Philippians 3:14 "I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
“We are all on a faith journey. Some are far along, but some are further behind, and we are to come alongside those that God has put in our path and help them press on to lay hold of Christ Jesus.” Those were words that formed the beginning of a friendship for me at a time when I felt so alone in church. I didn’t know it then, but this man was coming alongside me, pushing me further along my faith journey and encouraging me to press into the call to care for souls, chiefly by pressing into Christ Jesus myself. He is one of many the Lord has brought along in my faith journey ‘toward that upward call of God in Christ Jesus.’
Those words are from a friend who, although he is American, spent the majority of his life in Africa serving as a missionary. I met him during a short stint as the pastor of a local church near me. I have a friend who went to his church, and this friend came to me one day to say, “You must listen to this man; he sounds like someone you would enjoy.” I was skeptical. I was used to hearing formulaic preaching Sunday after Sunday. The almost therapeutic message that convicts no one and helps no one. It always makes you feel good by pointing your finger outward at the world while remaining numb about the inward corruption of sin that lingers. So, I did listen to this new preacher’s first message to his new congregation, and right after that, I found myself calling the church and asking to speak with this man. There was a spiritual reality to his words. His intimacy with which he spoke about our Lord was convicting and encouraging at the same time. “Let’s get coffee today!” was his happy reply. That was the beginning of a much-needed mentor and friendship. I had found a kindred heart.
At our first meeting, I wasn’t sure how to interpret the situation. We were sitting across from each other in a coffee shop, getting acquainted, when he suddenly stopped listening to me mid-sentence. Something distracted him, pulling his attention away. “Excuse me,” he said, but he spoke absent-mindedly, as his eyes were already fixed on something outside, and he leaned halfway out of his seat. I watched as he stepped outside to a disheveled man who seemed likely to be homeless, and he started talking to him. Then he hugged the man and sat down on the curb, gently patting the back of his dirty jacket. I noticed that he was praying with him. After a heartfelt goodbye, he returned inside, and I noticed a tear streak on his cheek. “I’m sorry, Nate, what were you saying?” I couldn’t remember or care about what I had been saying. I began asking him about being sensitive to the Holy Spirit and walking with Jesus as a friend. He smiled, and thus began a significant period in my life with my first mentor in the faith.
Of all the lessons and stories he told, I want to share with you the one thing that has helped me the most, and I believe it will help you greatly on your journey. He always encouraged me to press on toward intimacy with Christ Jesus, “He wants to be far closer to you than He is now,” he would always say. “He wants to walk with you daily; He truly is a friend of sinners. He is not aloof; he is ever present and ever near. It is our awareness of Him that lessens. Do not settle for what you see in others in the church. Lay hold of Christ Jesus for yourself.” As I’ve walked this faith road, I’ve come to fear that many have come to Jesus out of fear of the penalty of sin, but they go no further with Him and care not about the Spirit’s work in stopping the power of sin. They have “come to Him” because they are weary and heavy-laden, but they have stopped there and have never “learned of Him”. (Matthew 11:28) They are content to wade in the shallows, unwilling to appropriate their inheritance, and learn to walk in Him.
My friend has returned to the mission field. He was often misunderstood in his own church due to his eclectic ways and lack of traditional church decorum. He was not a wild man; he was kind and gentle but indifferent to the mechanisms that often operate our churches here in America. He was not concerned with large numbers for church growth but with the spiritual development of his flock. Before he left, we sat in the same coffee shop where our friendship began. I’ll never forget some of his parting words to me. “Nate,” he said, “I would rather return to Africa and fight the darkness of shamans and ancestral spirit worship than confront the spirit of apathy so prevalent here in America.” Those words did not dissuade me from the ministry the Lord has called me to here. However, they have embedded themselves in my heart, urging me never to succumb to that apathy, that emotionless sense of hollow religion.
May we all continue on in our faith journey and help others by wrestling with God for that blessing of more of Him for ourselves. Persevere in prayer, fighting that enemy that lies and tells you, “That life is not for you.” The price of a deep spiritual life is high, but it is worth it. My friends, where is that soul who will go on with God? Meditate on the Word until He sets your heart ablaze so you may be light to others. Ask God to create in you that spiritual hunger and thirst you so desperately need. Set your will, that great decision maker of the soul, to seek the Lord so that you may spiritually live, not in the future but here and now.
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