August 9, 2010

• Remembering your purpose

  I had committed to BEDA (Blog Every Day in August) with my friend Shanella.  We’ll be encouraging each other to push on through.  I didn’t find out about it until Friday, so I’m starting a little late.  I had been contemplating writing quality, shorter entries for a long time. Something I had never put into practice here on xanga, but started doing on another blog.  Now that I have some experience under my belt, I’d like to give it a whirl by committing to write every day.  Let’s see how this goes. 

   

  Today’s topic: Remembering your purpose, calling or role

  A few years ago, Franklin Graham came to Binghamton for one of his Franklin Graham Festival events.  It was a pretty huge deal for Binghamton and the churches around here.  We prepared for their arrival for over a year.  6 months before he arrived, people went to classes to train on how to pray with people, how to share the gospel, and more.  So when the festival finally came, everyone was pretty psyched and ready to go.

  The biggest night of the three day event was Saturday. It was supposed to be youth night, and they had these big name bands coming in to play.  Building 429 was one.  Third Day was the other.  What we ended up getting was a huge contrast; it wasn’t a contrast in music, but a divergence of goals and purpose.

  When Building 429 came on, they treated it like a rock concert.  They tried their best to get the crowd riled up and were really mad (yes, mad) when the crowd did not sing along with their songs.  Little did they realize, the adults in the crowd outnumbered the youth 2:1 (or more).  Most people had never even heard of their band and the one hit song they had on the radio.  So when the people did not sing along, they insulted us, got really sarcastic and made their frustration known.  I was furious.  Never mind that this was an evangelistic event and most people had never even heard of them.  People shouldn’t be treated that way.  Even if it were a rock concert and we all came just for them, that behavior is not excusable.  It was offensive and it put the whole crowd off.

  When the next band came out, it was night and day.  They saw how the crowd had turned sour and worked to bring them back.  They introduced themselves and asked us if we had ever heard of them.  When they saw that many people had not, they continued forward humbly, explaining their group, their music, and why they do what they do.  They invited us to participate by becoming their “backup singers” and complimented us on our participation and good looks.  Third Day won the crowd back over and repaired the damage that Building 429 had created.  I believe that their attitude of humility redeemed the night and paved a way for the incredible response we had that evening.

  The difference between the two bands was that one remembered why they were there and what their mission was: to share the gospel message with people who came to hear it.  The other band forgot who they were and why they were there.  They came for the glory of playing to a sell out crowd.  But that is not why we, the audience, came.  We came to hear about Jesus.  We came to give the gospel message another chance.  We came to hear about hope.  Not to be insulted for not singing along with songs.  As the musicians in the part of a larger event, they had a pretty large target to aim for.  At best, they would have led us into worship and into the very presence of God.  At worst, they could have performed an entertaining, but non-spiritual show.  Building 429 missed the mark completely when they sought to glorify themselves.

  I look back at that night and I’m thankful for the great example Third Day was to me and thousands of others who were there that night.  They remembered their role as servants in the Kingdom of God.  They didn’t make the night about themselves; they made it about drawing people in and welcoming them before the Lord.  It may seem like a small role to play, but their short time in the spotlight was one of the most significant moments of that night.

  In our life, we will have many different roles to play.  There will be a time when we will be the rock stars.  There will also be a time when we are supporting cast.  The important thing is to remember who we are and what our purpose is in that very moment, and to fill that role to the best of our ability.

   

  • 11:38 pm
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