the hungry
Stand beside the broken
We must go
Stepping forward, keep us from just singing
Move us into action
We must go

To act justly everyday
Loving mercy in everyway
Walking humbly before You God

You have shown us, what You require
Freely we've received
Now freely we will give

Fill us up and send us out
Fill us up and send us out
Fill us up and send us out Lord

God has filled us up and continues to fill us up so that we may go. We should be constantly pouring our love, blessings and being into others. It's an everyday, everyway thing. We need to start acting upon what we believe and what we sing. Do we live life like our chains our gone? Do we live life like God is our King? Do we live life like were pressed but not crushed? Do we live life like He reigns? How can we expect others to know God and love God, if we don't love them enough to tell them with our wordsand our actions?