theCityShouldBeDifferent: Light of the World

Monday, December 20, 2010

Light of the World

Jesus IS the Light of The World. That's why Christmas is a big deal.

In His first big sermon, Jesus made a bold pronouncement. It defines how His ministry, His Kingdom, is going to spread like a crazy virus and cover the earth.

Jesus, in a wildly risky move, told a rag-tag bunch of desperate people who had Hope because they had been with Jesus, these prophetic words:

You Are The Light Of The World.

I would not have done that. Turn my world-changing ministry over to a bunch of messed-up people. But, I'm not God. I don't have the capacity to put the Life-Changing, Sin-Forgiving, Grace-Giving, World-Redeeming power of a Risen-From-The-Dead Son of God, Jesus Christ, into messed up people like me. Like you.

But God does have that kind of power.

Jesus is the light of the world. And He puts His light in those who follow Him. That makes His followers like Him...Light of the World.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:14-16

Being the Light of The World, that is an Identity, and a Job Description.

When someone puts their trust in Christ, God puts Jesus inside of us. That makes you Son, Daughter, of God. That's a game changer, and then some! Identity.

And in response to what God has done, is doing, and in anticipation of what He is going to do, we love God back. God is bringing His Grace to the world, through Jesus-Follower, who make up His Church. He's using the church to bring His Truth and Grace in Jesus to people. People matter to God, so He sends out everyone who has encountered Jesus to love people, to re-present Jesus to them. God lights up a person, in Jesus, and tells him to let that light shine so that the whole city sees it and gets into Jesus. Job Description.

Christmas is a great time to see God's gift to the world, Jesus, and respond back by loving people.

God isn't finished. So, neither are we.

theCityShouldBeDifferent

P.S. City changing stuff in the works, a path to love children and connect the city. I'm so pumped! Keep checking back and I'll fill you in very, very soon! (Just so I'm clear, this movement will be part of the Job Description category for people who follow Jesus!)

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theCityShouldBeDifferent

Since #JesusIsAlive, then from #Goosport2Graywood #theCityShouldBeDifferent

theCityShouldBeDifferent.com

a move to Unite theChurchatLakeCharles.us

and Transform the city

through Building Capacity for Engagement

So That John 17:20-23 can happen here, now.

OK, that sounds good, but what does that mean? So here is an Example: We have this enormous industrial expansion headed to SWLA, bringing 25,000+ new construction jobs. There are lots of, say, young men in our area who are not meaningfully participating in the workforce, but who could certainly fulfill the unskilled helper jobs that will be a small portion of this large construction workforce needed. What they need to be ready for these jobs is some hope. We, church, are charter members in the hope trade. So, via relational engagement, we let the young men borrow some hope from us, inspiring some to begin working on improving their character and soft skills, getting ready for this meaningful work opportunity.

There are a bunch of kickers in this real-life scenario.

1.) The industrial construction helpers can make $15 an hour, and typically have lots of overtime. This scenario really stomps on the gas pedal in this way: a new entrant into the workforce in this situation can save enough to buy a reliable car in 1-2 months! That is hope building; dignity establishing!

2.) If we are going to see a thousand young men (that's my vision) pass through this opportunity, we will need a whole-bunch of support systems, meaning mentors, encouragers, soft-skills instructors, rides to work and more.

3.) When we engage with our real-life neighbors, in real-life serving, everyone's character, everyone's faith in Jesus gets a real shot at growing! It's what you call, Discipleship.

4.) When a young man gets a job that can pay $40k a year, they have real options! They can get more education and training. They can inspire those around them to follow them. They can be inspired by those who invested in their life for free and set them up for this situation, and they can help the next group of young men who aren't working get on board.

5.) When people from all corners of the city who are a part of the Jesus story get engaged together on a real-life mission worth doing, one that doesn't benefit any of the men or their churches directly, but the benefits are so powerful and real, then we get to build trust, relationships and capacity and see that Jesus unites and trumps race or class. We get new respect for each other and our capacity to do go and be real brothers is greater than we could have foreseen

...

Are you getting a little glimpse at the picture?

The people who follow Jesus are carrier's of the Hope of the World. We, in the Lake Charles area, have a beautiful opportunity to engage with our community, building relationships and helping lots of people see who Jesus is more clearly.

There is lots more to say, so stay tuned and, if you are intrigued, lean your voice into the mix. Contact Paul Pettefer at 337-794-9891, paul@employmentisbetter.com, @paulpettefer, or stop by the InterGalactic Offices of theCityShouldBeDifferent.com located inside Laundry World, 2712 Lake St, Lake Charles.