2008.01.Masterpiece

We are His masterpiece. For He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. - Ephesians 2:10.

This verse was the theme for our Winter Conference over this Christmas break. Eight hundred students gathered from around the region to come to grow in their faith and experience God on a different level. I was asked to pray for the entire conference: the logistics, technical aspects, the speakers, etc. It was a little daunting and a little vague. I wanted to be effective, but where do you start?

Then God did it. I showed up several hours before the meeting and began to pray in the convention center before anyone came. God gave me a vision to pray through each seat that would represent every student or staff and pray that they would realize that they where His masterpiece. As I continued to pray for each person I became overwhelmed by the fact that I needed to believe this promise of Ephesians 2:10 for myself. While I was feeling unworthy to be praying, I shouted out the truth that I am worthy not because of anything of myself but because of the worthiness of God alone and the work that He has done through Christ on my behalf. And as I shouted out these truths I was struck by God and believing that I have been created anew for this very purpose- for this moment to ask for God’s will to be true in the place that I had been praying.

Upon further reflection I noticed that in Ephesians 2:10 it states that “we” are His Masterpiece, for “we” have been created anew in Christ Jesus so that “we” can do the good things He planned for “us” long ago. So much in our culture I emphasize my importance, but it is together that we make up the body of Christ and together we make this beautiful masterpiece.

Now I have returned to the University of Oregon, and God has given me a vision to pray for each and every place and person. I keep getting the impression that this place is not so big that God’s glory cannot penetrate each and every area. There is no argument too great that any man or woman can conjure up that God cannot overcome. I have made it a part of my schedule to pray through every nook and cranny of the school: department buildings, commons areas, dormitories and apartment buildings for the Holy Spirit to reach every place-- that no one at the university would go untouched by the Glory of God. I am convinced that the battle for these students will be won in the heavenly realms.

2007.12.Why does it matter that Jesus is the only way to God?

A big part of ministry on our campus is just showing up. I make calls to students who show interests in seeking after God from entering raffles or receiving free gifts. Many students I have interacted with this fall have needed clarification about Christianity and the claims of Christ. A student named Zak stated that he was a Christian but he also felt that all ways lead to God. I probed a little deeper and shared with him that if that were true that there could be no God because of the many different outcomes that these different ways lead to. I said that the only God that is possible in that belief is the one that Zak would make up. There could be no way God could ever speak to Him because he could just pick and choose who his God was. When I explained this to him, Zak’s eyes showed a realization that this new concept was real truth. It rushed him into thoughts that if Jesus is the only way to God as He claims, then we need to let others know about Him. He was humbled, and maybe for the first time in His life confronted with the reality of what it means to follow Christ. It was not just another passing thought, but what it would mean to really believe in Jesus and the consequences that would have for the friends, family, acquaintances around him were becoming clear.

It would have been easy to just leave Zak’s answer that he is a Christian alone, but I have experienced that a lot of people don’t necessarily understand what it means to be a follower of Christ. As we continue to engage with other believers, those who identify with Christianity, those who don’t know Him, and those who are against Him, it amazes me to see how a simple question like, “Why do you believe that?” or “What do you mean by that statement?” reveals so much about what someone really believes as opposed to what they think is the right answer to give someone.