Change.

The Lord is really stirring something within me. I’ve been burdened with the revelation of how separated the church is from the community. And I can not exclude myself, by any means, from that equation. I’ve had this lackluster view on reaching out to the people of this world. If we are being real, it basically boils down to self-absorption. It’s not that I’ve been blatantly rude to outsiders of the body of Christ; it’s that I’ve been satisfied with remaining unaware. I feel like the “saved” and the “unsaved” have been separately categorized all my life.. even in common language by using “they” and “them” when mentioning people who aren’t in relationship with the Father. That automatically puts a barrier between us. We are all people. We are all people with whom the Father has given us the grace of accepting life eternally with Him. It’s just that some of us who have acknowledged that grace have decided to hoard it.

But if we really had a revelation of the grace we were accepting, wouldn’t it have the opposite effect on us? This truth of the Father is not in anyway something that can be kept hidden if it is understood correctly. And all my life, I’ve been a hoarder. Yes, it is great to get completely whacked out in the Holy Ghost, to laugh in the Spirit, and to have a great time in worship. But it is also great (and part of our commitment) to expand the Kingdom of God. I acknowledge that I haven’t pulled my weight. The Lord has really been opening my heart to see the realness of this hurting world, and He’s starting to confront me on why I’m okay with sharing the same air with people who I won’t share the Kingdom with. I’ve just been existing next to people who I should be coexisting with, in community with, and in relationship with.

I am ignoring my neighbor. I am ignoring the homeless. I am ignoring the alcoholic. I am ignoring the suicidal. But really, this also means that I’m ignoring Jesus.

How long will I be satisfied with my own fulfillment and disregard another of God’s children? Selfishness has no place in the Kingdom of God. If you love God, you love your brother. I guess this proves not many of us love God.

I’m on a journey to change all of that this semester. It is a process. It’s not something that can come over night although with His new mercies every morning I shall be learning often. I think that with this change in perspective it is also smart that other changes will follow suit in my life, some of which I will go ahead and do myself before the Lord corrects me on them. I’m in transition – again – but I find forward motion better than stagnant disillusionment. Here we go!

Generational Midwives

I’ve been doing my devotions out of random chapters in the Bible recently. I call it Biblical A.D.D. For a while I had been stuck in Acts, then  it was Hebrews. But you know, sometimes I get so excited about the goodness of this book that I completely disregard any semblance of civilized methodology. Needless to say, I ended up in Exodus.

The first chapter had me silenced with revelation. Basically a new king (Pharaoh) came into the picture who was unaware of who Joseph was. Noticing the great multitude of Israelites who were spread about the land, he ordered that slave masters be put over them to control them. Exodus 1:12 says,”But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread.” Pressing leads to expansion. When something is in overflow, there is going to be more pressure on the part that is about to spill over. There is something about pressure that releases a breakthrough in some of the least likely of situations – this being clearly represented by the Israelites in Egypt.

The chapter goes on to explain that Pharaoh saw this taking place and told the midwives (Shiphrah and Puah) to examine the newborn babies and kill every boy. Verse 17-21:

“The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, ‘Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?’ The midwives answered Pharaoh, ‘Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.’ So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.”

It is obvious here that the midwives were key in bridging the gap between the two generations. Midwives know the signs of labor, know when the time is right, and have undeniable love for an underdeveloped, voiceless generation. Because of their understanding of another generation, Shiphrah and Puah brought about another increase to the Israelite people.

We are in desperate need for midwives in the church. We need people who know the seriousness of labor pains and are willing stand in the gap for another generation despite the demands of societal norms or the pressure of unbelief. Shiphrah and Puah not only set aside generational differences, but they also disregarded the fact that they were rescuing a foreign generation, one that was separate than the land they were working for.  Every generation needs to recognize that although we may not all share the same territory, background, dress, music preference, or lifestyle, we need a love for each other that castes down every wall of difference and will help the other generation be birthed into their due season. The necessity of a Micah 4:6 generation is pivotal in seeing the Kingdom manifested in all of its fullness here on earth. We need a bridging between the generational gaps. It should start with us.