Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
2 Corinthians 3.4-6
Let me just share with you how awesome God is.
This weekend a group of friends and I went to the Appalachian Trail to hike. On the trail we met a man named Qi (pronounced: Chee), from Canada. When we first started to talking to him, we were asking him "where he was from, what he did, why he was hiking, how much longer was he going to hike for, etc." We found out that he was from Canada, he sold lottery tickets in Canada, he didn't know exactly how much longer he was going to hike for because his ankle was injured a little bit, and he was hiking because he was just trying to think through some things.
Well, God opened the door with the last answer he gave, "...thinking through some things", to begin to share the gospel.
Us: Qi, What do you think your purpose is? Why do you think you are here on earth?
Qi: I think we are just here to live and then die... you know there are two things that are inevitable; death and taxes... So I'm just trying to live a simple life...
Us: Do you think that living a simple life is satisfying?
Qi: Yes. I think that having a simple life is good. You know, if we just live in the present, we will be okay...
Us: (Definite Holy Spirit Moment) So you are saying that we just need to worry about today, and that we just need to live in the moment, not really worrying about when we die, because it is inevitable, so we just need to live and attain things that are satisfying today (wealth, careers, happiness, etc.), things that are pleasing in the present?
Qi: [He nods his head]
Us: Do you remember when you were a child? When you wanted candy all the time? You wanted sweets, right? But your parents, knowing what was best for you did not give you candy all the time, because they believed/knew that you needed vegetables, right? Likewise with God, He knows what is best for you. He says that we should be concerned with things that are eternal, not things that are temporary. He says in His word (the bible) that Jesus is eternal, and that this life we live is temporary.
Qi: Wow. That was the best explanation of Christianity that I have ever heard.
[Later in the hike]
We told Qi the story about our Christian friend in Bali, Indonesia.
Us: Do you have a girlfriend Qi?
Qi: No... But I think that maybe having a girlfriend is more important than worrying about God.
Us: That crazy because I was just thinking about that earlier this week. This is what I was thinking. I don't know how people that don't follow the Lord have enduring relationships with the opposite sex.
Qi: [Pensive look]
Us: ...If you and I can both agree, that if you have a wife or a girlfriend, you are suppose care for them, cherish them, love them (and I'm not talking about physically), right? Show them that you are pursuing them... {We explained what 'pursuing' means}
Qi: [He nods his head]
Us: I (a Christian man) have a perfect model of how to pursue someone. Jesus is constantly pursuing me. He meets me where I am and shows me in so many different ways how he loves me. Even here, in creation He is showing me how He loves me. He speaks to me through His word, He reveals Himself to me through people, through my schoolwork, through music, etc...I am called His Bride (the Church) and He is my groom (weird concept, I know, but stay with me). He is pursuing me, creatively, uniquely, and constantly.
Qi: [Nods his head]
Us: Likewise, Qi, in our relationships with our girlfriends/wives, we are suppose to pursue them like Christ is pursuing us. But, we MUST have a relationship with Him. Because if we try to pursue our girlfriends/wives on our own, we fail ten times out of ten times.
Qi: Wow, I have never heard that before. I really like that.
Things that we were amazed by:
-We prayed that Qi's ankle would be healed
"Ever since I started hiking with you guys, my ankle has been feeling so much stronger"-Qi.
--[we got to share that God is healer, and that prayer is not something that is magical]
-We prayed that Qi would begin to ask about Jesus
--[It was dead silent for about 10-15 minutes, and then Qi just started asking about Jesus 'out of nowhere']
-Qi told us that at the end of Saturday, he would continue down into the NOC (something like base camp/city) and rest there for 3 days. This was about a mile further than the Shelter we were staying. He wanted to shower and get supplies.
-We prayed that he would stay with us that night and not go down to the NOC.
-"I think I'm going to stay with you guys tonight, and go to the NOC tomorrow (Sunday)"-Qi
-"There is something different about you guys. You guys aren't like the rest of the population. There is something very different about you guys."-Qi.
--We had the opportunity to say that, it is the Holy Spirit in us that testifies to him about Jesus Christ. We did not think of these crazy examples (that weren't all included in this blog), but it was a revelation from the Holy Spirit that we were allowed to testify to him, Qi, about anything.
--[Inner thought: Normally when you think of a example/analogy, you normally have to think about it for at least 30-40 seconds, or longer, to make sure that it is 'sound/makes sense'. But when we were talking to Qi, it just came as if we had known this example to work, though we have never used or said that example before in our lives, it had to be the Holy Spirit! 2 Corinthians 3.4-6 (stated above).
This is all crazy to think about. We are part of the ministry of reconciliation.
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
that is,
in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself,
not counting their trespasses against them,
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation
Therefore, w are ambassadors for Christ,
God making his appeal through us. We implore you
on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin
who knew no sin, that in him we might become the
righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5.18-21
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