Being misunderstood

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lab0SHGXkA

Towards the end of my time in America I was getting anxious and just wanted to be back in the CZ. Our new teammate had already arrived, I knew she had to be bored out of her mind since she didn't know anyone or know where to go. I missed my friends and the familiarity of Ostrava even though I knew I wasn't going back to the same apartment.

However, I am really glad that I was home the last two weeks. God really used that time to encourage me spiritually for this next year.

The first thing that happened, happened at Friday Fellowship at my grandparent's house. My grandpa was going to be out of town that night so my grandma asked me if I wanted to lead the bible study. I said sure. No stress there, God will say whatever He wants to say.

So my grandma asked me to do this on Thursday and the bible study was the next day. I begin thinking about what God had been showing me lately and what I could possibly talk about. Then that night I met with some dear friends S and K and S was sharing with me about how, as Christians we are often misunderstood. And how a friend of him encouraged him my telling him that Jesus was himself often misunderstood.

Jesus was constantly trying to tell His disciples he was going to leave them and where he was going they could not come. He told them he was going to prepare a place for them. And all they ever wanted to talk about was "Sir, which one of us is greater?", "Who will be at your left hand and who will be at your right hand". There were concerned with many worldly things even though Jesus was trying to tell them about the Spiritual world.

This really hit home for me because living in a foreign country leads to many many misunderstandings every day. I find comfort in the fact that Jesus was too misunderstood and still is today.

And of course, since I'm a product of my environment I go home and google "Jesus being misunderstood". I came across this blog http://www.larryshallenberger.com/2010/07/21/does-being-misunderstood-come-with-the-territory-of-following-jesus/

I of course had read through John many times but I never noticed THIS verse. John 8:48-49. First let's look at vs. 48 "The Jews answered him and said 'Aren't we right in calling you a Samaritan and saying you have a demon?"

So, of course I wanted to know what the Jews thought of Samaritans. Basically, they didn't like them and when they traveled they would completely go around Samaria even if it made their journey longer. Jews didn't associate with the Samaritans because they didn't follow the law and had their own gods.

Now that we have established that being called a Samaritan was not a good thing, let's look at the next verse, 49.

"Jesus answered, I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me."

????? Jesus didn't correct the fact that they called him a Samaritan. Why do you think that was? According to that blog I found he thinks it's because Jesus was relational and didn't care about labels and people groups.

I think that is a good application and it really applies to my being here in Ostrava. I used to answer the question "What brings you to Czech Republic" with I felt like God was leading me here and I am here to share God's love with people. But I soon stopped that when people started saying "Oh, you're with the Mormons".

Ha...major fail!

But I feel like this was God telling me to speak the Truth and not care about who understands or not because Jesus never did. He told many parables and said "let those who have ears, let them hear". But that wasn't literal, He meant it for those who ears had been opened by the Father.

I was praying about this and wanting to share it with the Fellowship group, but I wanted it to be applicable to them too, not just a Word for me for CZ.

When I was praying God told me that this applies to anyone who has a loved one, either a friend or relative, who we so desperately want to know Jesus and who maybe rejects us because of what we believe. It's all because they just don't understand.

We need to pray for understanding for our loved ones who don't know the Truth and that the Truth can set them free!

After I shared the group prayed for me and one lady saw me walking in Ostrava and every time I said Jesus' name the Holy Spirit was behind me working in those people's hearts that I had just shared with. Another man said he feels the Lord will use me strongly here in CZ this year with this new revelation.

Here's to a good year and life of being misunderstood.