Journey: Guangxi

Unity.

Unity is necessary on all projects, on all levels, to have a good communication, and good relationships with one another. Without unity, the team can easily fall apart. Especially in a missions trip, when you're in the battlefield, you need all the support you can get, and without it, its extremely easy for Satan to tear and bring you down.

There are four main things that will break unity.

Gold. Resembling material possessions, if we have an attitude of wanting something to gain out of it, may it be money or a gift, its isn't the right attitude to serve with. You're there to give, not gain.

Glory. Serving and helping out, you are usually using your gifts and talents to glorify God, but if you are doing it with intentions of receiving praise and to show off your talents, for your own glory, that is also the wrong perspective to view ministry.

Guys/Girls. Ministry is not an opportunity to mingle and to get to know others, brewing relationships, especially romantic ones.

Gods. Before you go on a missions, you have to know the priorities in your heart. Where does God stand? He should be at the top. Are there other things that may be fighting that spot with God, may it be people, or materialistic things, but we have to make sure we have the right heart and attitude before entering the battlefield.

All these things have one thing in common, they all do not have God in mind. They're all self-oriented attitudes. All team members should have God first, working to please and honour him, and with the same goals and attitudes, unity can thrive.

Practical ways to sustain unity.

1) Positive and good communication. Do not assume things and over analyze things. Learn to confront others in love and privately.

2) Rejoice with one another. Seeing yourself and others succeed are always great motivations, learn to support one another. Share with others how God is working in your life!

3) Empathize with one another. Don't hide your feelings, be vulnerable and share with others, and be sensitive when someone decides to open up to you. Its through transparency will tighter relationships be made.

4) Be generous with one another. Take care of one another and give to one another. These members are your team for the missions time period, watch out for each other.

5) Forgive one another. You're going to be spending x amount of days with the same people, and you can get frustrated. In times of stress and trouble, things will get hard, but forgive each other.

6) Affirm our common goal. Be constantly reminded of why you are here and who you are serving. Its easy to get distracted and stray away in the pride and the hype of all things.

¹⁰ I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.

1 Corinthians 1:10 

Road to Calvary (II)

After Jesus' prayer for himself, his disciples, and for us, he is betrayed by Judas as he knew and expected.

1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” 10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

John 18:1-11

We've heard this story several times, and we've always learnt and have known Judas as the "bad guy". But when I was thinking about this passage today, and reading it over, i think that Judas truly represents all of us. We have all betrayed Jesus, we have all gone against him, behind his back, and have fallen short of his glory.

And its okay, we are human, we are sinners and we cannot be perfect and holy. But as Christ followers, we have to strive for this holiness, for this righteousness to become like and imitate God. If we say we are followers yet still indulge in the things of this world, thats being two-faced and it doesn't present a good representation of Christ. In this world we are called to be light, and everyone is looking at us. Your actions, and speech as Christians can easily make impressions on others, whether it may be positive, negative, accurate or inaccurate.

The last two verses real stuck out to me. When Simon uses a sword and slices off the servant's ear. Thinking about it now, and thinking about how impulsive he was, I think many times as Christians, as we start to build our faith, after we pass the early stages, we can easily develop as "Holier Than Thou" attitude, and I think we easily judge others very quickly as well. Like Simon, instead of cutting off an ear, we'd say "oh we're better than that person", "oh he's does this, when he shouldn't be doing it", but we really should be looking at ourselves. Everyone is equal in sin. Jesus says to him, "shall i not drink the cup my father gives me?". I found this as a really odd statement, why would he say such a thing? I think he's trying to say that because Jesus knows it is apart of God's plan for him to die, he needs to obey and follow it, (drinking the cup) and execute and fulfill his purpose.

One last thing i noticed was how calm Jesus was. Although he knew his plan for him, he was calm. For us, i think we often are scared and would panic because we don't know his plan for us, but Jesus' plan was death. Yet he had such great faith in God, ready for whatever he has in store for him.

As this final week before Easter arrives, continue to reflect and think about, how you are representing Christ, after understanding and knowing what kind of person he is.

¹⁰The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. ¹¹In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹²Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

Romans 6:10-12