Courageous Faith is found in Christ

I have been involved in kids' ministry for almost a decade. 

After a three year break, I am back on the team! Our kids are not only the next generation, but they are also the NOW generation and I count it a privilege to have been and to be involved in kids' ministry. In fact, I would encourage every mom to get involved if your child is attending kids' ministry because we get to know the Word of God in a whole different way. And the opportunities it creates to minister and talk about Jesus in our homes, is worth all the effort of planning & preparing.

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This past Sunday, we shared on Rahab (Joshua 2&6). I love this Bible story! There is another post on her, somewhere, on my blog.

The reason that I love the story of Rahab is that I can relate to her in so many ways. Rahab's name means "proud". She was the owner of a shady minus-one-star motel situated downtown. It was low-cost housing in an area most exposed* to invasion and attacks: the wall of the great city of Jericho.  She was a shrewd dishonest business woman who would lie and cover up for her dodgy scum-of-the-earth clientele, and would offer her services as a prostitute to those willing to pay.

She was an outcast by the moral mighty, yet her connections made her powerful enough to be known by the king.

This was Rahab. She was tough and rough and wicked. And although I don't own some shady shack, there is a tough and rough and wickedness in my heart that Jesus needed to save me from. Not only once, when I gave my life to Christ, but continually. Every day. Every day I need to surrender my heart to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

We see in the story how the spies, trying to keep a low profile, lodged at her motel. They came to her. I never saw how significant this was until prepping for class. The spies came to her door and knocked for her to open. In the same way, Jesus comes to us. How beautiful that no one is excluded from the love of Christ. Nothing that we have done can keep us from His love! And we cannot earn His love. He comes to our heart's door and knocks, hoping that we will open up so that He can save us.

Rahab opened her door and immediately recognised that the spies were Israelites. She had heard of their Mighty God and knew that He would give the city into the hands of the Israelites, His people. Being a shrewd woman, she struck a deal with the spies: her and her family's lives for their lives.

The ungodly king of the city also heard that the spies came to Rahab's door. And he demanded that they be delivered to him. It reminded me of the parable of the sower: seed that fell on the path was eaten by birds. The world will demand that we turn our back on Christ. It will try to lure us away from Him. It will distract us. And if we give in, we will miss out on the greatest desire of our hearts: to be treated kindly by the true King.

The spies promised to treat Rahab kindly, and as a sign, she had to hang a red rope from her window in the city wall. The spies promised that on the day of calamity, she and her whole household with her, in her home, will be saved.

And when the day came that the city was destroyed, Rahab's house stood firm. The most vulnerable spot became a fortress of strength because of God's protection! 

And likewise, Jesus is our lifeline.  Jesus agreed to the terms of the deal: his life for ours. (Honestly, it blows my mind.) We are saved by the crimson red blood of Jesus - His blood covers our sins and clothes us in righteousness.  God does not treat us as our sins deserve, instead, we become a part of His family! And we become a part of God's story! And Rahab became the great great (great?) grandmother of Jesus.

As the world is in crisis and cities are shaken, Jesus remains our lifeline. And when our courageous faith is found in Christ, a fearful people get to see a faithful God.

And I have been challenged with this: am I making space in my heart; in my home; in my lifestyle for people in panic to experience the steadfast, secure, sure love of Christ?

During this time, community is important. If you and your family are well, act with caution but not isolation (in accordance to your government's regulations). May our homes be a haven for heavy hearts to find peace. 

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*One of the kids in my class mentioned this. What a good point!

Class Notes (And one of my goals is to post the content/ creative ideas that developed ... someday (*fingers crossed*).

I teach the grade 6 & 7s (12 -13yrs) and my prep: We had class somewhere where it felt like we were on the 'city wall'. After sharing the story and highlighting Jesus in the story, we drew a silhouette of their faces from the side on a piece of paper and we glued see-through red plastic over their faces to symbolise being covered by the blood of Jesus. They had to cut out words from magazines that describe what God says about them, as well as write "Courageous faith is found in Christ". A modern art piece! And I encouraged them to stick it up in their closets so that when they get dressed in the mornings, they can be reminded of Jesus' goodness and faithfulness and take on the day with great faith!