Millenials, The Harvest Is For You

I'm in an interesting point in my life. College is done, I just got married, and I'm pretty sure I'm not quite in my career yet. Last year, I had just moved back from college, I was dating and pretty sure I was going to marry Stephen, but anything could happen. I got a good enough job to pay my rent in my own apartment. But I didn't know what was happening next. But I had God. He was taking care of me, providing for me, and He knew what was going to happen next. Sometimes adulting is scary, but I never had to worry because I had the God of the future doing my meal planning.

But my friends, my peers, what would it be like if you don't know God? Even if you have a bad relationship with God, you can always turn to Him. But there is a world that is lost who cannot turn to Him. They are lost! They don't know where to turn! 

I have a friend who is in this position. She isn't saved. She has no family out here. She is paying her rent on her own, and working 2 jobs to do it. I don't think she has a boyfriend, but she wants to get married someday. 

But she is lost. She has no hope in her life besides just making in through the week.

Millennials want transparency. They want to know the truth, whether they like it or not (they will also, in the spirit of transparency, tell you that they don't like it). Our parents grew up in a secular world of relativism, and a spiritual world of regulation. But our world cannot be like that. I have yet to meet a millennial who outright rejected me for my beliefs, but I have often met ones who were willing to listen and disagree with me. 

Stop thinking about yourself and being afraid of rejection. Use the culture for your advantage. But not for your advantage, for the goal of working as a field hand in the Master's harvest. 

We've been told as a generation that we can do whatever we want, which must mean being president or an astronaut or a lawyer. There is nothing wrong with any of those jobs, but if we can be what ever we want, why not choose to be a Spurgeon? Why not a Jim Elliot? Why not an Amy Charmichal? All that is required to serve is a submissive love for our good God. 

Millennials, our parents and grandparents look at us and do not understand how to reach us through our world of technology. But we do. We can reach our peers. We understand the hipster coffee scene. We understand the minimalist lifestyle. We understand the importance of accumulating experience as opposed to accumulating stuff. 

But we have to push to get out of our group. That is hard. We as Christians have to invest time with one person at a time. Millennials like groups. Introverts have Facebook groups and extroverts have Friday night groups. And we are all very good at group communication. We can send out a tweet, or post on Instagram. But the pretty Bible verse or awesome ambiguous quote is not going to change anyone's mind. It's the conversation you have, one on one. 

~Matthew 9:36-38~

Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

Our lifestyle has become one of the most meaningless forms of existence in history. We have traded relationships for Facebook friends. Our generation has been taught that anything is acceptable and what is not acceptable should be thrown away. When all truth has been erased and morals are reduced to what we feel, there are no answers for the evil in this world that we have suddenly arrived in as adults. 

I would like to add that as of right now, this story does not have a happy ending. My friend has been to my church's property, but has yet to attend a service. I have also not yet been able to have more than a few brief conversations, but I am confident that God is pursuing her. 

Because of Him,
Missa

Change, Not Work

A Christian is not someone who does Christian things, a Christian is someone who is changed.

It's so hard to explain a Christian to someone who is not. There seem to be so many rules, but we teach grace. There is so much to do, but we teach that God has done everything. There is so much for us to change, but everyday we fail, and we all know Christians who do not act like Christians.

What in the world???

How can anyone do everything right the whole time???

How can anyone be a Christian, when so much is required?

What if nothing is required to be a Christian?

I love being married. I love having a husband, someone I know is there every night, no matter what. A lot changed, though, when I got married. My schedule changed. I now live somewhere else, so my commute to work is different. When I get off work, I can't just stop on my way home if I want to, because his class schedule is such that if we want to see each other, I have to come right back. I used to work out almost every night, and call him while I was at the gym. Now, he prefers me to either be with him or to go to the gym together. It used to not matter what or if I ate dinner (or any other meal). If I was meeting with a friend for the evening, I could eat at midnight or not at all.

But why did I change? Not because I'm required to, but because I'm requested to. Or even not requested to, but because I'm so in love with my husband, that I want to do what would make him happiest. I'm his wife because I vowed to be, not because of what I do.

Another thing I would like to add, everyone's relationship with their spouse looks a little different. Not everyone has their spouse taking night classes. Maybe both or neither are. Maybe you're not working, but your husband is. That's OK. What's important is that you love your spouse the way that is best for them.

You should spend time with God every day! Read your Bible! Pray! Why? Because it's what all Christians do? No! Because this God who loves you and died for you wrote down all this information about Who He is! Listen to Him! Talk to Him! Just like I would tell a wife to spend time with her husband, it's not legalism or required performance, it just makes sense.

Now let's think about this in relation to our relationship with God. When you get saved, you should change. Your schedule should change. What you do should change. How you live should change. Not because God requires it, but because He loves you and you love Him.

You should also be going to church regularly. You should be involved in your church too. Why? Because in Hebrews we are told to not forsake assembling together with other believers because it helps us to encourage each other to love and serve others.

So... What if what we do is because we were changed and we want to love God, because He first loved us and gave Himself for us. We will not do what Christians do, we will be what Christians are.

Changed.

Because of Him,

Missa