"When they [the Sanhedrin] saw
the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary
men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with
Jesus." Acts 4:13
Can you picture the scene above unfolding? Peter and John, two ordinary dudes, find
themselves standing before prestigious, educated, professional court officials
because they had just been part of something extraordinary and unbelievable.
Actually, the healing of a man's legs was simply one of many extraordinary happenings taking place leading
up to their moment in court.
The events recorded in the book of Acts are wild to say the least. Pop some popcorn, get settled in your comfy chair and read it for yourself. It’s incredible! Only God could design the supernatural and extraordinary events in the beginning of Acts which led to the advance of the Good News of Jesus` resurrection around the world. I can’t help but think the events in the first few chapters of Acts were Peter and John’s lightbulb moments when all the puzzling stories Jesus told and the wild things He did began to click and make sense.
Standing before the court that day, I imagine their hair was a mess and their eyes were blood shot from both lack of sleep and from a fresh, Spirit filled awakening in their souls.
What exactly does one look like who has “been with Jesus?”
Jesus spent most of his time with the poor, the outcasts, the down and out and the suffering. I imagine his hands were often dirty and his hair may have had the wind-blown, all natural look going on. Jesus was the dark skinned, poor guy from a struggling, low income family and neighborhood with a bad reputation. I imagine Jesus` disciples were an unpolished, wild looking bunch too.
What does it look like to be recognized as someone who has “been with Jesus?”
When I think of people of who look like they have been with Jesus I think of my friends Camille and Esther who willingly moved into an area of conflict in Eastern Congo to love and empower the suffering Congolese people.
I think of my friend Beth who, for close to 3 years has consistently spent her time, in order to be present and provide a listening ear and a smile for the dozens of neglected people residing in a local motel.
I think of those who tear down
walls intended to divide us by race, nationality, rich and poor, educated and uneducated,
etc. like Dr. John Perkins, LaTasha Morrison, Shane Claiborne, the Hatmakers, my friends Adriana, Meredith, Monica and Melany.
I think of my friend Holiday who is so gifted in building up others by speaking life giving words of empowerment and encouragement into their lives. I've seen how her words have created space for others to dream big and see those dreams come to life.
I think of those working day and night who speak out against injustices such as slavery and oppression and spend their lives fighting for rescue and freedom of the enslaved.
What would you add? What else does one look like having been with Jesus?
A month ago I spent a day building a
home in Rosarito, Mexico. Okay let’s be honest, I painted some siding and
hammered a few nails. In less than six hours, a tiny house went up on a
beautiful hillside overlooking the vast Pacific Ocean. A beautiful family, who
had slept out in the open without shelter just the night before, now had a roof
over their heads.
As we made our way across the border, headed for home that evening, I was
spent! And filthy! I felt as if I were 80 andlooked as if I had been in
a tornado. And yet, I felt so alive!
For the better part of 15 years, I've volunteered at a local motel where dozens
of families reside. The motel is home to a working homeless population, barely
keeping themselves and their families from sleeping under a bridge somewhere by
working Wall Street hours while earning only a minimum wage income. Every time
I spend an hour or two there, chatting with the adults and playing with the
kids, I leave exhausted and exhilarated. Often I drive off feeling
ruined, undone and incredibly content.
Last week I played a simple role in what I hope to mean an escape from
homelessness for a teen girl. The efforts made to work towards a better life
for her, over the course of a few days, wore me out and caused me so much joy, I thought I might burst.
Is it possible, the experiences that
leave us exhausted, filthy, spent in every way possible, paradoxically mark
some of the most exhilarating, life-giving moments of our lives?
There is something about personally knowing and serving those on the fringe
that transcends into unspeakable joy and contentment in life.
Maybe this is what Jesus meant when He said whoever loses their life for Him will find life. Maybe this is what it means to not just be a hearer of God's word, but also a doer. Maybe this is what true worship looks like.
It's a beautiful thing seeing and knowing you were part of life change for someone. Experiencing God use the hands of people, in a big or small way, to create change and transformation for another person leaves me breathless. This is God's plan that His Church restore and rebuild what has been damaged and broken. It's tiring work, exhausting work, it requires sleepless nights and sacrifices of self. And being part of God's global plan of redemption is exhilarating, adventurous and ushers in joy and contentment.
Friends, with Jesus, you may be tired, with wild eyes and crazy hair. Yet, where He is, hope, reconciliation, life, joy, contentment and happiness are made known. His heart for the poor, oppressed and forgotten has not changed. There is more work to do to love in the broken spaces in the world, beginning in our own homes, into our neighborhoods and throughout the world.
This is the will of God for everyone; to spend ourselves on behalf of the poor in the same way Jesus spent Himself with the poor. He took on all poverty of the heart when He died on the cross so you and I might be called the children of God. And as the children of God, we are fully equipped to live a life that reflects His radical healing and love in the darkest corners of the world.
When we are exhausted, at our max
capacity, unable to take another step, it is Hope WHO propels us to press on!
It is the same powerful Spirit who came upon Peter and John, who steps onto the
scene and does supernatural, transformational work and we get to be part of it,
exhausted, spent and filled up to the brim with joy and contentment.
Circumstances change; presidents will come and go, culture shifts like sand in
the ocean. The Children of God must not waver from the way of righteousness,
the way of Jesus' love for the poor, for this is the Way paved to a life flourishing
and joy.
Spend yourself, your time, your listening ear, your skills, talents, resources,
gifting, etc. and watch the joy of the Lord come crashing into your life. When
others see you - the ordinary person - they will take note you have been with
Jesus.
"So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday,
ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and
place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best
thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that
you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God.
You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from
you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging
you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops
well-formed maturity in you." Rom. 12:1-2
