Well, another week has gone by and things are getting really interesting here in sunny LA. The last week we had quite the crazy week. Sunday morning we woke up to a fire near us, which i'm sure you've all heard of, and we saw God perform miracles in a very sweet way. Twice we had a fire near us and twice the Lord kept us safe and made the fire turn around and go a different direction away from us but also away from the community we live in. Just the other day we were going to church and we saw how the fires had burnt a lot of the mountain side around the city, but there were no homes damaged, even though the fire came as close as 50 feet from the homes. God is awesome and He hears our prayers all the time. It was awesome to see a bunch of people on that Sunday morning, after being evacuated to Denny's, stand outside in the parking lot @ 5am in the morning worshipping and praying and interceeding for the city and then seeing God move in such an awesome way as an answer to our prayers. God, you are good!!!
But because of the craziness of the fires around us, we were able to serve at a shelter that a huge megachurch set up for the evacuees. It was a great sight to see a mega church not care or worry about their carpet and their building as they were having hundreds of people come to them with pets, with their belongings, etc and to see the church love and minister to those people in very practical ways. It was a true "sighting" of real church happening, without selfishness or arrogance, or greed or apathy. They simply did what they knew God has called us all to do...HELP and meet people's needs in practical ways, thus showing God's love to people in tangible ways!
And that is what this week and last weekend classes have been all about. Our ministries should come out of our lives, our experiences with God and our love for Him and others. Ministry is not something that we do, but a way we live. To minister means to serve, to love, to meet people's needs where they're at. Not to preach, not a title, not a profession or a carreer, but a lifestyle.
And that is what Jesus said, "whatever you've seen me do you do also". We need to learn from Him to do ministry. He was about the people and the need they had. Yes, they needed Jesus, and forgiveness and redemption, but they way Jesus brought it was different than we have made it. He hung out with the people, with those who really needed Him, and He loved them and served them, not without speaking the truth of His love to them, but not just with words but actions. James says "faith without works is dead. I believe this to be true. And i believe this is the way i ougtha live my life.
God has called us to serve and minister to the people of Mexico, specifically Cerro Azul. We oughta do it with the knowledge that as we love, serve, give, bless and show Jesus to them through our lives, God will draw the people of Cerro Azul to Him as long as we portray who Jesus truly is. Something i thought about today was this, "if we are God's reflection to people, or at least that is what we ougtha be, then how are people percieving God through us? What is the reflection people are seeing like? What qualities and characteristics of God are people seeing in me? Love? Compassion? Integrity? Mercy? Truth? Freedom? Generosity? Faith? Forgiveness? Patience? Joy? or are we reflecting ourselves in the name of Christianity and Jesus?
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