It was a cold sunny morning in Sydney and I'm headed to Allphone Arena for second day conference. My hand is freezzzzing and I have to tug in my jacket except if i take photo or something. Justin Bieber is joining the Hillsong Conference and my friends spotted him few times in the conference but i wasn't able to spot him because of my bad eye sight (sucks). Wish i could have "Hawkeye". Though not a fan of JB but it wouldn't hurt to see him.
In the conference, John Maxwell said most people don't have the right picture of God that's why they're lost. He was referring to the non-christian people or atheism. Now i try to imagine and apply this sentence in this world circumstances and my own thoughts.. It is true a lot of people such as celebrities, people with different religion background and atheist are lost not because they are anti-Christ but they just don't have the right picture of God and no one show them. If only pastor also reach out to these people... like go in to the entertainment world or secular world to show and preach the love of God ( like how Pastor Joel Housten or Carl Lentz became mentor and friends to Justin Bieber) it will give hope to those people and who knows lead them to Christ. That's something very interesting and I already can vision of it.
But then it also hit me that the "lost people" Pastor John referring to can also to Christian (from my experience). I mean in status they're Christian but what they lack is the proper image of God therefore churches in Indonesia lack of understanding to be Body of Christ to support, encourage and love another instead of just seeing in Sunday and Cell Group and have no intimate friend relationship at all because they're not open minded and like to stay in own group. Such as Extrovert with Extrovert and Introvert with its own type. Well it's not only in Indonesia... other countries must be common too.
That is why God speak to me "You're not the only one who feel being mistreated and judged, all the people you know whether old or young are striving to get acknowledge and they like to be in groupies because it's where they feel comfortable instead of going to another group. I know you feel so much pain and more mistreated than your friends because you're oblivious to many things more than them. But this pain will teach you to love ur christian friends as they are lost people who don't have the right image of God since all they know is to survive. Trust in ME and follow ME and soon you will learn to value and love people as I LOVE and VALUE them too."
John Maxwell also spoke to GO BEYOND people's expectation about you and show what God's children are like. When I'm been oppressed, misjudged, mistreated, misused and not appreciated.... you know what I will keep doing good things and show them I'm not how they see me but my faith and confession determine me as I trust God and cry out to God so loudly and He draw so near to me. YES not everyone can see that but GOD will protect me and close the friends who don't appreciate me and send me new ones ALWAYS.
Rick Warren spoke that Connect with people more instead of Correcting them. As church we sometimes tend to correct people and have own standards to accept people. I know this is common perception and standards for well most churches in Indonesia (not all as i sense there are some churches that grasp Body of Christ and family environment). Indonesia can say haven't grasp the concept of connecting people instead of correcting yet... what i experience the church environment in Clayton Church of Christ to my old churches in Indonesia taught me this.... but time could prove me wrong as people will change and I want that person to change the generation of church in Indonesia and I want to learn to connect to people and be generous and love even though it hurt me because might not be appreciated or mistreated me but Love is Brave and unconditional like Christ Jesus. And you know what make me want to do that? Because God is my defender, He love me and know as long as I do it sincerely not for attention He will comfort me and bless my harvest as i sow and reap.
Therefore i give my everyday life to God as an offering and will try and try not to adapt to culture life God want me bigger in inside than outside. Why? because if i'm bigger than the outside I will forget God, follow my flesh and sin which lead me to death and internally i will never be satisfied in this world. But if i'm bigger in inside I will not be affected by the environment outside but i will change the environment. Right believing lead to Right living as quote by Joseph Prince.
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