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.