The Epicenter

Epicenter

Do not stand in the center if you do not wish to be shaken.
There is always danger when the movement comes.
Its force is most powerful underneath the surface, then breaks through the hardest of ground.
Epic change moves from the inside out.
_Ayden, Perils of Ayden

Those few lines are quite amazing. To relate this passage to Christ Jesus and a faith in him is astounding. To be in the middle of Christ is definitely to be shaken. There is no way you can stand before the Lord, yet only bow down.

In the bubble that I call school, God is stirring hearts. His will is finding its way into the lives of people around me. I came back to school anew, ready to live for Him and I feared what would happen. I feared ridicule and prayed that God would strengthen me in the halls. God is amazing. I have come to find that so many people have a fire for God that is waiting to be released. It is if they have been 'hiding it under a bushel' yet are coming together to stand for Him. Hillsong United sings a song that has these words in them: "The time has come to stand for all we believe in and I for one am gonna give my praise to you, Jesus". This line is so awesome to me, the way it poses that the time is now. Not when you go to a retreat, not when you are in church. It is now.

There is always danger when the movement comes. A ha! A catch.. Such a glorious movement, yet never a safe one. The rewards are amazing and the struggle is to be honored, but what about the pain? What is to be said of the rejection and ridicule and persecution? What about being labeled as weak because you know how to love? Human nature tells me to quit, give in. They are right anyway, why am I doing this? James tells gives us a different view on this topic, in James 1:2-3: "Consider it pure joy my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perserverance." and later in Chapter 1, verse 12: "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." This challenges human nature, which in turn challenges us, the humans. It is not in our blood to love and cherish ridicule. Not something I wake up excited about. But James calls us to look past the human aspect and calls us to a greater meaning. He says that this persecution is only to the betterment of our faith, then goes on to tell us of what awaits those who stay strong in their faith. God call us to a mighty movement, yet puts is right in the middle of it.

As I was saying earlier, my school is laying low and just waiting for the group of radicals to stand for all they believe in. I honestly feel that an uprising is brewing, it is waiting to erupt. People who need that catalyst and simply biding time for a person to stand and boldly say what they want to hear. Look at Peter and how his life unfolded. He wasn't good enough to be a rabbi, so he resorted back to the family business of fishing. Yet, this rabbi comes along and calls him to be a disciple. Throughout the gospel, we see Peter repeatedly mess up, even once being referred to as Satan himself by his rabbi. Then we skip over to Acts where we see Peter at Pentecost. THE leader of the first church. His passion was there, yet the human body held it back. His flesh served as the rock solid ground. Interesting to see how Cephas ("rock") evolves in the form of his name. He at first is hard in a human since but as time unfolds and he spends his years with the rabbi Jesus, we see Peter turn to a spiritual rock, a bedrock foundation for the First Century church. His passion, his zeal that has always been there finally breaks through the rocky surface that is his human nature. Jesus was his catalyst. Jesus is our catalyst, yet sometimes we need help.

We need some human example to really see what a solid faith is. I have seen many figures over the last month that pretty much blast me with a reality check, it spurs me on to explore my faith and the depth of it. It challenges me to work towards the goal that is a fearless faith.

Ah...the greatest line of the passage: Epic change happens from the inside out. Just as it was with Peter, it begins at the heart and it is a matter of overcoming the physical, the human that restrains the wildfire of a passionate faith in Christ. God shows us that the matters of the heart are far greater than anything in the physical. He shows us that the heart must be searched for that is where you find the power to change. In 1 Samuel 16 when God sends Samuel to the house of Jesse, Samuel is shown this by God. God sends him out to find the new King of Israel, to anoint the one who will replace Saul. He comes to Jesse's house and sees seven of his sons and they all have certain qualities that Samuel believes to be that of a King for Israel. God tells him in verse seven that "...the Lord looks at the heart." For God to then have Samuel pick David, the youngest and smallest of the family and only a shepherd boy, it must have been baffling. God sees the heart and knows what can happen. So many instances in the Bible when God uses the unlikely character to do his good deeds, he sees the heart. Abraham, Noah, Rahab, David, Peter, Paul and Jesus himself was not even a prominent physical figure. God shows us many times that it begins with the heart. Epic change moves from the inside out.