Given Life

I recently moved to the Seattle area, so I also started going to a new church.  It has services on Saturday and Sunday.  Today there were three baptisms and one of the women who was baptized was a student at Seattle Pacific University (SPU).

As you might already know, SPU is reeling from the violence that occurred a couple days ago when a gunman killed one man and injured two others.  He was stopped from hurting more by a brave young man with mace who was engaged to be married.

This particular baptism was poignant because she had recently become saved, and her mother had traveled overseas for this special occasion.  Then, out of nowhere, this madness at SPU happened.  She was in the same building where the the accused gunman, Aaron Ybarra, was.  The young lady said hi to one of her friends moments before the gunman started shooting.  That woman she said hi to was apparently one of the victims.

She almost refused to be baptized today under the circumstances.  Her mother had come a long distance, but now her mother was there to comfort her.  With great fortitude, the young lady went under the water with the pastor's care.  It was an act that symbolized her death to her sinful life before she was saved, and rising up out of the water a new creation in Christ.  Today though, it was an act that also symbolized how God had preserved her life in the chaos two days ago; she could have died, but God gave her life.

After the church service, I congratulated her on her baptism.  At the time, she was taking photos with friends and family in the lobby of the church.  On her left arm was writing memorializing the victims of the SPU shooting.  When she was available, I told her how I thought she was so brave to be baptized today.  Even though there didn't seem to be any sense to the tragedy, one day God would show her his grace through it all.

The suspected perpetrator of the crimes came to a Christian university to unleash his rage.  He meant to harm as many people as he could, and for some reason, targeted a religious academic institution.  Yet, God is making something beautiful out of the lives shattered by this incident.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Rom. 8:28 NIV).

A Single Seed

 

Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. (John 12:24 NIV)

 

That quote by Jesus was made during the last week before his crucifixion in Jerusalem.  When some Greeks requested to see Jesus, He responded by predicting his death and resurrection using a parable-like axiom.  Next, Jesus used it to explain how we ought to live our lives.  As single adults, we can be certain that this axiom has special meaning for us as well.

Jesus' Death and Resurrection

It's because Jesus died and rose again that we can have new life and fellowship with God.  John 1:1-2 states that He existed from the beginning, and that he was with God.  Jesus fell to the ground when he came down to Earth (John 1:14).  He died (John 19:30), and after his resurrection, he built the Church (Luke 24:46-49, Acts 2).

The Church at Large

In John 12:25 Jesus said, "Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (NIV).  Although he was speaking about his own death in the previous verse, he was also explaining that his statement about a kernel of wheat also applies to us as well.

As believers, we must daily die to ourselves.  Jesus commanded us to tell the whole world about his free offering of eternal life and forgiveness of sins, but only when we die to ourselves will we be able to produce more believers in Jesus as the Christ.

God loves all of us and will never leave or forsake us, but in order for us to die to ourselves, we must "fall to the ground."  We are those kernels of wheat in the Master's hand.  He does not let go of us to abandon us, but to allow us to grow.  In our most difficult times we often think that God ignores us or doesn't answer our prayers, but it's in this way that he makes us die to ourselves.

Single Seeds

Of course, our primary goal as Christian singles is to produce good fruit.  It means that we should become more Christ-like, but it also means that we should produce more believers and build a community of believers.

Many of us singles hope that one day we can build our own families, and that is no less spiritual of a goal as conventional evangelization.  With a Godly spouse, we would be able to produce Godly offspring who can learn about our Heavenly Father and his Son.

As believing singles, our goal shouldn't be to find a spouse, but to die to ourselves.  No, this isn't something easy to put into practice, and when we're dying to ourselves, it doesn't feel very good.  However, in the long run, we will have a more fulfilling relationship with our future spouse and children.

"But how do I find the one that God has made for me unless I look for her?"  You must die to yourself.

Look around you!  How many broken relationships and families do you see around you!?  They're everywhere, even in the Church!  Do you think that these broken families were caused by faith or by sin?  If you really want to have a fulfilling, Godly relationship, you must wait until God gives it to you.

But Until Then...

Jesus gave a simple "formula" for growth using his own death and resurrection as an example.  We use it corporately and individually for evangelization, but as individuals, we must learn to die to ourselves to become more Christ-like and receive those fulfilling relationships for which we long.  It's not an easy path, but we choose to take it because we want to please God.