A Story That Never Fades

My time here in India has been one that God has used to sculpt the way the rest of my life will look like. It is a story of redemption, grace, teaching, spiritual growth, and sanctification.

My trip here and the stories that come with it will be ones that many of you ask me about with anticipation to hear what God has done. I will share the stories with you, and then life will move on. The reality of this trip is that it was MY mission. We all have the same Purpose: to share the name of Jesus with all people. However, we don’t all have to same passion and we don’t all have the same means of making our Purpose known. My means has been here in India and the journey I will take once I get home. It is specific to me. I can share all the stories in the world, but in the end it is still MY journey. God will certainly use this mission as a means to spread His glory even in America, but in the end, my team and I were the ones who experienced this and my team and I are the ones who have the responsibility and mission from Jesus to carry out what we have learned here and take it home. 

What I mean is this: if I came home, shared the stories of what happened here, but then did nothing to further the Kingdom in America, you would have reasonable cause to question if I actually learned what I say I learned. Doing for Christ is what proves my faith in His grace and salvation. Each day is a new mission. A new day to live for Jesus. The Lord gives us breath and life, grace and peace, passion and wisdom, discernment and power each day so that we may use it for Him. Spending 4 months in India means a lot to the people here, and it encourages the Body in America… but it means nothing if I don’t continue His work once I get home. 

Honestly, stories fade. Those who were not here with me during this journey will forget at times that this trip even happened for me. It seems pessimistic, but actually it is just realistic. Life in America moves at a fast pace. People are concerned about themselves and they are worried about what they will do next. They don’t stop to share the gospel with the man who has no home on their way to a meeting that could potentially boost their pay so that they can move into their house that will cost them almost half of a million dollars. It’s sad, because you think I am talking about the unchurched, but in reality I could probably say that about over half of the Body. I could even say that about myself before this trip. I will probably even be able to say it about myself every now and then after this trip. 

 However, the grace of God is big. We are His body, and He still wants to use us. Jesus said to His followers, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Mt. 25) Do we not call each other brothers yet ignore each other’s needs? Even further, it was said about Jesus, “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” (Rm. 15) We look at this passage and think that it means to speak insults or to do something blatantly wrong to another person, but we, the Body, know that even harboring something in our hearts or just blindly ignoring the imminent need of a Savior to the poor or weary of heart is just as bad as insulting Christ. We are held to higher standards than the world because WE KNOW THE TRUTH. Did He not die for the sins of the world? Did He not command you to make it known to the people that His grace is sufficient for us and His power is made perfect in our weakness? (1 Cor. 12) We weren’t given these truths to hoard them in our hearts out of fear that we might forget or some other ridiculous lie that Satan whispers to us. In fact, we share the message of God’s grace because it makes our joy complete. (1 Jn. 1) In sharing the gospel, we are consistently reminded of the work that Christ did in us. We shouldn’t forget that all things done for the Father are the outward signs of the Spirit dwelling in us. If we aren’t outwardly expressing our faith, why should we even believe we have the Spirit dwelling in us? Because the Spirit wants nothing more than to make much of the Father.

I can’t wait to come home in just 2 short weeks. I can’t wait to share the stories that will probably one day be forgotten. I can’t wait to share the story of God’s grace with you and the people in Atlanta, Georgia. My ministry will be for those who are poor in the world and poor in the spirit. The Lord has already spoken specific plans to my heart and has asked me complete these tasks that He has given me. My journey to honor and obey the Lord will be your sign that God really has worked in my heart here in Calcutta, India. And the fact that God worked in my heart and changed me to desire nothing but His glory is a sign that the Lord is infinite in His grace.