{I really apologize if you are in no way interested in these Passion recaps. But, they’re going to keep coming. ;) If you let the Lord speak to you through what happened at Passion, I think your life will be changed, too.}
This may be my favorite post about Passion 2012. I think because this is THE heart of Passion 2012.
Freedom.
You don’t want to believe that, right?
I’m sure you’re thinking that can’t be true. “But, Nicole… slavery ended a loooong time ago.”
Yeah, I thought that, too. But, slavery is more rampant today than ever before. On the earth right now there are 27 million slaves. 27 MILLION. That absolutely blows my mind.
Children are sold into sex slavery at as young as four years old. Women are tricked into prostitution. People are still under oppression in unjust working conditions. Slavery still exists.
Here are a few facts given at Passion…
Every minute… two children are sold into slavery.
2,500 women and children are sold into sexual slavery every day.
And you think this is just in nations far away from us?
Right now there are at least 200,000 slaves in the United States…
and 17,000 more will be trafficked here in the next year.
Slavery still exists and it still exists here.
The phrase we heard over and over at Passion 2012 was “Ignorance isn’t an excuse. Indifference is not an option.”
I’ll be honest with you and say that I’ve chosen indifference for a long time. Yes, hearing stories about how lives have been wrecked because of evil has brought me to tears a time or two. I’ve given a couple of dollars where emotions have overcome me and I’m filled with sadness. But, never can I say I have truly had real, genuine compassion, and this comment that Christine Caine made in her talk really woke me up to this fact.
“Compassion is never compassion until you walk across the street and do something now.”
That just spoke volumes over my life. It really opened my eyes to the kind of life I HAVEN’T been living. My “compassion” without actions isn’t good enough. Because that isn’t really compassion. For so long, I have lived my life without actually living my life. The biggest conviction I got at Passion 2012 came because of the “do something now” project. I realized that I have been so far from the heart of Christ. What’s the heart of Christ, you ask?
"Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits." Exodus 23:6
"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." Psalm 82:3-4
"I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy." Psalm 140:12
"He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God." Proverbs 14:31
"If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered." Proverbs 21:13
"Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:9
"But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind." Luke 14:13
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
That last verse really sticks it to me. What God sees as true religion, is when his people look after his people. Not when you sit on the front row at church every Sunday. Not when you’re involved in every ministry. Not when you read your bible for hours and hours at a time. Not when you can say a really “spiritual” prayer. But, when you LOVE who he loves.
Does that free anyone up today? Because that sure frees me up! But, it also challenges me. How often have I lived under the impression that all the “religious” stuff is enough? My eyes were truly opened for the first time at Passion.
People are living in slavery that the Lord has called me to lift up a voice from them. That is His will for my life. That’s his will for YOUR life. His heart is for the oppressed.
And it makes sense, doesn’t it? WE were oppressed once. Oppressed by the evil one. He tricked us into lies and convinced us there was no way out. He made us feel worthless and lifeless.
But, Jesus stepped in.
And He told us that we were worth it and that He could fill us with life.
We were set free.
And we were set free because of the heart of God. He set US free so that we could go set OTHERS free. We were rescued to be the rescuers.
I want to go and rescue. I want to be the voice of the millions of people that God loves so dearly. I want to love them. I want to rescue them from the physical oppression their under. Without meeting their needs, why would they ever believe in Jesus? Jesus didn’t come to just preach a lot of good sounding stuff, but he came to physically love.
I’m ready to be a voice for the 27 million people locked in the bondage of slavery.
I’ve been rescued.
Now, it’s my turn to do the rescuing.
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Because I just went way overboard with this post, I’m going to have to share all the extra amazing things that go along with “do something now” tomorrow.
Seriously, you don’t want to miss it.