KALO KAMU NGGAK MAU, KASI KE AKU!

Impian. Cita-cita. Aku rasa aku nggak pernah tau apa sebenarnya impian dan cita-citaku. Setiap kali orang tanya ke aku, aku nggak tau aku harus jawab apa. Waktu aku kecil, aku pengen jadi dokter, namun aku sadar kalo aku sama sekali nggak pengen jadi dokter. Ketika usiaku bertambah dewasa, aku semakin nggak ngerti apa sebenarnya yang aku inginkan, apa yang aku benar-benar ingin capai. Aku nggak tau aku pengen menghabiskan seumur hidupku untuk menjadi apa.

                
Pernah aku berpikir bahwa aku pengen menjadi seorang tour guide, yang bekerja memandu orang-orang ke tempat-tempat wisata. Pernah juga aku berpikir bahwa mungkin aku akan menjadi fulltimer, seorang yang menghabiskan sisa hidupnya untuk melayani Tuhan dengan bekerja di sebuah gereja. Tapi, aku tau kalo menjadi pendeta bukanlah keinginanku. Entah, aku nggak tau kemana aku akan membawa hidupku. Satu hal yang masih tersimpan dalam hatiku, aku ingin bisa menjadi berkat melalui apa yang aku capai, terutama memberkati bangsa-bangsa.

                
Hingga aku terpaksa kuliah di akuntansi karena aku benar-benar nggak tau apa bakat dan minatku sebenarnya. Puji Tuhan, aku bisa menjalani kuliahku dengan cukup baik, dengan nilai yang lebih dari cukup, namun bukanlah yang terbaik. Tetapi ketika aku berada di semester atas, aku semakin takut melangkah, karena aku nggak tau akan kemanakah hidupku selanjutnya. Aku akan bekerja sebagai apa, bidang apa yang akan aku tekuni, karier macam apa yang akan aku bangun. Semuanya gelap bagiku.

                
Suatu saat, dengan cara yang ajaib, Tuhan memberiku kerinduan untuk menulis sebuah blog sebagai jurnal pribadiku. Awalnya, hanya nulis-nulis hal yang terjadi di hidupku, nulis summary kotbah. Hal itu berjalan hingga hampir setahun lamanya, tanpa sebuah tujuan yang jelas. Hingga suatu saat aku disadarkan oleh testimony seorang teman bahwa tulisan-tulisan di blogku memberkati dia secara pribadi. Ucapan terimakasih bergulir satu demi satu dari teman-teman yang tau alamat blogku. Jujur saja, aku nggak punya tujuan untuk memberkati orang lain lewat blogku. Itu murni aku buat hanya sebagai jurnal pribadiku, sebagai kumpulan kisah untuk mengingat karya-Nya di hidupku.

                
Ketika pemimpin rohani serta teman dan anak rohaniku berkata bahwa mereka bisa melihat aku menjadi seorang penulis di masa depan dan mereka memberikan dukungan mereka, aku jadi SANGAT takut. AKU NGGAK MAU JADI PENULIS! Pernah aku mencoba untuk membayangkan dan aku jadi ngeri. Nggak banget deh. Sejak saat itu, aku mulai agak mengabaikan blogku. Nggak mau nulis lagi. Ogah banget deh.

                
Mei 2012, aku sempat cerita ketakutanku ini ke seorang teman baikku. Dia berkata “Kerjakan aja apa yang ada di tanganmu”. Aku bilang kalo aku nggak suka dengan bidang ini. Oke, aku bisa nulis en kalo nganggur aku bisa nulis apa aja, tapi nggak berarti aku pengen jadi penulis. Dia bilang kalo aku bisa menginjil dengan menulis blog. Aku pikir, bener juga. Dengan nulis blog, banyak jiwa yang bisa dijangkau untuk mengenal Kristus. Oke, aku jalani.

                
Lama kelamaan, aku semakin menyadari bahwa Tuhan nggak main-main dengan hal ini. Kemungkinan besar (yang aku rasakan), bahwa penulis adalah panggilan hidupku. Aku memberontak kepada Tuhan, dengan mengatakan bahwa aku nggak bisa nulis dengan baik, aku nggak bakat, dsb, dll. Singkat cerita, beberapa kali Tuhan menegurku melalui hamba-hamba-Nya, melalui kotbah-kotbah yang aku dengar. Aku menjalani hal ini dengan setengah hati. Bener-bener setengah hati. Seolah aku nggak bisa lari. Dan emang bener bahwa aku nggak bisa lari. Tiap kali Dia memberiku inspirasi di malam hari, kalo aku nunda-nunda untuk nulis di blog, pasti ada sesuatu yang menekanku. Sesuatu itu hilang ketika aku selesai menulis dan mem-post-kannya ke blog.

                
Awal September 2012, aku bener-bener nggak tahan dengan semua ini. Aku share ke teman baikku (orang yang sama dengan di bulan Mei 2012), dan dia bilang: “Kamu bilang nggak suka soalnya kamu belum ngerasain honor seorang penulis, Luc”. Aku bilang kalo aku nggak butuh hal itu. Aku nggak pengen menghabiskan waktu en hidupku untuk sesuatu yang aku nggak suka (bukan berarti aku benci juga sih). Pas aku cerita betapa desperate-nya aku dengan hal ini, tiba-tiba dia nyeletuk:” Kalo kamu nggak mau, kasi ke aku”. Aku kira dia bercanda en aku jawab ke dia dengan serius, “Kalo bisa, udah pasti aku kasi ke kamu kok. Ambilen ae, aku nggak butuh”. En dia tiba-tiba jadi serius lalu bilang gini “Sungguhan? Kalo kamu kasi ke aku, karuniamu ilang satu en karuniaku nambah satu loh. Serius kamu mau kasi ke aku, Luc?” DEG! Aku tertampar.

                
Aku menyadari dengan sepenuhnya bahwa menulis adalah sebuah karunia. Sebuah karunia adalah sebuah pemberian istimewa dari Bapa, sesuatu yang nggak bisa kita pilih, sesuatu yang nggak bisa kita pertimbangkan, namun harus kita kerjakan dengan ucapan syukur.  Sebuah karunia itu murni pemberian dari Bapa, Dia memberikannya kepada kita bukan karena kita layak, bukan karena kita mampu, bukan karena kita bisa. Tapi murni karena Dia mau memberikan hal itu kepada kita. “Bukan kamu yang memilih Aku, tetapi Akulah yang memilih kamu. Dan Aku telah menetapkan kamu, supaya kamu pergi dan menghasilkan buah dan buahmu itu tetap,…” (Yohanes 15:16)

                
Akhirnya, mau nggak mau, aku memaksa diriku untuk menerima “takdir”-ku itu. Entah menjadi penulis adalah panggilan hidupku, entah hanya untuk sementara atau untuk seumur hidup, entah itu akan menjadi pekerjaan utama atau pekerjaan sambilanku, aku akan menjalaninya dengan segenap hati. Sejak saat itu, inilah yang menjadi doaku setiap hari: “Paksakan kehendak-Mu padaku, Bapa. Ajar aku menyukai apa yang Kau sukai. Ajar aku berjalan di jalan yang Kau rancangkan bagiku, walaupun itu sakit bagiku, walaupun aku tidak menghendakinya. Let Your will be done in my life. Amen”.

Tuhan Engkau mendengar seruan hatiku

Dan keluhku tak tersembunyi bagi-Mu

Dalam kesesakanku, kumau berdiam

Dan berharap pada-Mu, Yesus Kau sumber kekuatanku

Reff:  S’bab aku ini milik-Mu,aku di dalam hati-Mu

Kasih setia-Mu,yang menghidupkan aku

S’bab aku ini milik-Mu,tak kupertahankan hidupku

Biar kehendak-Mu, kerjakanlah dalamku

Anug’rahkan kuasa-Mu mengubah hatiku

Tuk selalu berserah sepenuhnya hanya kepada-Mu

(Sbab aku ini milik-Mu, Sari Simorangkir)

Oct 6^th 2012

1:03 pm

MENDAKI GUNUNG, MENGGAPAI ASA

Malam-malam ketika aku sulit tidur merupakan malam-malam yang cukup menyiksa namun membuka paradigmaku terhadap sesuatu yang baru. Semalam (3 Oktober 2012), aku capek banget dan berencana untuk tidur lebih awal (sekitar jam 9 malam), tapi ternyata mata ini nggak bisa terlelap. Disitulah Tuhan mengajarkan sesuatu kepadaku.

Aku di-flashback ke masa-masa sebelum aku bertobat, dimana aku suka berpetualang. Aku sempat beberapa kali mengikuti kegiatan hash (naik gunung). Buat aku, kegiatan seperti itu sangatlah seru dan menantang. Kegiatan tersebut diadakan di hari minggu (aku belum bertobat waktu itu, jadi tiap minggu nggak pernah ke gereja :P).

Setiap perjalanan dimulai dari bawah dan diakhiri di bawah. Setiap kali, selalu disediakan 3 rute, yaitu rute pendek, menengah, dan panjang. Rute panjang adalah rute dimana para pendaki dibawa ke puncak gunung, kemudian turun lagi. Sedangkan rute pendek dan menengah, para pendaki hanya dibawa naik hingga jarak tertentu saja. Karena waktu itu aku masih remaja (sekitar umur 14 tahun), papaku nggak pernah ngijinkan aku untuk ikut rute panjang, takut kalo aku nggak kuat. Jadi, aku selalu menempuh rute pendek dan menengah saja. Semalam, Tuhan mengingatkan aku tentang hal itu dan mengajariku beberapa hal.

Pertama, mendaki gunung merupakan sebuah perjalanan, seperti layaknya kehidupan. Ada tujuan yang kita ingin capai, namun kita harus menyadari batas kekuatan kita. Seringkali kita memiliki harapan yang terlalu tinggi, namun kita kurang menyadari kemampuan dan kesanggupan kita. Sehingga ketika kita nggak bisa mencapai tujuan kita, kita menjadi kecewa dan putus asa. Di sepanjang perjalanan kehidupan, kita nggak pernah sendiri, Tuhan selalu memberikan orang lain untuk ada bersama kita. Entah orang tersebut adalah orang yang berjalan di depan kita namun kehabisan tenaga dan akhirnya berjalan perlahan-lahan. Ada orang yang berjalan di belakang kita, namun di suatu waktu orang tersebut mengejar kita dan meninggalkan kita di belakang. Dan ada juga orang yang selalu setia di samping kita untuk menemani kita di sepanjang perjalanan kita hingga kita mencapai garis akhir.

Aku ingat ketika aku ikut hash, dalam perjalanan mencapai garis akhir, selalu ada orang-orang yang awalnya di belakangku dan mengejar ketinggalan. Ketika orang-orang tersebut berjumpa denganku, orang-orang tersebut memberi semangat kepadaku dengan beberapa patah kata, kemudian mereka melesat di depan. Walaupun nggak dapat disangkali bahwa ada beberapa orang yang tidak mengucapkan sepatah katapun ketika melewatiku. Ada juga orang yang sudah start lebih dulu daripada aku, namun di tengah perjalanan mereka kelelahan dan berjalan perlahan hingga aku bertemu dengan mereka. Orang-orang itu seringkali bercerita kepadaku, bagaimana perjalanan mereka hingga akhirnya mereka terjatuh, kelelahan, ataupun kehabisan nafas, sehingga akhirnya mengurangi kecepatan mereka. Namun, ada juga orang yang selalu ada di sampingku (yaitu papaku), yang selalu membantuku ketika aku terpeleset, yang menunggu aku ketika au kehabisan nafas dan butuh istirahat, dan yang menggandeng tanganku ketika aku nggak bisa mendaki tanjakan yang terlalu tinggi.

Coba hari ini kita cermati, pasti ada orang-orang seperti itu yang Tuhan letakkan dalam kehidupan kita. Siapapun mereka, apapun peran mereka dalam kehidupan kita, bersyukurlah untuk keberadaan mereka. Bersyukurlah untuk orang-orang yang telah berjalan di depan kita dan memperlambat langkah mereka, sehingga mereka bisa berbagi pengalaman mereka dengan kita. Pakailah nasihat dan pengalaman mereka sebagai bekal untuk perjalananmu selanjutnya. Bersyukurlah untuk orang-orang yang awalnya di belakang kita, namun mereka melesat ke depan dan memberi kita semangat. Jadikan semangat mereka sebagai kekuatan untuk kita mencapai garis akhir. Bersyukurlah untuk orang-orang yang selalu setia di samping kita untuk menolong kita kapanpun kita butuhkan. Ingatlah, bahwa manusia tidak dapat hidup sendiri di dunia ini, dan jangan lupakan mereka ketika kita telah berhasil mencapai finish.

Kedua, dalam setiap rute selalu ada petunjuk yang diberikan agar kita tidak tersesat. Ketika aku hash, kami selalu mencari petunjuk berupa sobekan kertas warna-warni yang disebarkan oleh panitia. Walaupun perjalanan terkadang begitu berat, kami merasa lega ketika kami melihat petunjuk tersebut, karena hal itu menandakan bahwa kami nggak tersesat. Demikian pula dengan kehidupan. Tuhan yang merancang kehidupan kita, selalu memberikan petunjuk agar kita tidak tersesat. Di sepanjang perjalanan kehidupan, Dia nggak pernah membiarkan kita berjalan tanpa arah. Bahkan ketika kita merasa bahwa jalan hidup kita nggak jelas, kita selau bisa mencari petunjuk-Nya melalui doa.

Namun, terkadang kita lengah en nggak peka dengan tanda-tanda yang Dia berikan sebagai petunjuk hidup kita. Seringkali kita berjalan menggunakan pengalaman kita di masa lalu, atau dengan perasaan kita. “Ehm, kayaknya jalan ini bener deh”. Dan ketika kita berjalan, ternyata jalan itu adalah jalan yang salah. Oleh karena itu, kita harus belajar untuk peka dengan petunjuk yang Tuhan berikan di dalam kehidupan kita. Jangan jadi orang yang sok pintar atau sok berpengalaman, kemudian tersesat sendiri.

Ketiga, selalu ada pribadi yang ditugaskan untuk menjadi penolong dan penunjuk jalan. Dulu, ketika aku hash, di tengah perjalanan selalu ada orang yang ditugaskan oleh panitia untuk berdiri di tempat-tempat tertentu untuk menolong orang yang mengalami cedera, terjatuh, atau membantu orang untuk mendaki ke tempat yang sulit. Orang tersebut juga bertugas untuk menjadi petunjuk jalan yang akan mengarahkan setiap peserta ke arah yang benar. Dalam kehidupan kta, Tuhan memberikan Roh Kudus untuk menjadi penolong kita. Setiap saat ketika kita membutuhkan bantuan, Dia selalu siap sedia. Ketika kita terjatuh, Dia selalu siap menopang tangan kita. Ketika kita kehilangan arah dan tidak “melihat” petunjuk yang Tuhan berikan, Roh Kudus yang berbicara kepada kita serta menunjukkan arah yang tepat. Roh Kuduslah yang selalu berjaga-jaga untuk mengawasi agar kita tidak tersesat dalam kehidupan ini.

Tiga hal yang sederhana, namun maknanya mendalam. Inilah yang aku pahami sungguh-sungguh, yaitu Tuhan yang memberikanku kehidupan, ingin agar aku selalu mencapai garis finish. Dia tidak ingin aku tersesat, menyerah, maupun terhilang. Dia ingin agar aku tetap berjuang sampai garis akhir, walaupun aku sempat terjatuh, tersandung, maupun terpeleset. Dia ingin mengajarkan kepadaku, bahwa setiap goresan, luka, maupun keringat yang ada, nggak boleh membuat aku menyerah. Diperlukan perjuangan dan tekad yang kuat untuk mencapai garis akhir. Dan semua itu hanya dapat dicapai apabila aku berjalan bersama Dia.

Oct 4^th 2012

3:05 pm

OUTLIVE YOUR LIFE: YOU WERE MADE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE PART 1 (MAX LUCADO)

ONE: OUR ONCE-IN-HISTORY OPPORTUNITY
1. You’ve been given your life. No one else has your version. You’ll never bump into yourself on the sidewalk. You’ll never meet anyone who has your exact blend of lineage, loves, and longings. Your life will never be lived by anyone else. You’re not a jacket in an attic that can be recycled after you are gone. It’s not enough for you to do well. You want to do good. You want your life to matter. You want to live in such a way that the world will be glad you did. But how can you? How can I? Can God use us?
2. Ours is the wealthiest generation of Christians ever. We are bright, educated, and experienced. We can travel around the world in twenty-four hours or send a message in a millisecond. We have the most sophisticated research and medicines at the tips of our fingers. We have ample resources. A mere 2 percent of the world’s grain harvest would be enough, if shared, to erase the problems of hunger and malnutrition around the world. There is enough food on the planet to offer every person twenty-five hundred calories of sustenance a day. We have enough food to feed the hungry.

But this much is clear: the storehouse is stocked. The problem is not in the supply; the problem is in the distribution. God has given this generation, our generation, everything we need to alter the course of human suffering.

3. I do live today; so do you. We are given a choice . . . an opportunity to make a big difference during a difficult time. What if we did? What if we rocked the world with hope? Infiltrated all corners with God’s love and life? What if we followed the example of the Jerusalem church? This tiny sect expanded into a world-changing force. We still drink from their wells and eat from their trees of faith. How did they do it? What can we learn from their priorities and passion?Let’s ponder their stories, found in the first twelve chapters of Acts. Let’s examine each event through the lens of this prayer: Do it again, Jesus. Do it again. After all, “We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Eph. 2:10 NLT). We are created by a great God to do great works. He invites us to outlive our lives, not just in heaven but here on earth.
4. Here’s a salute to a long life: goodness that outlives the grave, love that outlasts the final breath. May you live in such a way that your death is just the beginning of your life.

"After David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died and was buried" (Acts 13:36 NLT).

O Lord, what an amazing opportunity You have spread out before me a chance to make a difference for You in a desperately hurting world. Help me to see the needs You want me to see, to react in a way that honors You, and to bless others by serving them gladly with practical expressions of Your love. Help me be Jesus’ hands and feet and through Your Spirit give me the strength and wisdom I need to fulfill Your plan for me in my own generation. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

TWO: CALLING MR. POT ROAST

"You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" —Acts 1:8 (NIV).

1. Does Jesus still use simple folks like us to change the world? We suffer from such ordinariness. We are Joe Pot Roast. Common folk. We sit in the bleachers, eat at diners, change diapers, and wear our favorite team’s ball cap. Fans don’t wave when we pass. Servants don’t scurry when we come home. Chauffeurs don’t drive our cars; butlers don’t open our doors or draw our baths. Doormen don’t greet us, and security doesn’t protect us. We, like the Jerusalem disciples, are regular folk.

God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.

2. Don’t let Satan convince you otherwise. He will try. He will tell you that God has an IQ requirement or an entry fee. That he employs only specialists and experts, governments and high-powered personalities. When Satan whispers such lies, dismiss him with this truth: God stampeded the first-century society with swaybacks, not thoroughbreds. Before Jesus came along, the disciples were loading trucks, coaching soccer, and selling Slurpee drinks at the convenience store. Their collars were blue, and their hands were calloused, and there is no evidence that Jesus chose them because they were smarter or nicer than the guy next door. The one thing they had going for them was a willingness to take a step when Jesus said, “Follow Me”.

"Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful" (1 Cor. 1:26–27 NLT).

Loving Father, You made me, so You know very well that I am but dust. Yet You have called me into Your kingdom to serve You at this specific place, at this specific time, for a very specific purpose. Despite my ordinariness. I belong to You and You are anything but ordinary! Help me pour out Your grace and compassion upon others that they; too may experience the richness of Your love. Through me, my hither, show others how You can use an ordinary life to bring extraordinary blessing into the world. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

THREE: LET GOD UNSHELL YOU

"They’re speaking our languages, describing God’s mighty works! —Acts 2:11 (MSG)

1. This is quite a shield. You probably have your own. Most of us have learned to insulate ourselves against the hurt of the hurting. Haven’t we? Mustn’t we? After all, what can we do about the famine in Sudan, the plight of the unemployed, or a pandemic of malaria? Clamshells. We come by them honestly. We don’t intend to retreat from the world or stick our heads in a hole. We want to help. But the problems are immense (Did you say one billion are poor?), complex (When is helping actually hurting?), and intense (I have enough problems of my own).

2. That’s true. We do have our own issues. Our sputtering marriages, fading ambitions, dwindling bank accounts, and stubborn hearts. How can we change the world when we can’t even change our bad habits? We don’t have what it takes to solve these problems. Best to climb in and shut the shell, right? You would have had a hard time selling that strategy to the Jerusalem church. Not after God unshelled them on the Day of Pentecost.

3. The Holy Spirit came upon them suddenly—not predictably or expectedly or customarily but suddenly. Welcome to the world of Acts and the “sudden” Spirit of God, sovereign and free, never subordinate to timing or technique. He creates His own agenda, determines His own calendar, and keeps His own hours. The Spirit came, first as wind, then appeared as individual tongues of fire, “and one sat upon each of them” (v. 3). This wasn’t one torch over the entire room but individual flames hovering above each person. And then the most unexpected thing happened. [They] began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

4. Crowded city. Prayerful followers. Rushing wind and falling fire. Fifteen nations represented in one assembly. Disciples speaking like trained translators of the United Nations. Whatever could this mean?At least this much: God loves the nations.

5. Let God unshell you. And when He does, “make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that” (Gal. 6:4 MSG). Don’t miss the opportunity to discover your language.

• With whom do you feel most fluent?Teenagers? Drug addicts? The elderly? You may be tongue-tied around children but eloquent with executives. This is how God designed you. “God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well” (Rom. 12:6 NLT).

• For whom do you feel most compassion? God doesn’t burden us equally. “The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men . . . He fashions their hearts individually” (Ps. 33:13, 15). When does your heart break and pulse race? When you spot the homeless? When you travel to the inner city? Or when you see the victims of sex trade in Cambodia?

"[God] comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given" (2 Cor. 1:4 NLT).

Gracious Father, You took the initiative to reach out to me even in my sin and selfishness in order to bring me into your eternal kingdom, through the of Christ. I cannot fathom such love! And yet, hither, I try to hoard Your grace! Put up walls of protection that I might keep hurt out and blessing in. I am like the clam that shuts itself up in its shell, afraid of threats from the outside. You call me to unshell myself and to partner with You in Your mission of love. Unshell me, Lord, that I, too may reach out to a lonely, discouraged, and even hopeless world. In Jesus’ name. amen.

FOUR: DON'T FORGET THE BREAD

"Your sins will be forgiven. Then you will be given the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you"—Acts 2:38 39 (CEV).

1. Might we make the same mistake in a more critical arena? In an effort to do good, we can get distracted. We feed people. We encourage, heal, help, and serve. We address racial issues and poverty. Yet there is one duty we must fulfill. We can’t forget the bread.

2. Peter would eventually speak about poverty. The church would soon address the issues of widows, disease, and bigotry. But not yet. The first order of the church’s first sermon was this: pardon for all our sins. Peter delivered the bread.

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again” (John 6:35 NLT).

3. God has posted his traffic signs everywhere we look. In the universe, in Scripture, even within our own hearts. Yet we persist in disregarding His directions. But God does not give us what we deserve. He has drenched His world in grace. It has no end. It knows no limits. It empowers this life and enables us to live the next. God offers second chances, like a soup kitchen offers meals to everyone who asks. And that includes you. Make sure you receive the bread. And once you do, pass it on. After all, if we don’t, who will?

"Turn back to God! Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven. Then you will be given the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you and your children. It is for everyone our Lord God will choose, no matter where they live" (Acts 2:38–39 CEV).

4. Governments don’t feed the soul. The secular relief house can give a bed, a meal, and valuable counsel. But we can give much more. Not just help for this life but hope for the next. So along with the cups of water, plates of food, and vials of medicine, let there be the message of sins forgiven and death defeated. Remember the bread.

"For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ" (2 Cor. 5:19–21 NLT).

My blessed Savior and Lord. I praise You for freely giving me the Bread of Life. You replaced my darkness with Your light, my fear with Your security; and my despair with Your hope. Remind me every day Father, that the Bread of Life I have in Jesus comes to me by Your grace and through Your love and that it delights Your generous heart when I tell others where they can find and partake. Make me into an eager ambassador of Jesus Christ. Turn my fear into boldness so that heaven’s streets may be filled with men and women who love the Savior, in part because they first heard of His grace and mercy from my lips. In Jesus’ name I pray.

CHAPTER 5: TEAM UP

"Now all who believed were together" —Acts 2:44.

1. This was Jesus’ plan all along. None of us can do what all of us can do. Remember his commission to the disciples? “You [all of you collectively] will be My witnesses” (Acts 1:8 NIV). Jesus didn’t issue individual assignments. He didn’t move one by one down the line and knight each individual.

2. But rather, “You [the sum of you] will be My witnesses . . .” Jesus works in community. For that reason you find no personal pronouns in the earliest description of the church:

"All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy" (Acts 2:42–46 NLT).

3. No I or my or you. We are in this together. We are more than followers of Christ, disciples of Christ. “We are parts of His body” (Eph. 5:30 NCV). “He is the head of the body, which is the church” (Col. 1:18 NCV). I am not His body; you are not His body. We—together— are His body.

4. Cooperation is more than a good idea; it is a command. “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3 NIV). Unity matters to God. There is “one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:16 NIV). What if the missing ingredient for changing the world is teamwork? “When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, My Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of Me, you can be sure that I’ll be there” (Matt. 18:19–20 MSG).

This is an astounding promise. When believers agree, Jesus takes notice, shows up, and hears our prayers.

5. This is how He worked in Jerusalem. The congregation is a microcosm of God’s plan. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. And when we do, statements such as these will be read more often: “The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them” (Acts 4:33–34 NLT). Our only hope is to work together.

Those who suffer belong to all of us. And if all of us respond, there is hope.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!" (Eccl. 4:9–10 NIV).

O Lord, I have been called to be part of holy community. You did nor call me in isolation bur placed me in the body of Christ, along with every other believer in Jesus throughout the world in every age. Let us grow as a ream, work as a ream, worship as a ream, weep, laugh, and live as a ream. Grant me the wisdom and the strength to partner with you and with my brothers and sisters in Christ. For Jesus’ sake and in His name I pray; amen.

CHAPTER 6: OPEN YOUR DOOR; OPEN YOUR HEART

"They ate together in their homes, happy to share their food with joyful hearts" —Acts 2:46 (NCV).

1. Call us a fast society, an efficient society, but don’t call us a personal society. Our society is set up for isolation. Yet God wants His people to be an exception. Let everyone else go the way of computers and keyboards. God’s children will be people of hospitality. Long before the church had pulpits and baptisteries, she had kitchens and dinner tables. “The believers met together in the Temple every day. They ate together in their homes, happy to share their food with joyful hearts” (Acts 2:46 NCV). “Every day in the Temple and in people’s homes they continued teaching the people and telling the Good News—that Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 5:42 NCV).

It’s no wonder that the elders were to be “given to hospitality” (1 Tim. 3:2 KJV). The primary gathering place of the church was the home.

2. Not everyone can serve in a foreign land, lead a relief effort, or volunteer at the downtown soup kitchen. But who can’t be hospitable? Do you have a front door? A table? Chairs? Bread and meat for sandwiches? Congratulations! You just qualified to serve in the most ancient of ministries: hospitality. You can join the ranks of people such as . . .

• Abraham. He fed, not just angels, but the Lord of angels (Gen. 18).

• Rahab, the harlot. She received and protected the spies. Thanks to her kindness, her kindred survived, and her name is remembered (Josh. 6:22–23; Matt. 1:5).

•  Martha and Mary. They opened their home for Jesus. He, in turn, opened the grave of Lazarus for them (John 11:1–45; Luke 10:38–42).

3. How would you have liked to be the one who opened his home for Jesus? You can be. “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me” (Matt. 25:40 NIV). As you welcome strangers to your table, you are welcoming God himself. Something holy happens around a dinner table that will never happen in a sanctuary. In a church auditorium you m see the backs of heads. Around the table you see the expressions on faces. In the auditorium one person speaks; around the table everyone has a voice. Church services are on the clock. Around the table there is time to talk.

Hospitality opens the door to uncommon community.

4. It’s no accident that hospitality and hospital come from the same Latin word, for they both lead to the same result: healing. When you open your door to someone, you are sending this message: “You matter to me and to God”. You may think you are saying, “Come over for a visit”. But what your guest hears is, “I’m worth the effort”. Do you know people who need this message? Singles who eat alone? Young couples who are far from home? Coworkers who’ve been transferred, teens who feel left out, and seniors who no longer drive? Some people pass an entire day with no meaningful contact with anyone else. Your hospitality can be their hospital. All you need are a few basic practices.

~ Issue a genuine invitation. Let your guests know you want them to come. Call them on the phone, or step over to their desks at work.

~ Make a big deal of their arrival. Gather the entire family at the front door. Swing it open as you see them approach. This is a parade-worthy moment. One of God’s children is coming to your house!

~ Address the needs of your guests. First-century hospitality included foot washing. Modern-day hospitality includes the sharing of food and drink. Time to talk and listen. Make sure everyone has the opportunity to speak. Like the Good Shepherd, we prepare a table and restore the soul. 

~ Send them out with a blessing. Make it clear you are glad your guests came. Offer a prayer for their safety and a word of encouragement for their travel.

5. Open your table. Even more, open your circle. Be certain to invite not just the affluent and successful, “but when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed” (Luke 14:13–14 NIV). The Greek word for hospitality compounds two terms: love and stranger. The word literally means to love a stranger. All of us can welcome a guest we know and love. But can we welcome a stranger?

We still encounter people on the road. And sometimes we sense a peculiar warmth, an affection. We detect an urge to open our doors to them. In these moments let’s heed the inner voice. We never know whom we may be hosting for dinner.

"Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another" (1 Peter 4:9–10 NLT).

Heavenly Father, every breath is a gift from Your hand. Even so. I confess that sometimes my own hand remains tightly closed when I encounter the needs of others. Please open both my hand and my heart that I might learn to open my door to others. As You help me open my heart and hand, O Lord, I ask that You also prompt me to open my life to those who need a taste of Your love and bounty. In Jesus’ name I pray amen.

CHAPTER 7: SEE THE NEED, TOUCH THE HURT

"Peter, with John at his side, looked him straight in the eye... He grabbed him by the right hand and pulled him up"—Acts 34, 7 (MSG).

1. It is hard to look suffering in the face. Wouldn’t we rather turn away? Stare in a different direction? Fix our gaze on fairer objects? Human hurt is not easy on the eyes. The dusty cheeks of the Pakistani refugee. The wide-eyed stare of the Peruvian orphan. Or the salt-and-pepper tangle of a beard worn by the drifter Stanley and I met in Pennsylvania.

We both saw the man. I saw right through him. Stanley saw deep into him. There is something fundamentally good about taking time to see a person.

2. What do we see? “When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd” (Matt. 9:36). This word compassion is one of the oddest in Scripture. The New Testament Greek lexicon says this word means “to be moved as to one’s bowels . . . (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity)”. It shares a root system with splanchnology, the study of the visceral parts. Compassion, then, is a movement deep within—a kick in the gut.

3. Perhaps that is why we turn away. Who can bear such an emotion? Especially when we can do nothing about it. Why look suffering in the face if we can’t make a difference? Yet what if we could? What if our attention could reduce someone’s pain? This is the promise of the encounter.

Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk”. And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God (Acts 3:6–8).

Blotted out is a translation of a Greek term that means “to obliterate” or “erase completely.” Faith in Christ, Peter explained, leads to a clean slate with God. What Jesus did for the legs of this cripple, He does for our souls. Brand-new!

4. An honest look led to a helping hand that led to a conversation about eternity. Works done in God’s name long outlive our earthly lives. Let’s be the people who stop at the gate. Let’s look at the hurting until we hurt with them. No hurrying past, turning away, or shifting of eyes. No pretending or glossing over. Let’s look at the face until we see the person.

In certain Zulu areas of South Africa, people greet each other with a phrase that means “I see you”. Change begins with a genuine look. And continues with a helping hand.

5. It all began with an honest look and a helping hand. Could this be God’s strategy for human hurt? First, kind eyes meet desperate ones. Next, strong hands help weak ones. Then, the miracle of God. We do our small part, he does the big part, and life at the Beautiful Gate begins to be just that.

"When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd" (Mark 6:34 NIV).

Gracious Lord, in the Bible you are called "the One who sees me", and I know that Your eyes are always upon me to guide and protect and bless and correct. You have given me eyes too. Grant me the power to use them to truly see. Help me see those You put in my path really see them, with all their hurts, their desires, their longings, their needs, their joys, and their challenges. As You open my eyes, prompt me to open wide my arms to offer whatever help and encouragement I have to give. In Jesus’ name I pray amen.

CHAPTER 8: PERSECUTION: PREPARE FOR IT; RESIST IT

"The priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them"—Acts 4:1.

1. What would you have done? The question is more than academic. Persecution comes. Three-fourths of Christians live in the third world, often in anti-Christian environments. Or perhaps you indwell a society of religious freedom but a community of spiritual oppression. You may not face blades and terrorists but critics and accusers. Family members mock your beliefs. University professors belittle your convictions. Classmates snicker at your choices. Colleagues pressure you to compromise your integrity. Coworkers make it their mission to snag you in a weak moment. Knife to your neck? No. But pressure to abandon your convictions?

Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole” (Acts 4:8–10).

2. What has happened to them? The last time they saw these soldiers, Peter and John left them in their rearview mirror. But today they go chin to chin with the Supreme Court of Jerusalem. What’s gotten into them? Luke gives us the answer in verse 13: “Now when [the accusers] saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus”. They had lingered long and delightfully in the presence of the resurrected King. Awakening with Him, walking with Him. And because they had, silence was no longer an option. “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (v. 20).

3. Could you use some high-octane boldness? If you want to outlive your life, you could. As long as you are stationary, no one will complain. Dogs don’t bark at parked cars. But as soon as you accelerate—once you step out of drunkenness into sobriety, dishonesty into integrity, or lethargy into compassion—expect the yapping to begin. Expect to be criticized. Expect to be mocked. Expect to be persecuted. So how can we prepare ourselves? Simple. Imitate the disciples. Linger long and often in the presence of Christ. Meditate on His grace. Ponder His love. Memorize His words. Gaze into His face. Talk to Him. Courage comes as we live with Jesus.

Peter said it this way. “Don’t give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy” (1 Peter 3:14–15 MSG).

As we meditate on Christ’s life, we find strength for our own.

4. Would you be bold tomorrow? Then be with Jesus today. Be in his Word. Be with His people. Be in His presence. And when persecution comes (and it will), be strong. Who knows? People may realize that you, like the disciples, have been with Christ.

"You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—but the Lord rescued me from all of it. Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Tim. 3:11–12 NLT).

Father, you warn us that persecution is coming. Not to alarm us but to prepare us for what’s ahead that we might endure and persevere. That these hard experiences would glorify you and benefit us. For that to happen. Lord, I need a reorientation of perspective and a change of focus. Help me see the world through Your eyes by focusing on Your son, remembering what lie accomplished on the cross despite the persecution heaped on Him. Whatever persecution I might suffer, Lord, let it bring You honor—and use it to help other followers of Jesus who will face their own persecution. In Christ's name I pray, amen.

WHEN GOD SHOWS HIS LOVE THROUGH PAIN

September 2012 hampir berakhir, harapanku untuk wisuda di bulan November hancur berkeping-keping. Dengan sangat terpaksa, aku menerima kenyataan bahwa semuanya tertunda kembali. Sedih banget rasanya, ngerasa gagal, ngerasa nggak bisa nyenengin ortu, en ngerasa kecewa sama diri sendiri.

“Temen-temenmu bisa Luc, kok kamu nggak bisa-bisa sih…”

“Orang-orang yang nggak sungguh-sungguh sama Tuhan aja berhasil, kamu kok nggak berhasil sampe sekarang. Percuma donk kamu setia sama Tuhan?”

“Kamu mati-matian lembur untuk kerja skripsi, kamu mati-matian melayani Tuhan, tapi ternyata kamu GAGAL. Memalukan….”

                
Dan sejuta perasaan yang berkecamuk di hatiku. Juga segunung pikiran yang tertumpuk di kepalaku. Betapa hancur hatiku ketika aku mendapati kenyataan bahwa Tuhan seolah-olah tak bergeming atas skripsiku. Ketika aku berdoa, hanya air mata tanda keputusasaan yang mengalir dengan deras. Tanpa ada sepatah katapun yang sanggup untuk keluar dari mulutku. Ketika aku mencari jawaban, hanya keheningan yang aku temukan. Entah aku harus berbuat apa. Sedih, kecewa, dan marah pada diriku sendiri. Bahkan mungkin pada Tuhan…..

               
Disaat-saat seperti inilah, aku harus membuktikan pada dunia, bahwa kebehasilan yang tertunda bukanlah kegagalan. Dimasa-masa padang gurun ini, aku harus menguatkan imanku kepada Tuhan. Jika Tuhan pernah menolongku di masa lalu, aku yakin bahwa Dia juga masih sanggup. Di waktu-waktu kesesakanlah, Tuhan menantikan kematangan karakterku. Apakah dengan setiap proses yang Dia ijinkan terjadi, aku berubah menjadi pribadi yang lebih baik ataukah menjadi pribadi yang pahit dan kecewa pada Tuhan. Di hari-hari kelam ini, aku belajar melihat bahwa terang kasih-Nya sanggup menuntunku kepada rencana-Nya yang terbaik, bukan pada rencana terbaik versiku. Di musim-musim kekeringan ini, aku memahami bahwa aliran cinta-Nya yang selalu menenangkan dan menguatkanku. “AKU belum selesai denganmu, nak. Tetaplah berjalan, tetaplah berjuang, tetaplah berusaha. AKU menyiapkan hal-hal yang tak pernah kau bayangkan selama ini”. Perkataan yang keluar dari mulut-Nyalah sumber kekuatan yang mampu mengangkatku dari jurang keputusasaan.

                
Aku menyadari bahwa aku tak perlu untuk mengerti setiap hal yang Dia lakukan di hidupku. Tapi aku tahu, semua hal Dia lakukan karena KASIH. Aku tidak selalu memahami setiap belokan, jalan yang terjal, dan setiap penundaan yang Dia ijinkan terjadi. Tapi aku mengerti, bahwa Bapa mengajarkanku untuk bersabar dan tidak memandang rendah orang lain yang mengalami kesesakan. Aku tidak selalu bisa menerima setiap kejadian yang terjadi maupun pendapat manusia di sekitarku. Tapi aku tahu, bahwa penerimaan-Nya sempurna bagiku, pendapat-Nya saja yang patut aku perhatikan.

                
Kemarin pagi (27 September 2012), aku terbangun karena aku mendengar Dia mengatakan hal ini padaku: “AKU akan memenuhi janji-janji-KU padamu dengan TEPAT! Seperti AKU menepati janji-KU pada Abraham dan Sara bahwa mereka akan memiliki anak, demikian juga AKU akan menggenapinya bagimu”. Speechless. Aku tidak bisa merespon-Nya dengan baik pagi itu. Hanya ungkapan syukur yang dalam yang keluar dari hati dan bibirku. When You say something to me, it’s  more than enough for me, Lord. I know that I can trust in every words that You said.

Sekali lagi, aku akan stretch imanku. Sekali lagi, aku akan menaruh kepercayaaku pada-Mu. Sekali lagi, aku akan berharap pada kesetiaan-Mu. Sekali lagi, aku akan merangkak menuju penggenapan janji-Mu. Sekali lagi dan sekali lagi, Tuhan. Sampai Engkau berkata “Sudah selesai, anak-KU”.

                
Sesaat kemudian keluarlah lagu ini setelah Dia membangunkanku dengan kata-kata-Nya:

Who makes the sun to rise and brings the earth new life in every beam

Jesus it is You

Who turns the day to night and watches me as I begin to dream

Jesus it is You

Who brings me food for my table, who cares for all of my needs

Who walks the road with me, has grown with me through all that I have been

Jesus it is You, Jesus it is You

Reff:  I lift my hands, I bring my song

All of my days, all of my rights, all of my wrong

I offer my life, here and beyond

To the One thing true

Jesus it is You

Who sees my brokenness and carries me when I am fail and weak

Jesus it is You

Who tells the storm to rest when I am overwhelmed and cannot speak

Jesus it is You

Who wears my guilt on His shoulders, who holds my heart in His hand

Who takes my thoughts and fear, and hangs them on the arms of Calvary

Jesus it is You, Jesus it is You

(Jesus it is You, True Worshipper, Favor album)