Be Bold, Be Loving, Be UNASHAMED

"I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…" - Romans 1:16

Last weekend I had the opportunity to be a part of an inner-city mission trip right here in my hometown of Dallas. The weekend is inspired by Romans 1:16 and referred to as Unashamed. The point of Unashamed isn't for a group of young adults to gather together for one weekend in order to serve our city and share the gospel then pat ourselves on the backs and go back to reality. The purpose is to light a fire in our hearts that would inspire us to be living this way on a daily basis.

There are so many awesome experiences I could share about the weekend – worshiping on a rooftop overlooking the Dallas skyline, sharing my testimony with new friends as we painted and served, asking a random girl if I could pump her gas for her in order to spark a conversation and invite her to The Porch – but what I really want to share are my takeaways.

1.     Community is key.  (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

2.     There are opportunities all around us to share God's love. (Matthew 9:37-38)

3.     Be obedient, push through the awkwardness and watch God 
show up and pour out blessings. (John 14:21)

 On Sunday morning, I woke up early to spend some time reflecting on the weekend. As I sat on the steps in front of Tyler Street Methodist Church, I was overwhelmed with thankfulness. Here's a snippet from my journal entry that morning:

God is at work in the city of Dallas! He is stirring hearts and changing lives. This weekend has served as a wonderful reminder to me of the prayers for community that God has answered. "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you"  (John 15:7). When we ask for the things God deems as important and good, he WILL deliver. God loves to bless us with community and godly relationships so that we can truly live out Hebrews 10:24-25. I have definitely felt spurred on towards love and good deeds this weekend and am full of encouragement.

As I walk away from this experience, my heart is full and I have a bigger fire lit inside of me to share the gospel and God's love with those around me – stranger or friend. Not because of anything I can do but because God’s love dwells within me.

So many of us have the misconception about what a "missionary" is. We think to be a missionary, you must travel halfway around the world but in reality, God has provided a mission field right where you are. My challenge for all of us is to strike up a conversation with someone this weekend and simply ask them if they know Jesus. 

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Be bold, be loving, be UNASHAMED.  

-Morgan