Go Tell it on the Mountain

THIS WEEK I finished my finals and went home. In fact, tonight I completed my 6000 word history paper and submitted it online, so my first semester of college is finally over. I cannot believe it has been three months of school already. It sure is wonderful to be home.

I've spent much needed time with my family this week. On Friday my brother and sister, her boyfriend and I went to the Community Nutcracker, which was lovely to see again. Last night I helped my mom deliver a wedding cake, and afterward we went to a choir recital at a church in Middleburg, where my five-year-old cousin had a solo.

The recital featured a small drama about a man who used Christmas as an opportunity to lead his coworker to the Lord. What I loved about it was that it was very simple, yet very realistic. His friend just saw a change in him after he complained about holiday stress, and he answered his curiosity by telling him about how he had prayed to Jesus and made it through, and how He had totally altered his attitude and point of view. The coworker kept wanting to know more, to get his questions answered, and eventually through talking to his friend he got to respond to the gospel.

What I noticed is that it wasn't very complicated at all. The fact of the matter is that a lot of details of the Truth are a little confusing to our human frame of reference. Some points get the theologians and agnostics talking and writing books, and they are really interesting to read about. But talk isn't what saves people. Logic is a good tool, but love is what draws people in.

1 Peter 1:17-19, "[17] And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves through the time of your stay here in fear; [18] knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, fro myour aimless conduct received by the tradition from your fathers, [19] but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."

We are supposed to live in reverence, knowing who is was that died for our redemption. That is what Christmas is about: that God Himself came to earth to take our sin on Himself and suffer for it, so we could be His again. Think about that. That's what love means.

When Jesus taught and preached, He spoke in love. He spoke like nobody else ever had. Of course He spoke in wisdom, and He wasn't just trying to confuse everybody. But His goal was not that we would wrap our heads around Him but that we would let Him take our hearts and rescue our sinking souls. He gave us parables and explained a lot of things so that we could understand what we believe, but it's more important just to know and love Him. We can't understand a person or know him completely before having a relationship with him. And after we are, learning more is part of the joy of growing closer. We should talk about Him like He talked about Himself, not as a subject to be discussed, but as a Person to be known.

This gives me encouragement for the next semester of school, and for my friends. If they can see some of that love and if we can give it some patience, I know people will be saved because that is what God wants.

In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus commands us "[19] 'Go theerefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen."

Pastor Aaron, who leads the college ministry at my church for UNF, said today that two students there had gone up to two complete strangers, and led them to Jesus right then. It doesn't always happen in a day, or over a month, or in the office, or overseas. But it always happens in the will of God. That is because we aren't saving anybody. God is doing the saving, and one of the greatest blessings He has given us as His adopted children is the opportunity to be a part of His work to bring more children home.

The prophets couldn't stop talking about Jesus hundreds of years before He came: Isaiah 53:5, "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed."

The shepherds couldn't be quiet after they saw Him in the manger:
Luke 2:16-18, "[16] And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. [17] Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning the Child. [18] And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds."

The earliest Christians wouldn't cease to spread the good news, and they got into trouble for it:
Acts 4:19-20, "[19] But Peter and John answered and said to them, 'Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. [20] For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.'"

Now it is our turn. I'm feeling convicted about this, and I think a lot of us should. Something great is about to happen, because great things happen when the Holy Spirit moves. Watch the world change as we dare to change it in Jesus' name.