Yesterday I found my self getting very angry as I found out some news regarding our involvement with this years beginning of the year activities on the campus. Two great events that we have been part of the last two years on campus we will no longer be allowed to participate in the way we hoped. The university thought we were “over-zealous” in one event and in the other they said we didn’t do the proper paper work. The first accusation I admit we were, but who isn’t at the beginning of the year. This is something easly handled and adjusted for this year. Why cut us out completely from participation this year? The second accusation; completely un-true and this is what sent me internally screaming.
It’s not that we were slapped on the risk, or put on probation…that would have been great.
Were like USC…were not welcome this year!
Why am I so ticked? Because these two events are tremendous ways we meet new students at the beginning of the year. SDSU is a BIG, CRAZY, SPORADIC campus and you need every edge, opportunity and angle to make a more direct impact and contact with a student. Both of these events helped us do so and proved to be very fruitful. The beginning of the year is the foundation of the rest, and what you do the first two weeks is vital. Being black-balled from these two events really hurts.
But then as I reflected on scripture, prayed and talked with a friend, God burst into my heart and persepctive. By no coincidence at all I have been teaching on John 6 this week and will preach this weekend at church on the same subject. Jesus feeds 5,000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fish. Jesus in John 6 “tests” his disciples with the question, ” Where shall we buy bread for all these people to eat?” the scripture then saying, “He asked this only to test them for he already had in mind what he was going to do.” My friend as we were on a walk said to me so simply, probably not even realizing how profound his statement was to me, “Jesus is going to have to do a miracle”. And this is where the Spirit exploded in my heart.
God is teaching me and InterVarsity at SDSU to rely on him. Having Cotton Candy at our booth on the main advertising day, or being allowed to host a booth at the main freshmen event to start the year is not what we trust in. He is testing us with the question, “How are we going to feed these people?” He already has in mind what he is going to do. This year as we approach the start of the year and the loving pursuit of people, we need Jesus to come through more than ever. Our “Bread”, the two amazing events we rely on, have been taken. We do not have enough resources, we are not going to be in all the right places. We on paper will not have the best or most “strategic” plan because the University has blocked us.
But as God has hammered home to me this morning, we do not trust in this. Our goal is salvation for many at SDSU. For this we need the miracle of God’s presence and the true “Bread of Life” Jesus. Only by his miracle provision of his presence and timing can anyone see Him as the One true God.
The end of the feeding of the 5,000 quotes the people who have eaten a full meal, “Surely this is the Prophet that has come into the world.” I am reminded of Gideon and how the Lord shrunk his army to 300 people before battle because God said, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that the Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her…” (Judges 7:2). God wants our worship. He wants the worship of all at SDSU. The faith that God has infused into my heart through this discipline is this: He wants to prove himself true as Lord! He wants many to know him and come to salvation and have us and them look back in October and say, “Wow, only God could have done that. That was totally God. God totally showed up. I clearly saw God in that month of outreach.” He wants our worship and our undounbted praise to go to him.
Now I am not angry but thankful for his grace. His grace has caused us to be removed from these two events. His grace is protecting us from saying in October, and believing now, ” Look how great our strategy and planning was. Look at how well we executed. Look at how perfect all these events were and all the doors the University opened for us. This would have never happened if those things didn’t happen!”
He is protecting us, by removing us from these events, from believing that we can make this happen.
Our 5 loaves and two fish are not enough, it will never work alone. We need the Bread of Life!
We know this now. Praise God!
He wants all the glory, He wants to show his power. He wants us to be a dependant and prayerful ministry.
Let’s cry out for the movement of God this fall. We desperately need it if all these people are going to get fed.
