Back to Base Camp in Faith

You probably know people in your life who were instrumental in helping you become a Christian believer. Mine was Pastor Mitachi. He was Pentecostal (half Congolese & half Tanzanian). He had a wife and six kids and yet welcomed 7 of us in our family. We shared every meal in the evenings. They didn’t have enough for themselves and yet shared what they had. It was the best witnessing of Christian life I had ever been exposed to. It changed me & brought me back to base camp, to regroup & remember God’s goodness. This brings me to ask: How have you experienced the reality of God’s Kingdom? For Abram, the birth of an heir was a big concern, and for Jesus’ disciples, his presence signaled a huge upcoming change that they had yet to understand fully. How about us in our modern world? What is the highest of concerns in our lives? Is it one that consist in making our lives more comfortable? Most likely! The thing is, that’s not actually what the Gospel is advocating for: Our Father’s biggest concern is to give us the Kingdom. In it, there is peace, wisdom, joy, understanding, forgiveness. In it we care deeply about others, we give alms. We don’t build our personal kingdoms; in all we do we build for the sake of God’s Kingdom. To perceive it we need to build back up our faith: Your church is your base camp! So, come back here to recharge! Don’t delay. By faith we perceive God’s Kingdom. Faith is defined as the assurance of things hoped for or the conviction of things we haven’t seen yet. The eternal word of God comes to Abram in a vision. Abram told God his biggest concern and kept saying: I am childless, I have no heir, I have no offspring! You could tell this was so heavy on his mind. God helped with the eternal word of God; a promise to Abram about his very own offspring while in his&her old age: He believed! That took faith! God’s Kingdom was at work! We see signs! Jesus taught consistently that the Kingdom of God is at hand! God’s reign broke into our world. For e.g. we see the Holy Spirit at work in us, guiding us to do that which is pleasing to God. When we are kind to people around us, God is working miracles in others. My testimony of being with you here, is a testament of God’s goodness! I experienced the Shalom of God’s Kingdom. Today I am well and continue to heal from the wounds that were caused by civil war and Genocide: this, to me, is an experience of God’s Kingdom. Therefore, by faith, the reality of God’s Kingdom in our lives, compels us to bring God’s Kingdom to others at our base camp because the Church is like Noah’s Ark. Outside the Ark is chaos, fear and the worship of the self. If we focus on the chaos of outside of the Ark, we begin to sink like Peter when he saw the storm! Rather, while in the Ark, encourage one another, build each other’s faith so that we can all face a world out there that only sees the negative, a world that rebels constantly against God’s design. When we get to be at base camp, it’s healing work here! It’s recuperation/respite. Become healing agents to one another! Return back to base for some TLC! Return to your first love like in the book of Revelations! I mean loving God. Pay attention to the compassion that was shown to you. Do you see God’s hand at work caring for you? It is an invitation to return back to base which is Ancient Christianity. The trouble with our modern world thinking, is that by building personal kingdoms, we think we would be okay/ we want scripture to mean what we want. It is a bubble we make thinking it is unbustable. But Ancient Christianity is different. It says to us: Be selfless! Be dressed for action to serve and have your lamps lit! Do everything in your power to bring God’s Kingdom/ Be the light in the midst of darkness. Remember, all of us humans want to be loved, and seen. All of us including the worst of humans. That’s why God says of us: “I have engraved you on the palm of my hand. Can a mother ever forget her child? But even if a mother forgets her child, I will never forget you, I love you with my eternal love.” Is 49:15. When you go from this base camp into the world, go and love like you were loved! Amen

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