The Gospel / The Street 2.0
Lions: Den 'n' Now
MATURE • MENTOR • MINISTER • MAINTAIN • I PHILIPPIANS 3:10
U got da Rock?
Who was told by God to go to a lions' den, but refused (the 1st time)?
Commanded to go to a city inhabited by a ruthless and violent people
-- God
Himself characterized it as a lions' den
Nahum 2:11-12 --
this individual refused and ran away from the presence of the Lord. The
city? Nineveh, a major urban center of a hostile enemy empire, Assyria. The prophet was Jonah.
The Assyrian army's
reputation for committing inhumane atrocities with the people they
conquered shocked the sensibilities of the ancient world (much like ISIS / ISIL / Danesh did with their videos). They publicly
boasted of their exploits through publicly displayed works of art
depicting extreme humiliation, mutilation and execution of their
captives. Their
barbaric reputation preceded them, so much so that entire settlements
facing their
impending wrath would commit mass suicide rather than face
their cruel means of torture.
Seems like ice was runnin'
inside of the Assyrian army's veins.
Nineveh.
Not
Jonah's choice -- he ran. But can anyone blame him?
Who in his right mind
would dare go to such a place?
Truth is, when God says,
"Go," it's actually much better to go than not to. Jonah eventually got
to this important Assyrian city, but only after a tumultuous Mediterranean
cruise in not just one, but two sailing vessels: one humanly prepared (a
ship) and the other divinely prepared (a "submarine" i.e., a
great fish, [not a whale, as is popularly believed: whales come to the surface
for air, as they are mammals.]). Jonah
1:175 and Matthew 12:40
When
he finally got to God's intended destination, Jonah prophesied an impending
Divine judgment upon the city. Then
came the unexpected: in spite of their notoriously big reputation for their
war-time inhumane atrocities, the Ninevites zealously repented of their evil
ways and violence. A heaven-sent revival broke out throughout the entire
city. It
started at the grass-roots street level with the men of the Nineveh and worked
its way up to the throne of the king. Jonah
3:5 and Matthew 12:41
Even the cattle went under cover! These Gentiles with a not-so-nice reputation responded to the preaching of a
reluctant Jewish prophet and they took God's word seriously!
Apparently Jonah got left in
the hot dust over on the east side of the city.
He got into a real pout about what God did in sparing the Ninevites, and
the Lord had to gently remind him of His concern for Nineveh: "Should
I not have compassion on that great city?" Jonah
4:11b
The LORD had
compassion for the people in a city He characterized as a lion's den, i.e.,
He had compassion on the
"lions" inside'a dat den."
"Dat was den but
dis is now," I hear ya sayin'.
The toughest
hard-core neighborhood in America today
got nothin' when compared with the hardhearted Assyrian army -- and by extension, their city of Nineveh.
Many
people look at the "hard-core" sections found today in America's
cities as lions' dens. They see these environs as intimidating and
dangerous, sinister and evil -- especially when they're the focus of a
nightly TV newscast or Hollywood screenplay.
They are places a person absolutely does not want to go through if they
don't have to. But despite how some may feel about such places, God is as
concerned for and has compassion on those who live there -- as He is for anyone
anywhere else. He
will not allow anyone to put limitations, restrictions or boundaries on His
ability to show mercy, grace and forgiveness.
Back to the lion concept: what
are lions like?
They
are majestic, strong, stately and bold creatures -- awe-inspiring beings
with a noble royal bearing. They command the admiration, fear and
respect of not
only the other creatures in their habitat, but of human beings as well.
With that in mind, may I suggest that even as there was a "pride of
lions" in Nineveh that the Lord wanted to reach (and did!), even so they're
out there now: a whole pride of
"young lions" out there today, living in some very tough spots that He wants
very much to reach (and will). They're
lookin' around:
a
whole host of young people and young adults created in His image -- sons
and daughters He wants to bring to glory, and reciprocally have them bring glory
to Himself -- and they're
understandably reluctant but amazingly receptive.They're still havin' to deal
with challenges that the majority have gone great lengths to distance themselves
from. They
walk down rough streets, stand on tough corners, and sit on hopefully-friendly
front steps. They deal with
relational issues like respect, love, significance 'n survival -- maintainin' '
n bravely tryin' to find answers in the midst of circumstances that seem
completely devoid of hope. They find themselves gettin'
"smoked" by sin, and indeed, if they're outside of Christ, then
they're just bein' whittled away in time 'n space on their way to destruction. Some go slow and some go fast.
Although
they may strike fear
in the hearts of some, the sad truth is these young lions are fearful
themselves. Many don't even expect to live long here on earth. The
invincible outward image they go to great lengths to convey is often
more
for their protection than to be a threat to others. And indeed, many are
asking, "Who can show us any good?"
Psalm 4:6a
Indeed, it is the heart cry and subtext of just about every last one of their
endeavors.
They watchin' —
wonderin' — willin' — 'n waitin'.
They winnable?
YES!
But it takes a lion's
heart to reach a lion's heart.
It's interesting that the
LORD of Hosts likens Himself to "the lion or the young lion" in.
Isaiah
31:4 He's not One to
be scared off by anything or anybody. If that's how He is and we're with
Him, than why would we be scared off? When
you get the right perspective, you begin to understand that God's not only gonna
work with their lives, but He's also gonna work with yours as well, usually both
together at the very same time! Hey!
That's
exactly how it should be.
How do ya begin to show these
young "lions" any good? How do ya reach them? Start by refusing to see
them as "problems" (a popular human perspective) and choosing rather
to see them as "potential new creations in Christ" (the divine
perspective). 2
Corinthians 5:17
Once that proper perspective
is gained, the next thing to do if ya wanna reach lion-types is to take a good
look at the kind of "faith currency" you're trying to spend --
i.e., carefully examine the "coin" of your faith. One side
should be stamped with a
lion-like kind of faith (a
Christ-like proactive perspective), Proverbs
28:1, James 2:20 while the
reverse should be stamped with a
lamb-like kind of faith
(a
Christ-like submissive perspective).
Romans
8:36ff Ya
don't try to go all up on the Lion-side without also bein' down with the
Lamb-side of things. Which one to
use in any given situation is in itself a faith matter (remember, it is
the same coin). The faithful investment of "one side" of
faith's coin will inevitably reveal and yield the qualities stamped on the other
side of it.
In addition, true
faith needs to be a living
faith -- a faith that ain't lazy (The sluggard
says, "There is a lion outside!" or, "I will be murdered in the
streets!" Proverbs
22:13)
and
one that aggressively seeks practical outlets. James
2:20
That way we're kept on our
spiritual toes -- wondrously stretched, helplessly dependent and prayerfully
useful to the Master for any good work. In this world we are like Him and perfect love
casts out fear. 1
John 4:17-18
Can
you imagine a national revival starting off in some hard-scrabble neighborhood
somewhere?
Something
straight out of heaven startin' off on a street corner in some fearful part of
some big city? Startin' off with some who courageously stepped to some
young lions standing on some rough corner, sharing the Good News about God's
Some-One -- and doin' it with the Divine-backing of the power of the Holy
Spirit? What
if they had a different "paint job" than you or I? What if they were into hip-hop and were used of God within that particular
cultural expression? Hey,
God's got some really creative ways of revealing Himself to us. He reserves the right to send
His messengers in wrappers we're not always ready for (remember Jonah?). It's one of the great ways He tests our hearts.
Imagine! A revival -- sparked
up inside a lion's den!
The young lions do lack , and suffer hunger;
but they who seek the LORD shall
not lack any good thing.
Psalm 34:10
Only when lions have historians will hunters cease being heroes.
African Proverb
Who's in? Who'll become the present day mighty men of valor,
men trained for war ... whose faces were like the faces of lions?
![YUBM [' yueb-oum ] pr.n.: Young Urban Black Male : distinguished tribe : distinctive vibe : uniquely positioned for a strategic role in redemptive history.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIi44CI9vTtFFxqiyJ0c5Mvqg0M1ReQtDclG1wYyi3NiJjWubv8C5yCP2B8yk9NKj5TB1PkSzCi9bfUPIt3FDHlj4MPbyefjhFUCnMAINdtNkqxSC52gHcYc7SH0d5CN_UuLSOmyrV-tdy/s1600/YUBMLog1.gif "YUBM [' yueb-oum ] pr.n.: Young Urban Black Male : distinguished tribe : distinctive vibe : uniquely positioned for a strategic role in redemptive history.")
