The Truth Dude

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light."  Ephesians 5:8-13

This passage has been on my mind lately.  It has especially been a relevant verse in the context of one of the ministries I am a part of, Streetlights, in which we gather to pray for visions from God about where sex trafficking is going on in Des Moines and then follow those to pray against it in the city.  We've seen some crazy things and God move in awesome ways to see God's favor, protection, and big prostitution rings busts at places we've prayed over.  

This verse has come up in prayer repeatedly and has been a big part of the understanding of our mission, to expose and bring light into dark places.  We understand that praying over a place, even if we see nothing or talk to no one, is having an impact in the spiritual realm to do war against the devil's strongholds and be the light of the world. We battle not against flesh and blood, Amen?

Now there is a lot of darkness in our country, culture, and world today.  There are a lot of places and issues which we dare not go into and left unsaid.  "It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret."  Yet, it is our task and calling, as children of the light to not just mention what is done in secret but actively expose the darkness and shine a light into it.  Now, there is some darkness, some strongholds, which are more implanted, deeper, fundamental, unsaid, and subtle than others.  In light of some atrocities, they may even seem insignificant.  But all lies stand against Jesus and every foothold is a threat to person's soul.  As Martin Luther King said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

So it with this in mind that we ought to expose the worst deeds of darkness with the intention of appealing to people's good sense and morality (while they still have any) with the hope of bringing them further and further into the light.  We, as the light, ought to actually go to the darkest places first because it is there the light shines brightest and the shadows of gray are chased away in turn.  

For example, the spiritual battle of lies behind sex trafficking goes much deeper and is more subtle than the trafficking itself.  Yet, the horrors of sex trafficking, especially child sex trafficking, are obvious.  People hear about what we do at Streetlights and shocked but intrigued, they legitimately think its great that we care and are doing something about this injustice.  Same goes for Intervarsity's "Jesus, Justice, and Poverty" week last year in which we spent the week demonstrating and informing students on campus about sex trafficking.  So we expose, with statistics, testimonies, prayer, and action, the darkness of sex trafficking and people respond.  

Yet, it does not stop there.  The obvious injustice of child sex trafficking leads to regular sex trafficking, which leads to more common prostitution, which leads to talk of the porn industry, which leads to stripping, then personal pron consumption, then ultimately lust.  Lust can then lead to expose the culture of objectification and the hookup culture.  Trafficking can lead to expose labor trafficking, workers rights, and other injustices. 

You see, in the same way that the Kingdom of God, the movements of the body of Christ, is all connected and moving together under the headship of Jesus, the kingdom of the devil is connected as well.  The ruler of the air has his own plans, schemes, and plots, all working together under his lies.  Like one giant dark castle, the lies and plans of the devil are all under one roof.  Most people are not genocidal tyrants and don't willingly believe in lies or have malevolent intentions. Few would.  Yet they fail to realize that through their beliefs in a few lies, like lust or porn consumption, they end up in the same residence, the same darkness, and the same house of lies, that consents to the more obvious injustice.  Therefore, it is our duty to expose the great injustices of our time and culture, to go deep into the dark castle and point out the fruits of their ideas, that their house is built on very dangerous lies that contribute to through even their passive consent in the hope that through the Holy Spirit they would be brought into the fullness of the light, namely, Jesus Christ and His Kingdom.  

It is into this framework which I am bringing and beginning my work in the abolition of abortion.  The lies behind and surrounding abortion probably too numerous to count.  Primarily, I see at it's root Pride and the willingness to put one's own convenience, the prospect of an easier future, ahead of your own child's life.  Yet, like lust, you can't go around condemning pride and expect you to get anywhere.  People (probably because of their pride :)) will think you're silly and not listen.  But if you show them a picture of a 21 week old aborted fetus, in all its horrid gruesomeness, that lie and injustice is hard to ignore. If you then explain to them that this is legal in all 50 states, that there is no substantial difference between the child here and at any other stage of development, and that there are 3500 abortions everyday in the US, well then you're starting to shine some light into the darkness. You start talking about the horrors of late term abortion and then pretty soon you're discussing the lies of rape exception, when life begins, and getting to the roots of pride.  

Do not think I'm promoting some sensational tactic to doing social justice, that I'm merely saying to pull on people's emotions to get them to your side.  This is about shining a light into the darkest places with the goal of not merely that single issue, but to expose all darkness and bring God's light and Kingdom into every dark corner and cranny of the world and our minds.  This is about living out the Christian life and doing justice.  

So this has been part of the approach to abolishing abortion which God has called me to lately.  I will take propaganda drop cars, showing the life that is the unborn child, showing statistics, and even showing the aftermath of the abortion (yes, that was me around campus).  I may end up doing something similar with large posters around campus next semester for the same reason.  I do this all with the intention of exposing the darkness of abortion and by going after the darkest of injustices, to in turn and through the working of the Holy Spirit expose all darkness and bring people into the light.  

Of course, and I do not have space here to give it full due, this is all done with compassion and love in the name of Jesus.  Every time I place a drop card I pray that the person who reads it would 1) Think about abortion 2) Think About Abortion as murder 3) Become involved in it's abolition.  But more importantly and emphatically I always pray that little card would a seed in a persons life to get them thinking about sin and their need for Jesus.  I'm also beginning to just pray often for abortion clinics in town, the workers and the customers.  I am also enthusiastically seeking to build connections and relationships with Agape Pregnancy Center near Drake so that anything I may do on campus is surrounding by and built on love and help for women who need it.  Exposing the darkness and battling the culture must always be girded by love, compassion, and help for those caught in it.

I don't get everything right all the time and I struggle more than people know, but I truly believe that love with truth is just as bad as truth without love and that we, as Christians, are called to find that balance that had, full of grace and truth, between justice and love. It is not one or the other, they are not mutually exclusive.  So that is what I attempt to do through my daily interactions, conversations, and ministry.  We must not be afraid to go deep into the darkness of our times and shine our light.  Merely staying at the surface level of niceties, politeness, and cheap grace does not change the world.  The Kingdom of God has come near and it brings a spirit of power to do the work of God in love and boldness.  I pray that we may be called into that Kingdom, to serve God and others courageously, and to expose the darkness of our times that the light may shine the brighter.

I need to write this down while I'm living it cus its kinda crazy.  Actually, its really crazy.  So crazy that I'm not using emphatically but most people will actually think, including myself, that I'm going crazy.  

My freshman year I was less than a year into being Christian and after a very experiential and subjective conversion, was really passionate about actually finding out what I believed.  Following Solomon's lead, therefore, I prayed for wisdom.  Man did God deliver.  I actually did very little school work, read very few books, but was somehow able to learn and retain a ton of information about understanding Jesus in like of other religions and worldviews.  Out of my few years in college I have, among other rounded parts of Christianity, gained a love for truth, apologetics, conversations, answering questions, and even public speaking.

But this is not about my prayer for wisdom.  No, this is about my next prayer: for asking God to speak to me.  Now, when I saw I was praying for these things I do not mean that I was some kind of fasting prayer warrior.  I'm talking I made it a priority to pray for that in my life so I would pray for it in my normal morning and night prayers.  After 4 years of college and a lot of blessing, I decided to shift my focus away from wisdom.  Without even realizing it, I began placing an emphasis on hearing and deciphering God's will.  This came out in phrase, "God, speak to me." or "Reveal yourself to me."  Pretty typical Christianese type of prayer, right? Morning and Night, nothing spectaucalar.

Well, without even realizing it, I started to have these.. sort of.. conversations.  Where my inner self would have a thought, idea, or complaint and immediately I seemed to respond to myself with what I knew was the right, Godly response.  This started to happen frequently and I began to be struck at the depth and truth of my own responses.  At first I didn't think of it at all.  When I started to notice it, I was pleased with own connection with God's truth that I was able to correct myself so  readily with the truth.  Then I started to think about the influence of the Holy Spirit, and I was filled with the Holy Spirit and he was able to speak through and influence my thoughts in such a way.

And then something weird happened.  On Monday night of June 17th, I went to a weekly IV summer bible study and we watched a movie called Father of Lights detailing some Christians radical service to God and supernatural experiences and provision.  I loved it and was ready to go downtown looking for limps so I could see God's power show up. 

Well that night, before bed, I got down on my knees for usual prayers.  Like usual, expect with perhaps a little extra meaning, I prayed for God to use me, to give me courage, to speak to me, and to show me his will.  Then, as a sort of response, a thought from within me said, "Yeah? Then don't sleep tonight?"

"What?" I thought.  "Don't sleep tonight." 

Now I have done some vision prayer before and one of the indication that a word is from God and not you is if you just can't get it out of your head.  Well I could not get the words "Don't sleep tonight" out of my head.

What? No, that can't be right," I thought. "I have workouts tomorrow, its important I get a good nights sleep, God wouldn't do that."  

But the instruction continued and felt like some of the surest words I had ever recieved.  I started thinking about how if was from God then most of that other responses/ convos must have likely been from God too.  "Yeah, exactly." seemed to be the response. "You asked for me to speak to you and now I am."  By this time I'm up off my knees pacing back and forth across my room.  "This can't be happening, this isn't real." "Why not? You know I speak to people, you've been praying for it, why not you?"

Well in the flood of thoughts and responses going through my head, I think about God giving me a sign so that I can know this really is from God and I'm not going crazy or its demonic.  I pray for a sign and the words that pop into my head are "red hummer," as in the car.  I think, "OK thats probably good for now, I'll figure out if this is really God tomorrow, for now I'm going to bed."

That next day, I wake up and my back has tightened up and is KILLING ME.  I haven't had any back problems at all, mind you, and can't help but think I would not be waking up with problems if I had been awake.  Was this a punishment?  Was this why God didn't want me to sleep?  Well, i don't know and I'm still not convinced it was real but I remember "Red Hummer."  I ride to and fro workouts, forget to look for the hummer.  On the way to work I've got my eye out but nothing.  OK, whew, I'm not going crazy.  Then, as I pull into my usual spot at work, on the east side mind you, I see it.  A red Hummer H3 parked alone in the middle of the parking lot, one I have never seen before.  WHAT!>?  ARE YOU KIDDING ME??  I have a mini freakout in the car before work.  So I guess God is directly speaking to me? what?

Then I think, OK, i think it might be God but what would I have to do to make up for not believing.  The first thought into my head is "don't sleep for two nights."  OK, now I'm having my doubts again.  After work I go by the library.  First, I feel to voice call to me go pray to a women walking by, I chase her down and iI'm nervous but ts easy I just bless and her and move on.  Then I should pray for another girl who I lose in a building, a bunch of people come out, I'm feeling overwhelmed.  God tell me, its ok lets goto the library.  Before getting online I go to the library stacks to pray and sort this out. Basically, instead of waiting for grace to speak to me I basically forced a deal on God to show me another hummer so I can REALLY trust him because praying for all those people would be tough and the kingdom need is huge.  

Although I was hopeful to see that second hummer, it did show through the night, although perhaps I could have been looking better.  I'm starting now to think my request was a bit shallow.  I mean, how many Hummers, let along red hummers do you see in your average day? week? month? Yet I did still follow, and am following the Spirits initial call to stay up all night.  Tonight, when I would normally be in bed, I went over near Planned Parenthood, where I was told to pray for the night, Then God said, okay go to the library now.  Ok now write down my story which I'm doing now.  I feel like after I'm done He's saying it's okay for me to go to bed because I was being obedient and I'm losing functionality.

When I asked why losing sleep the answer was, "because it's too important to you." which is very true.  I feel God is also saying how even more effective I can be for the kingdom with my time.  I don't need to stay up all night every night but I don't need 8 hours and sleeping in everyday. 

Great little article on the ugly and often ignored connection between porn and sex trafficking.  Porn is not empowering nor is it harmless.  It exploits men and women and trains johns with every click driving up demand, meaning greater recruitment and coercion.

In a crowded city street, filled with the smell of untasted foods and the shouts of foreign tongues, walks a man seeking answers.  Dust fills the air from the shuffle of sandaled feet and traded goods as our man pushes his way through the crowd.  Finally, he finds what he is looking for: overlooking the city like a mountain in the sea soars the great rock of Wisdom.  Here thinkers and philosophers from every corner of the province, even the world, come to share their knowledge.  Here inquisitive minds and lost souls like himself come from every academic building and dark corner seeking the same end, truth.  The man takes his time with each speaker, he will not leave until he has found what he is looking for, spending a few minutes heeding their words and then moving on.  It is a buffet of knowledge, truly a sight to see.  But our man does not want a sampler platter, he wants the main dish.  

Two voices in particular catch his ear.  Two voices distinct and very different yet uniquely both real and optimistic.  One calls himself an Existentialist.  He has a humble confidence about him, a smirk on his face and a twinkle in his eye.  He says that there is no God and life if is anguish, abandonment, and despair.  The brutal honestly struck and intrigued our man, his life was not in good condition and he could relate to such a sentiment.  The Existentialist says that we are in anguish because without God all of our decisions shape the mold by which we are claiming all men ought to live.  On every action we bear the responsibility of the future of mankind.  We are abandoned because there is no God and with his absence no divine hope; man is the only future of man.  But now man has all the future ahead of him, mankind will be what we make of him and the future can contain great possibility.  We are in despair, however, because the future is not where we live.  We must live within the realm of possibility and no matter our actions, mankind could always go the other way.  Mankind is desperately, inexorably, positively condemned to be free.  

Our man feels the weight of the speaker’s pronouncement but feels an excitement at them as well.  There is a rush at the thought of pure freedom and a pride in the power of participating in controlling and shaping the future of mankind.  But as he continues to ponder and the existentialist trails on, another voice enters his mind.  It is the voice of the other man, also with a confident humility but also an air of nobility like he hadn’t felt since as a dream.  He called himself an Evangelist.  He claimed the revelation of an unknown creator God and proclaimed repentance for the worship of idols and other sins.  He spoke of a Kingdom not of this world and King yet to return.  He spoke of a Spirit of Power and the resurrection of the dead.  Anguish, abandonment, and despair were put to death, he said, and were replaced with joy, sonship, and hope.  There was a spark of fire in his eyes and a whisper of magic in his breath.  

How is that we, the Church, sing songs about how, "with God everything is possible," we quote verses that say "I can do all things through Christ," and then think we need the government to do the church’s job of taking care of the poor, the hungry, the orphan, widow, etc? “The Church just doesn’t have the resources,” we say. So Christ is able to save my everlasting soul but is insufficient to meet my physical needs? What a puny, inconsiderate God. Do we really think that we, the body of Christ, the very hands of God, are impotent to care for his children? Is the church unable to do what it was created for? No! God has seen and experienced all of our physical needs and weeps with us in them. That is why Jesus forgave and healed, for he has pity on us. That is why we, the body are Christ, are here. We are here to be Gods arms wrapped around His children, showing His love, sharing His gospel, doing His will on earth as it is in heaven.

Instead, we say its too hard for God, its too difficult for the body of Christ, we just dont have the resources. So we look to the man made governmental bureaucracy to do God’s work, giving the least of these a check, leaving them and us worse. Jesus told us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the prisoner, and however we treated the least of these would be like how we were treating Jesus. Well something tells me Jesus doesn’t want a welfare check. The federal government spends 1.3 trillion every year on Health Care and Welfare. According to an approximate $40,000 median personal income, if nearly every person in America (300 million) gave just 10% of their income to their local church, ykno tithed, that would be $1.2 trillion. Cut out the bureaucracy and the waste, add the God-given talent and creativity of local charity, and you get less-expensive and real help. Yeah not everyone is gunna give to their church still, don’t tell me its impossible, that we don’t have the resources, that God is unable to equip His body to take care of His people.