Retreat Reflection

These past days, I was at Palm Desert for Berean Retreat.

It was the most challenging retreat I have gone to, one filled

with convictions and guilt of how selfish I am.

Few points from the retreat were these:

1. We tend to emphasize the good results that come from the

Gospel rather than the main character of the Gospel.

2. The Gospel is to know and savor in the glory of Jesus Christ.

3. We evangelize as tools for God, one used for the glory of

God because He is the one that changes people, not us.

4. We love to do things that love God rather than loving God

Himself.

5. We evangelize so that we may be able to have a

multi-national, multi-lingual bride for God.

6. We must realize the idols around us and be passionate about

telling people the Gospel.

Point 5 and 6 really got me to think about what I am doing in

this world. A few post back, I posted a quote from John Piper's

book Don't Waste Your Life. It was long, but the point of it

was that an old man was in tears, crying out "I've wasted it."

I feel that I am wasting away in keeping the Gospel to myself.

Point 5 was the emphasis on the fact that God wants EVERY

nation, language, tribes, and the world to praise Him through

the Gospel. Why? Imagine being in heaven where everyone

speaks the same language, praising God. That's pretty cool.

But, imagine being in heaven where there are many people,

speaking different tongues and praising the same God. Isn't

THAT glorious? Isn't that simply awesome and amazing?

Yet, I still stay in the same Christian bubble of comfort and

never want to go out to preach. I stay with the same people,

of the same race praising God when God wants ALL nations

and ALL tribes to praise Him. What am I doing? Why do I

keep for myself a gift that is so life-changing, so mind-blowing

to myself? It's because I'm selfish. It's because I like the

comfort. It's because I like to be in the back corner, quietly

praising God by myself.

I want to preach the Gospel for God's glory. I want those, who

hear and believe, spread that same glory to people they know.

I want the Koreans, the Chinese, the Caucasians, the Spanish,

the Russian, the Germans, the Nigerians, the French, the

Greeks, the Thailand, and the rest of the countries to know

God's glory. It can only start by me relinquishing my comfort

and fear and have the Spirit of boldness to testify.