I am the one.

In our Bible study tonight we freely discussed John the Baptist.

The man was forerunner for Christ. He drew crowds of thousands to the wilderness because of the boldness of his words.

He spent most of his life in the desert, not on social media sites promoting his next baptism service or trying to dress like a hipster in order to attract the "cool youth" to his meetings.

He did not tweet or post, he did not wear Gucci or Prada, he didn't even smell good. He wore camel's hair and ate locusts.

So our only logical conclusion is that John drew the crowds he did and prepared the way for the Messiah with the words he spoke based on the the prophecy he found about his ministry and the ministry of Jesus.

He studied them, he knew, from birth, what his purpose was. And then he spent his entire life preparing.

People came to John because he was the voice in the wilderness. All external circumstances about his appearance, location, clothing and food choices did not matter.

These people were being crushed under the hand of Roman oppressors and they clung to the good news that there was another kingdom for them to enter.

Then the day came when Jesus came to the desert and found John. Immediately John proclaimed, "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!" Jesus told John to baptize Him. John did, and then watched the Holy Spirit descend like a dove upon Jesus as the skies opened up and God audibly decreed that, "This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased."

John later proclaimed, after his disciples were aghast that Jesus was baptizing in the same area as John and was drawing a larger crowd, that He must increase, and I must decrease.

John understood that He was the forerunner. He knew God's plan, that he was not the Messiah, but that Jesus was. But it occurs to me that after publicly endorsing Jesus, John wasn't quite sure what the next step was.

If you read John 3 John knows that he has to decrease. But after being thrown in prison, John's confidence, his boldness in Christ as the Messiah and him as the forerunner is tested.

John doesn't pass the test. This man who spent His whole life preparing, who spent all His time in the desert preaching, proclaiming and preparing and then baptizing Jesus and publicly endorsing him, fell into doubt. He watched God in Heaven express His pleasure in Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus, but after possibly years in prison John got impatient. He let the circumstance of prison and the thoughts of rotting there take root and he sent his disciples to Jesus to ask if He was the one or if they should look for another.

After the miracles and 30 years of building faith, John actually asked this question. But why? He had obviously lost the anointing on his life, he had fallen into doubt, perhaps fear of death and began to question his very foundations of faith and the plan for his life which he once walked out so perfectly.

He lost focus of what God had planned and started focusing on what he had planned. He probably had the same misconception many of Jesus' disciples had, which was that Jesus was going to establish a kingdom on earth that would overthrow the Roman empire. He expected Jesus to come in authority and power and overturn Herod's imprisonment on him. He expected Jesus to set up shop, set him free, and start liberating the Israeli's under Roman oppression. 

This wasn't the plan at all. But we do see the plan play out in Acts when all the disciples and followers receive power and authority and overthrow the Roman empire as people set Jesus as Lord of there life rather than Herod or Caesar. The early church turned the world upside down....

These men who have turned the world upside down -Acts 17:6 

This was in reference to Paul and Silas who traveled from city to city, going into the synagogues and preaching the truth of Jesus, the attainment of salvation through Him and of His resurrection. 

John wanted a political kingdom when the plan was for a kingdom of God. All the places Paul and Silas visited had large populations worshiping false gods. They went to the believers' of Jesus in that area then and taught them. If we don't take care of the root of the problem, which is always spiritual, then other physical manifestations of that problem will never get resolved. 

Aren't we like that today in the American church? We're like John, trapped in this box as a Christian, bemoaning the fact that we're being persecuted, that abortion is legal and gay marriage is becoming legalized and the country is going to pot. Oh my! And just like John tried to cry out to Jesus "are you the one?" as if to say "are you going to get me out of this jail? I'm John the Baptist! Are you even the Christ who we thought you were", we cry to the republican candidates, "are you the one? are you the one who is going to end abortion and gay marriage and stop teen pregnancy and make pot illegal again and kick all of the other religions out of this country?" Or better yet, we pack our bags thinking, "Dear God! things are awful...Jesus come soon! I'm ready for the rapture." 

Are you ready for the blood of the 5 billion people who would go to hell if that happened to be on your hands? 

I didn't think so. After John's disciples left, Jesus paid John some serious complements, saying he was the greatest of all the prophets. But he also said that the least in the kingdom of God is greater than John. 

I want to be that Paul and Silas. I want to learn to prayer walk in places and watch demonic strongholds crumble, to see the agenda of the anti-christs fail, to see the love and power of God poured down. I'd like to be held partially responsible for the 5 billion going to hell decreasing. 

Its not just about campaigning on facebook and making sure you vote the republican ticket every 4 years. Its about every day saying, "I am the one."

I am the one who has to be the hands and feet of Jesus on this earth.
I am the one who He said will do the things He did and greater.
I am the one who He always causes to triumph.
I am the one who is redeemed from the curse, who is blessed to be a blessing.
I am the one who will preach the gospel to the poor, heal the sick, bind the brokenhearted, set the captive free, raise the dead, cleanse the leper.
I am the one who Christ called, sanctified, prepared, set apart. I am the one.

Are you?

Being American.

                               I'll just give a warning now...this may shock my American friends.

one nation, under God

And while I've definitely written blogs before that were very influenced by the bible...this post is going to be blatant.

Up until the age of 18, I had never traveled outside of the United States. During my junior and part of my senor year of high-school I became consumed with politics and very concerned with the state of America.

I became wrapped up in an American identity, believing that freedom was being slowly stolen away as socialism crept in to control and subjugate citizens.

It consumed me. I started to become obsessed, passive aggressive, bitter and at times even hateful towards our government and the current political system.

But thank God that all changed.

Senior year my eyes began to open to the truth that no amount of obnoxious facebook posts, no rants, no t-shirts, bumper stickers, campaign calls or rallies could fix the problem. And more importantly I slowly began to shrug off that identity and I began to be consumed with finding my God-given purpose.

And then the trip that changed my life.

If you're friends with me on facebook or stick around long enough to ask about my interests, Southeast Asia is bound to pop up. Because I fell in love the moment I stepped foot onto foreign soil.

I am guilty of having the misconception that America was the church and that in other parts of the world people just don't have as much faith. I mean....if they can't understand Jesus in the English language or speak American "Christianese" then how are they truly saved.

I am sorely ashamed of my ignorance, my blindness, and my thinking towards my brothers and sisters in Christ outside of the United States.

But by God's grace my thoughts became revolutionized. I began to see that in areas where people were under the oppression of Communism (or any government that wasn't a democracy or republic) was where the church was heavily flourishing. And through many conversations with good friends and through much direction and enlightenment by the Holy Spirit I came to realize that this was because these people did not find freedom in temporary man made governments but in the blood of Christ that was shed and placed on the mercy seat and in Christ as their King.

And up until that point I realized that I identified more as an American citizen who's freedoms were found in the Bill of Rights rather than a eternal Kingdom citizen who's freedom is found where the Spirit of the Lord is.

I had more faith in the blood of my American forefathers who had shed it to secure freedom and liberty than I did in the blood of Christ who's blood was shed to give me total and complete salvation for every part of my being.

This is probably blasphemous to some. Its not that I hate America, that I'm denying or discounting the great sacrifice of our soldiers or counting the Declaration of Independence or Constitution worthless. Because I still think America is great. I am in awe at how this country was founded and at the divinely inspired documents that granted us freedom and rights.

But I have a clearer perspective now and I am learning to find my freedom in Christ, to live by the law of love and recognize that it is a higher law than any judicial branch may put into place. I've become keenly aware that America is not the whole world and that the Great Commission instructs us to go to every tribe, every tongue, every nation. My eyes have seen the hearts of people who live every moment aware that there is need out there, that others are praying in shrines to dead gods and that they are desperately searching for the truth. They are not wrapped up in saving their freedom, securing their rights, becoming indignant when elections don't come out in their favor. Because they've spent their whole lives living under the government of man, they've lived through wars and bloodshed and have had to deal with the aftermath. They are secure because Jesus is on the throne regardless of who is current ruler. They read the Word of God truly believing and living their lives with purpose because they realize there was 1 man who's bloodshed was enough to secure their freedom. They realize that the Word brings more peace than new regimes, different heads of government, or armed soldiers guarding them. They have faith in God to watch over them, not just the military.

Cambodia

Yes, my whole perspective is changed. I'm not going to melt if another Democrat gets elected. Truthfully, I don't really care because my purpose is unchanged, my path is not cut off, my mission is steady as ever and I am well equipped to secure it.

My assurance is from an eternal God in heaven, not a temporal government on earth and no matter what laws are passed and not passed I understand that I will continue to fulfill every chapter of the plan for my life regardless.

Furthermore, I realize battles are not won with guns. No weapon can ever make an evil ideology go away and history is proof of this. Hitler has been dead for decades and still we feel the hatred of racism. What then can swallow up death and conquer hate? Love. Battles are fought in a spiritual realm, where good really does conquer evil because good people choose to stop the spread of hatred and see people for people, not for their color, nationality, culture or heritage. They focus on unity in Christ rather than division of cultural or national borders.

Mark 16:15

In the end I find that enjoy my country without becoming bogged down with the politics and scandals and temporal things that will pass away. I know and have full assurance of my citizenship in heaven, thankful that God has placed me where I am, where He has taken me and where I have still left to go. And regardless of what a passport says or what corner of the earth I am in, I am, foremost, daughter of the King, citizen of the Kingdom.