At the close of Saturday night’s Revival Service, Pastor Cameron gave us a charge to go “out of the locker room and onto the field.” He wanted us to realize that the primary mission hasn’t been accomplished yet. We had a pep talk in the locker room from “Coach” Josh, but now we each need to go out onto the field and carry out the plan.
Josh taught us that night to seize the Kairos moments as the Holy Spirit presents them, in the midst of our being faithful in the Chronos times. Both are Greek words for “time”:
Kairos = A time for the accomplishment of a crucial action
Chronos = Linear schedule of our lives
Josh said that often Kairos moments come dressed as a crisis. He said to look at the crises around us and be willing to say, “I volunteer. I have no idea how, but I will go.” He called for us to faithfully look into our community and ask God: Who have you placed in my influence? Who am I called to bring the gospel to?
This message challenged me. That night, I was presented with a cultural crisis that I was stirred by the Holy Spirit to enter with the love and power of the gospel. I had received an email from the volleyball league I am a part of entitled “Expanding Gender Inclusivity.” They explained that they will now include eight gender options and that the term “co-ed” is inaccurate and outdated. To be more inclusive, they hope to add pronoun options to the member profile soon. The email ended with inviting anyone with feedback about these changes to fill out a survey.
Prior to Revival Weekend, I would have felt unsettled by the email, hopefully prayed about it and probably felt discouraged thinking there was nothing I could really do. But this time, I stepped into the cultural crisis before me and clicked on the survey, stating that “I have a different perspective” and thanked them for the invitation to share it. I said that I believe what the Bible says about gender to be true. In the beginning, God created male and female in His image. I shared how, when God is our defining lens, we understand ourselves through His perspective. When we choose to make Him King of our lives, we follow His ways and live according to His design. I encouraged anyone reading my feedback that it wouldn’t be loving for me not to encourage them to make their lives right with their Creator and choose to follow God while there is still time to do so. I concluded the survey by checking the box that I would be willing to be a part of a focus group to discuss gender inclusion.
This is just one of the many storms within my influence that God pointed out to me over the weekend. I’m going to walk into them now. Why? Because there are people inside that are confused, without hope, or barely hanging onto life—disconnected from Jesus. I have a new urgency and willingness to walk into the storm, meet people where they are at, bring the light of the gospel, and help them navigate out of the mud.
We all must act on the word we were given last weekend and shine the light of truth into the crises around us with the grace and boldness of the Holy Spirit. Remember, we are responsible TO share and for HOW we share. We are NOT responsible for how others respond. We each have a part to play. I cannot wait to hear your stories too. Here we go—out of the locker room and onto the field!