Here's the deal: UT is filled with an incredible amount of passionate people who are probably more aware of the importance of life than they have ever been before. This awareness inspires them to act in accordance with their beliefs so that others might catch whatever visions they have. And, the most visible, action is "tabling". Organization representatives rent tables from the UT Tower and set them up in the adjacent West Mall, probably the most frequented place on campus. The representatives talk to passersby about the values of their organization and try to illicit membership or funds or give away SWAG [Stuff We All Get] or literature containing organizational information.
I pass these people on a regular basis when I'm going in and out of the Texas Union (which has incredibly comfy chairs upstairs that are excellent for naps, on two of which I am currently sitting). I pass these people, but I'd never thought much about them until I spent the day listening to the leading of the Spirit. Finally, I did think about them. Thought:
"Why hasn't anybody set up a table to champion the love of Christ to whoever's interested?"
There is nothing I'm more passionate about than the awesome love of Jesus Christ. He died for our sins so He could be resurrected and free us from them. But, I have never dedicated even part of my schedule to spreading the news about it. I've dedicated blocks of time to studying all of the implications of this fact, to my own spiritual self improvement. But, I've learned nothing if I haven't learned the importance of sharing the good news. Things are taking a turn for the better now. My life is being changed by an inspiration for action. This "tabling for Jesus" idea has been ruling my think-space for a while now. And, it has definitely been a God thing.
I think it's pretty crazy how unintentionally synchronized the church can be. I don't mean that the church intends to be chaotic or anything. Obviously, pastors and speakers want to say the things God puts on their hearts. But, there's no published nationwide agenda for Christian teachers that I've ever seen. Still, it's not uncommon for the messages from different church bodies to coincide with each other.
My dormant passion for evangelism was rekindled first by a message given by Matt Carter at the Austin Stone. He spoke on the first chapter or two of the book of Acts. In his sermon, he pointed out something I'd never noticed before. Acts 1:8 says
You shall receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and the end of the earth.The part I'd never noticed is the "you shall be" part. You shall be. That means, what we are after the Holy Spirit begins to dwell with us is witnesses. We are witnesses. Until I heard that, I thought I was an engineering student who was also a follower of Christ. But, that's not the case. I'm a follower of Christ who is also an engineering student. Everything that defines me is secondary to my being a witness. The Holy Spirit comes upon you. Then, you shall be. It's so definite and final. You shall. It's not an optional thing that you can choose not to participate in or something. Witnessing is not what you do, it's who you are. This blew my mind.
The Thursday following that Sunday message, I went to my small church meeting (West Campus Community Group). The topic of discussion? That's right: evangelism. It was pretty perfect because I had been reading 1 Peter which is full of instructions for believers and includes a verse that I've always clung to for motivation:
Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. 1 Peter 3:15
Turns out, that was the first verse that was brought up in discussion. Afterwards, I told the mini-church about the "tabling for Jesus" concept and was met with excitement. Since I had to rush off to tutoring, I couldn't stay around long to talk ideas, but I had already collected the necessary form to make it happen. So, I gave that to my friend (and Student Organization Chair), Austin, to sign. He's going to talk to the Hyde Park youth group leader to make sure everything we think to be okay really is okay. Afterwards, we're doing this.
I'm excited, to say the least.
The following weekend, I went to church with my parents while I was in SA. The sermon, as it turns out, was about 1 Peter 3:15. So, I guess I need to be ready now more than ever...
To me, this whole series of events is pretty awesome. It's like God has spoken to me, and everything is just lining up and falling into my lap. Honestly, I am a little terrified of sitting there at the table, having no clue what will happen. But, I know that I'm in this specific place at this specific time because I've been lead here. So, this is just the next thing to do.
If you're reading this, and you haven't spent a day listening to the Spirit, I think it's time you do. Crazy awesome things happen when God speaks.
