Them's Fightin' Words!

So, it's been quite some time since I have written a blog post, but I think it is about time I wrote another.  I went to Zambia, came back, and that was amazing, but I think I will write that blog another time when something else isn't fresh on my mind.

I was reading my Bible today - the book of 1st Peter, the 2nd chapter - and I just kept realizing the strong language that is in both that book, and throughout the entire Bible. Peter uses words like "long for" and "wage war" and others in this chapter. These are not the only examples in the Bible. Paul uses a lot of strong language in his many letters such as: crave, strive, put to death, yearn, love, run the race, exercise, and so many more. Jesus uses strong language too! How many times did he call people broods of vipers or snakes?

These are some pretty strong words. How often do we say that we yearn or long for some cereal? Or some Blue Jays tickets? Or how about that new iPhone? These things are not inherently bad, but when we want these things more than God, they are bad. However, the point of this post is not idolatry, though I am sure I could point out a ton of that in my own life that I need to deal with. The point of this post is to show you that this faith that we are living out is not a joke or a walk in the park.

So often we are just fine with getting by in our Christian faith, and our walk with God. But if we examine the Scriptures, we will surely find that it's not a walk - it's a run, or a marathon. It is not a game we are playing, like Call of Duty or Halo, this is really war against our own sin nature, where we actively seek to pur our sin to death, just as Jesus died, so that Jesus can be the life in us. This is not a sit back and relax, enjoy yourself kind of faith where you go to youth group or small group once a week and then church on Sundays. We need to yearn, long for, and crave Jesus, and that takes effort!

If we truly think that when we get to Heaven, God will say, "Well done, good and faithful servant," then we are already falling into the lies that Satan is feeding us. We cannot ever think that we have done enough for the Kingdom. If you have helped to lead 10,000 people to Christ, that is amazing, but there are still 6 billion more to go. Our work, our race, our war is never over, until we meet our great Creator. I have said this before, but this is not a way to get into Heaven, and get Jesus. This is the outpouring of our love for Jesus if we have truly received Him.

Followers of Christ, let's not ever become complacent in our faith. This is a war, and we need to fight wars - not against people, but against sin. If anybody had to fight for this faith, if anybody yearned, craved, strove, put sin to death, or any other strong words you can find in the Bible, it was Jesus. We follow Christ, so let's be like Christ, and let's do it for God's glory.

Zambia Updates - Great News!

For all you who have supported me, both in prayer and with finances, I want to extend the biggest thanks. I AM COMPLETELY FUNDRAISED!!! Praise God for this. I am absolutely blown away by the grace of God and the generosity of the people who love me. Thank you so much for making this possible for me to go to Zambia this summer and serve the people there. Also, some very good news - the chances are very good that I will be able to meet my sponsor child, Steven! I can't even explain how much this excites me. 

I have a small request, for those of you who read this blog. I need the members on my team to go with me to Zambia. This is an integral part of God's plan for this summer, and I need you to help me out with this. Not all of my teammates have all of their money raised, but I NEED them to go - we are a team, and have built some awesome relationships already. So, if some of you, whoever feels they would like to, could send money, though it would not support me directly, it would be a great blessing to me to know that all of our teammates could go. The process is the same for sending money to support me directly, except instead of designating the funds to me, designate them for the Zambia team as a whole. Please help my teammates out with this, because I really do need them to go. For those who can't support financially, prayer is always amazing, and we covet prayers. Thank you.

Finally, some more good news - our plane tickets are booked! We are leaving May 5th, and coming back June 1st. It's happening. We are going. 

Thanks to everyone who reads this, and everyone who supports me in any way. I honestly could not ask for better friends and family.

Stephen

So, I was just talking to a very dear friend, and she was sharing with me some new and exciting things in her life, and I was sharing some of mine. As I shared this one, I was overcome with emotion, as was she. Let me just get this out there. I sponsor a child in Zambia, which is where I am going this summer. His name is Stephen, and he lives in the village of Chongwe, Zambia. Chongwe is not one of the places we are scheduled to go to on our trip this summer. I want to go to Chongwe! The other day, I talked to the sponsor co-ordinator, and wanted to know if there was ANY way that I could meet my child. She called me almost immediately from Texas after I sent an email to her. She was pumped for this to happen! However, I need some prayer for things to work out. I know God is faithful and that He wants me to be in Zambia this summer. And, with a little prayer, and possibly a few extra donations (I'll keep you posted on this), I can meet my child. I need prayer that this will work out. I need prayer for my heart. I already know that my heart is going to be changed this summer just from my trip. But imagine meeting the child that I sponsor???!!!! I can't even imagine it. Also, I need prayer just in case this does not work out, that God will give me peace about that. However, I know He will provide, just as He already has provided so much! Please, PLEASE pray for me and with me that this will work out. Thanks! :)

No Condemnation

So, I was sitting in church yesterday, and I am not going to lie, I was being extremely weighed down by my sins. Not necessarily anything recent, but more so the sins of my past. For those of you who know me or my testimony, you know that these things could easily weigh me down. Anyways, I was sitting in the pew at my home church, since it is reading week (praise God for time spent at home with family, friends, and good food!), and I was just feeling the weight of my sin. Why? I don't know. But on this particular day, it seemed to just be getting the better of me. 

I started to pray, because all I wanted to do was to worship God by being with His people. My first thought/prayer was "Why, God, do I feel this way?" And then it hit me. God's voice, clear as anything, saying to me, "It's not me making you feel this way. I love you, and my I sent my Son to die for you. And because you love Him, and therefore me, there is no condemnation for you." There it was, Romans 8 ringing clear in my mind, spoken to me by my loving Father. 

Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." God no longer condemns me! Is that not a sweet sound to the ears? Indeed! See, the Devil wants us to think about our past sin and how it can hold us back, how it makes us weak, how it controls us, etc. However, God says that He has already won that battle. All of our sin is already taken care of, if Jesus Christ has indeed saved us. This means everything! Drugs, sex, alcohol, lying, stealing, murder, idolatry - all of it! (Yes, I said all of it.) 

However, I want to also bring us to another text. This freedom does not mean that I keep on sinning. I think I may have put this in a couple blogs already, but so often it seems to me that in the lives of so many Christians, and even in my own life, I seem to go back to the same sins over and over again. Let me give you an example. I waste a LOT of time. Whether this is through Facebook, Twitter, XBox 360, or any other number of things, the fact is that I waste a lot of time - time that could be spent getting to know my God. I have joked around with a few people about this before, but it is a serious thing. If we spent HALF as many hours getting to know and loving and serving God as we do wasting time, I am under the very real impression that we would see some changed lives. Not just our own, but those around us, too. The text I want to bring us to is Galatians 5:13, which says, "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." If God has truly set us free (and if you are a follower of Christ, then, as I have already stated, He has), then we need to USE this opportunity. Enough wasting time. There is WAY too much at stake for the billions of people who do not know Christ. There is a saying on the wall in the missions hallway at Tyndale, by Oswald J. Smith, and it says something like, "Why should anyone hear the Gospel twice, before all have heard it once?" Let that sink in. Read it again. How many times have you heard the Gospel? 

I have the opportunity to go to Zambia this summer, and my greatest prayer is that God would use me to change lives. Let me tell you, even writing that sentence gets me PUMPED to go. I am so pumped to serve God. He is able to do all things, including using a previously condemned sinner like me. And if He can use me, though I doubt very much that I am the chief of sinners, as Paul once claimed to be, then He can use you wherever you are at, too. (That was for free)

As a sort of Pauline conclusion, I leave you with this. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, since Christ has taken care of the condemnation (even the feelings of guilt) of our sins, let us serve and use this opportunity as free men and women to love our great God who has saved us and set us free. Let's love, serve, and actually do this faith, instead of letting it waste away. Let's do this to glorify God...

Update on Support and Prayer

So, if you follow this blog, or just read it when I post it to Facebook, you will know by now that I am going to Zambia.

I want to take this time and thank all of you who are first of all praying for me. This NEEDS to be covered in prayer, and I know a ton of people are praying for this trip. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Secondly, I want to thank those of you who are supporting me financially. I now have $2000 out of the $4000 raised! Praise God for this! I have been absolutely blown away by the generosity of the people around me, as well as God's ability to provide. Why His ability to provide still shocks me, I don't know, because there has never been a time when He hasn't. While this needs to be covered in prayer, airlines, health agencies, and the country of Zambia do not take prayers as currency. Thank you SO much for helping me get to Zambia!

Finally, I just want to give you a short list of prayer requests that out team has had over our last couple of meetings. (If you are on the Zambia team, and you have a request to add, just put it in the comments below) Please pray for :

• Finances for the entire team.
• Passports for the team to come in.
• Preparing the hearts of both us and the Zambian people.
• Me, as I have been asked to be the devotional coordinator for the trip. This will stretch me.
• General health of team members (it's cold/flu season and it gets around the school quickly).
• That we would focus on school because we are all pretty anxious to get to Zambia and serve.
• Jillian and Ben, our team leaders. Pray for wisdom for them, and humble hearts for us to follow them.
• Fears and worries be calmed by our great God. He is bigger than all of these, but we are only human.

Thank you so much for journeying with me as I take this huge step in my faith to Zambia. God bless you all richly.

If you want to give financially, but don't know how, here is a link with a letter and instructions on how to support me on my journey to Zambia.

http://jeremygiesbrecht.blogspot.com/2011/12/v-behaviorurldefaultvmlo.html

It's quite simple, but I just want to leave you with 1 Thessalonians 5:25, which says, "Brothers, pray for us." We need and covet your prayers at this time. Thank you.