The Roar
"The door is locked. Dead bolted. Maybe even a chair under the door knob. Inside sit 10 knee-knocking itinerants who are astraddle the fence between faith and fear.
As you look around the room, you wouldn't take them for a bunch who are about to put the kettle of history on high boil. Uneducated. Confused. Callused hands. Heavy accents. Few social graces. Limited knowledge of the world. No money. Undefined leadership. And on and on.
No, as you look at this motley crew, you wouldn't wager too many paychecks on their future. But something happens to a man when he witnesses someone who has risen from the dead. Something stirs within the soul of man who has stood within inches from God. Something stirs hotter than gold fever and more permanent than passion.
It all started with 10 stammering, stuttering men. Though the door was locked, He still stood in their midst. "As the father has sent Me, I am sending you."
And send them He did. Ports. Courtyards. Boats. Synagogues. Prisons. Palaces. They went everywhere. Their message of the Nazarene dominoes across the civilized world. They were an infectious fever. They were a moving organism. They refused to be stopped. Uneducated drifters who shook history like a housewife shakes a rug.
My, wouldn't it be great to see it happen again? Many say its impossible. The world is too hard. Too secular. Too post-christian. This is the age of information, not regeneration. So we deadbolt the door for fear of the world.
And as a result, the world goes largely untouched and untaught. Over half the world has yet to hear the story of the Messiah, much less study it. The few believers who do go out often come home weary and wounded, numbed at the odds and frustrated at the needs.
What would it take to light the fire again? Somehow, those fellows in the upper room did it. They did it without dragging their feet or making excuses. For them it was rather obvious. " all I know is that He was dead and now He is alive."
Something happens to a man when he stands within inches of the Judaean Lion. Something happens when he hears the roar, when he touches the golden mane. Something happens when he gets so close he can feel the Lion's breath. Maybe we could all use a return visit. Maybe we all need to witness His majesty and sigh at His victory. Maybe we need to hear our own commission again. "Will you tell them?" Jesus challenged. "Will you tell them that I came back... And that I am coming back again?"
"We will," they nodded. And they did.
Will you?
-Max Lucado from "No wonder they call Him the Savior"
As you look around the room, you wouldn't take them for a bunch who are about to put the kettle of history on high boil. Uneducated. Confused. Callused hands. Heavy accents. Few social graces. Limited knowledge of the world. No money. Undefined leadership. And on and on.
No, as you look at this motley crew, you wouldn't wager too many paychecks on their future. But something happens to a man when he witnesses someone who has risen from the dead. Something stirs within the soul of man who has stood within inches from God. Something stirs hotter than gold fever and more permanent than passion.
It all started with 10 stammering, stuttering men. Though the door was locked, He still stood in their midst. "As the father has sent Me, I am sending you."
And send them He did. Ports. Courtyards. Boats. Synagogues. Prisons. Palaces. They went everywhere. Their message of the Nazarene dominoes across the civilized world. They were an infectious fever. They were a moving organism. They refused to be stopped. Uneducated drifters who shook history like a housewife shakes a rug.
My, wouldn't it be great to see it happen again? Many say its impossible. The world is too hard. Too secular. Too post-christian. This is the age of information, not regeneration. So we deadbolt the door for fear of the world.
And as a result, the world goes largely untouched and untaught. Over half the world has yet to hear the story of the Messiah, much less study it. The few believers who do go out often come home weary and wounded, numbed at the odds and frustrated at the needs.
What would it take to light the fire again? Somehow, those fellows in the upper room did it. They did it without dragging their feet or making excuses. For them it was rather obvious. " all I know is that He was dead and now He is alive."
Something happens to a man when he stands within inches of the Judaean Lion. Something happens when he hears the roar, when he touches the golden mane. Something happens when he gets so close he can feel the Lion's breath. Maybe we could all use a return visit. Maybe we all need to witness His majesty and sigh at His victory. Maybe we need to hear our own commission again. "Will you tell them?" Jesus challenged. "Will you tell them that I came back... And that I am coming back again?"
"We will," they nodded. And they did.
Will you?
-Max Lucado from "No wonder they call Him the Savior"
I just found your blog by accident. What a blessing you were to me tonight. Keep up the good work. I will be praying for you.
ReplyDeleteIn Christ,
Chris in New Hampshire