Room 104....next week....same place...
Leaving for San Francisco in less than 12 hours....yeah!!!!
It's amazing to be used by God and spoken through the Holy Spirit....
We had a meeting tonight concerning an issue at the school. Soul Force, a gay, lesbian, bi- and trans-sexual group is coming to our school to speak, whether we want them to or not....the meeting tonight was to discuss the issue and how we are to respond to the group...do we close the door or engage in dialogue. I have seen God work in dialogue in the past, and it has opened up many doors of ministry....for those of you who did not make it to the meeting, let me know your thoughts...and for those who don't attent our school, I am curious to your opinion as well...Soul Force is visiting something like 20 schools and trying to get accepted into the Christian community...
My challenge to CCU and others: Pray...pray for our campus...pray that our hearts and ears are in tune with God's will...pray for our staff and faculty as this is dealt with...that the decision they make is God's will...and pray for Soul Force...again for God's will to happen in this group...
Something I shared at the meeting...something that God put on my heart...and this is where the Holy Spirit spoke to me...I was looking for a verse, just one, about praying continually, and remembered Colossians 4:2, and found that the whole passage was applicable to our situation...it's amazing how God works...anyway, I want to share this with all of ya'll:
Colossians 4:2-6 - "Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. At the same time pray for us as well that God will open to us a door for the word, that we may declare the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison, so that I may reveal it clearly, as I should. Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone."
- Challenge to campus: pray continuously, devote yourselves to it. There is power in prayer, let's not take this based on our own hearts and desires, but let us tune ourselves with the will and love of God before we act.
- Vs 3 - Pray that God will open doors for the word to be shared, this was a prayer that Paul requested while in ministry and traveling, and in this case, in prison. Today, on this campus, it should be our prayer that this opportunity, which ever way it goes, opens up doors of ministry.
- Vs 5-6
- Outsiders - those who are not part of the church
- We must be wise when we are talking and engaging with outsiders, and in our case on campus, with the Soul Force group, the "outsider"
- What does this mean? If they come to speak and engage in dialogue, we need to be ready, and as it was mentioned at the meeting, setting up informational meetings, forums, and things to educate the campus on what the Soul Force group is about and standing firmly on our own ground.
- This is very true with the outside world, with the lost. If we as Christians are completely ignorant about our world, there is no way we can discuss and engage with the lost on any intellectual level, and chances are they will not believe our ignorant arguments for what we believe as Truth.
- Making most of the time
- If Soul Force comes to visit, let's make the most of it.
- Again, in our modern world and in terms of the non-Christian, when you are out with a lost individual hanging out, make the most of that time, you don't know when that person may depart, and go to hell if he is not a believer.
- Let your speech be gracious, seasoned with salt
- Do not speak in words of hatred and anger, but with compassion and demonstrating God's love. Is there a time to condemn and such? yes, Christ overthrew tables in the temple, but he also was loving towards the people. Love the lost individual, care for that individual, but also proclaim truth with that individual, without words of hatred.
- Heavenly Father...gracious God...we thank you for your love and compassion...we thank you for who you are and the blessings you have given us....God I pray for this campus, for CCU, that we can unite in this time and stand together...that this event does not divide the university...God, I pray for the Soul Force group, that you be with them...with their travels...but God, that you also show them the lifestyle in which they live in...I pray for the sanctity of marriage as you created it to be...God, be with the staff and faculty as they discuss and prepare for the visit by this group...I simply ask your will is done in all of this...help us to make the most of this time...be with us, O Lord...In Christ's name I pray...Amen.
What are your thoughts, opinions, questions...so forth? CCUers, don't let this divide us as a campus...pray, pray, pray!!!!
Hey Kevin! what would be more showing Christ: rejecting a group of people because of a sin (all sins are equal) or accepting them and loving them? just thinking, Jesus loved the sinners, we are all sinners. there is no sin that is worse than any other and if that's the case then if people are rejected because of their sexual orientation then why not reject the people that smoke or cuss or whatever else....just something to think about
ReplyDeleteI think you very clearly received your answer in colossians 4.
ReplyDeleteIsaiah 61;1-3
this is exciting.....knowing GOD is fixing to do something amazing.
ReplyDeletePS. I learned the definition of "fixing to" today: getting ready to do something
HE is kev, HE totally is.
Kevin Gunn,
ReplyDeleteIts me Ryan Brand. My thoughts are at my site. I'd love to here more of yours. To echo the wise words of Chaplin Rachel "Pray for the weeks to come. Pray that we would welcome them and engage in healthy debate. Pray that we would be able to love each other despite our differing beliefs on the subject. Pray that we would both learn from one another." Jan 28-Feb 2 posts are on this issue. The feed back on the post should also give you "opinion, thoughts, and questions." Hope you are having a great sem.
Ouch! ...I DID check out your site! I was away for a couple days so I was only able to read it. Personally, I think this is a great opportunity for your school to really shine the light of Jesus to them. Don't close doors to them, but open them by praying for this group! Colossians 4, I think, says exactly what you need to do!
ReplyDeleteGod bless and be Joyful!