Time to Consider: By Chris Van Staden
“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” Acts 20:24
After being baptized in the serpentine in Hyde Park London, I considered my life worth nothing to me if only I could put God and His Kingdom first and help to evangelize the world for Jesus Christ. Just like the brother who invited me to church, considered his life and reputation worth nothing and testified to Gods grace on the 188 bus to Waterloo by inviting me. Little did I know how these brothers would help me to consider God’s Word and open up to God’s grace working in me.
Having the dream to help my family, friends and as many as possible I moved to Cape Town end of 2001. God was working powerfully and I saw many people being baptized and I even had the privilege of baptizing my mother in 2002. Shortly after that I started working for the church and considered again that nothing could be worth more than this – devoting our lives to God and testifying to his grace. Till early in 2003, at the time when the Kriete letter came out. Churches disintegrated and so many of us were left confused as most of our convictions were questioned. It was time to consider…While change was needed, sadly many disciples not only lost the dream to evangelize the world in our generation but commitment slowly started fading as many focused more on building their own lives, including me. Although I was “faithfully” attending church, spending time with disciples and feeding the poor for a long time I don’t believe I was faithful to the “task” that the Lord calls every disciple to – “testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” and being “a fisher of men”. Sadly this was the norm in the church…
Then beginning this year I realized that my life is not impacting people anymore and neither is the church impacting the city for Jesus Christ. I considered everything I read and heard about the City of Angels and Portland church in the articles and listening to the sermons on the www.usd21.org so I decided to go and spend a couple of weeks with the City of Angels church in LA and also attend the Jubilee in Portland last month, although many bad rumors about the Portland discipling movement was going around. Some rumors were that the leaders have not repented of arrogance and a lack of love for the weak, that “there is no balance” and that “all they are concerned about is evangelism” and then the main problem “they are divisive”. After just coming back from there, I can honestly say that my trip was refreshing, reviving and revealing… and I am so grateful I didn’t listen to rumors and gossip.
It was so refreshing to be among like-minded disciples that loves God passionately and have a zeal (enthusiasm) to glorify God and give their very best to evangelize the world for Jesus in our generation. Seeing young disciples that have just found their first love for God, but also “old” disciples, those that placed membership and those restored having the same first love for God, was truly reviving as it also called me back to my first love for God as I could remember the height from which I had fallen. (Rev 2:4-5)
It was also incredible to see the level of love and sacrifice that the disciples have for each other by taking care of one another, speaking the truth in love, spending almost the whole of Sundays together and being thoughtful in small things like taking care of lifts or sisters being on dates. Church was home and disciples were truly family. This was totally revealing what Jesus said: “By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35) I was challenged in my level of sacrifice by speaking to disciples who gave up great jobs or a lot of money and worldly success like playing in a famous band, for the sake of the Kingdom. They were considering nothing in their lives more important than Gods Kingdom.
It was great to see that the mistakes and sins of the past were repented of but yet the standard of discipleship was still expected. Now I could see disciples who truly was living balanced lives, it reminded me of a scripture that Jesus said: “You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former”. The changes in the church were made without neglecting the standard of discipleship and the vision of Jesus to evangelize the world. I am so excited to know that this love and standard will be imitated in London, and that the exact same church will be built by God’s Spirit and His fellow workers. (1 Cor3:9)
After everything I saw in LA and Portland, and reflecting on my life its time to consider what my life is worth to me, what my career is worth to me, my reputation is worth to me.
Jesus said: “what good is it for a man to gain the whole world and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 9:25) This is what our brother Paul also understood when he said that he considers his life worth nothing to him if only he may finish the race and complete the task that the Lord has given him. What does it matter if we get our dream house, or dream job, or a wife or husband or even all the freedom we want but we stopped running the race and we neglect the task the Lord has given us. Therefore I am so excited and grateful to say that I have decided to resign from work, selling everything and I will be flying, together with two amazing brothers Munnik and Anthony, to London on the 10th Oct. to join the mission team and help build a sold out church that will go into the rest of the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa and to the end of the earth by God’s power. I hope, pray and believe that there will be many more that will consider their life worth nothing to them and join us so that we can all one day say together: “I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes. Psalm 119:59. Come meet me at The Gathering!
love
Chris
