Of all of the commitments that I have made this past semester, choosing to partake in Women's Ministry every Monday night has been the icing on the cake. I am someone who is a firm believer in women and men having accountability partners and mentors that are of the same gender. I think it to be so crucial in our walk that we have individuals of the same sex that we can be vulnerable with and who can meet us alongside Christ in our deepest needs. Particularly, I find it to be transformative for a young lady to have an older woman mentor(s) that can instill wisdom and life experience into her wondering heart. Where curiosity is not met with sound wisdom, it is met with foolishness. The motherly figures at Women's Ministry meet me with spiritual insight, validated through their own fleshly struggles, mistakes, successes, and encounters with the Father.
Similarly, I am praying that all of the young men out there obtain strong, Christian, fatherly counselors that have lived and endured the same carnal struggles and are ever-wrestling in the spirit. As scripture says,"to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." -Rom. 8:6
God is a father to the fatherless, and He uses His older children to minister to his younger children. The years between 18 and 25 are filled with possibilities for young adults, and the decisions that are made in this timeframe can consequently shape the rest of one's life. Learning from those who have already been through the fire allows us to know where our fire-proof vest is stored and saves us from some third-degree burns.
With that being said, as we have been frolicking through the book of Acts every Monday night, one theme in particular continuously catches my attention: being of one heart and soul.
"And when they had prayed, the place in which they were assembled was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they continued to speak the Word of God with freedom and boldness and courage.
Now the company of believers was of one heart and soul, and not one of them claimed that anything which he possessed was [exclusively] his own, but everything they had was in common and for the use of all.
And with great strength and ability and power the apostles delivered their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace (loving-kindness and favor and goodwill) rested richly upon them all.
Nor was there a destitute or needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses proceeded to sell them, and one by one they brought (gave back) the amount received from the sales.
And laid it at the feet of the apostles (special messengers). Then distribution was made according as anyone had need." -Acts 4: 31-35
The selflessness illustrated here awes me. Even more profound: this kind of love is only made possible because the people are acting out of the spirit rather than the flesh. This is the kind of church that I believe we were created to be. This kind of unity obliterates all distractions from the one true purpose of life: serving God.
There are no factions because the people are not in fear of men but of God. They are not in self-defense mode because they are in oneness of mind. There is nothing in their lives to defend; they have given their worldly possessions in exchange for heavenly, lasting worship. They are not greedy because they are a family; whatever belongs to one, belongs to all. They have hearts that care for the needy because a brother's body and needs are their own body and needs. There is no separation in love, no isolation, no differences. It is here that Jew and Gentile unite. It is here that black and white unite. It is here that there is no partiality. It is here that there is no means for envy, covetousness, bitterness, or hatred. It is here that every single individual is uniquely gifted -- not for the purpose of comparing one's gifts -- but for examining how each gift is designed to display one thing alone: God's glory.
It is here that there is no such thing as protecting one's own body, reputation, and happiness without protecting all bodies.
Where there is true worship, there is no thought or intent of selfishness.