A man by the name of Sam Bhatt has challenged me as a leader beyond belief. The amount of biblical knowledge this man had blew me away when I heard him speak at Student Life. The way he automatically knew the scripture when kids stood up just by hearing the referrence was amazing and he challenged everyone in the room. He asked the question "Do you really know the Bible as well as you should??" I think everyone in the room, even Sam included, must admit that we do not. Not to say that we aren't living holy, presentable lives, but I still think we could all do better. We can ALWAYS be doing a better job with our relationship with Him and we need to strive towards that! After camp, I purchased an audio CD of one of Sam's message's on holiness, and in that he had a great commitment rededication within it. I quickly took it to heart:
"I'm part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.
My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my God IS reliable and my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problems recognizing me - my banner will be clear!"
There may not be many who will stand by me, but when we consider what He did for US on the cross, how could we not dedicate to such a goal? Yes, we do need to look forward to what is ahead of us, but we also need to remember where He has taken us from so that we can love those who some might consider "the enemy." It is time for us to stop looking at non-believers as enemies and to start viewing them as our future brothers and sisters in Christ! It is time for us, as the Church (notice the capital C), to stand up and start taking names in the name of Christ. As Perry Noble said this past sunday, we need to run up the score, because that's what Christ called us to do!
Who is with me?
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