Hi!
I have a quick question for ya.
Why is the Lamb worthy?
Why do we sing about Him and do things for Him and consider Him as something?
Do you think of the Lamb as worthy?
My trip to the Dominican Republic last week provided a pretty excellent framework for me to fully, unashamedly, loudly proclaim this: "Digno es el Cordero. Worthy is the Lamb."
Because of your involvement in my trip, I wanted to tell you about it and the Lamb that made it possible.
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Obviously, I know about the Lamb. You know about Him. Most people know about Him. Whether they associate Him with a church building, or a person, or a history textbook, it's rare to come across someone who does not know about the Lamb.
That is, however, kind of dangerous to say. It's a good thing that I'm fluent in Spanish now that I've come home, because that will help me clear it up.
Lots of people saber (know) the Lamb because they have heard about Him and know facts about Him.
Very few people conocer (know) the Lamb because very few people have a relationship with Him. Very few consider Him worthy.
When we admire something, we consider it worthy.
I, now more than ever, consider the Lamb worthy of all things in heaven and on earth. That starts with me admiring Him. I saber Him and have since I was a boy, but this trip gave me a greater opportunity to admire and conocersome of His attributes: the beauty He displays through creation, the power He displays through the gospel, the grace He displays through giving us His Spirit. All of these are admirable things about the Lamb.
This week, I got to serve alongside James and Rebekah, the American missionaries in the Dominican Republic, and they are a powerful display of the attributes of the Lamb. They love the kids at their orphanage. They care about the health of their church. They serve each other and their kids tirelessly. They are slow to wrath and quick to repentance, and those are all miracles from the Lamb. Those things are all admirable.
When we consider something worthy, we elevate it.
Our times of worship (us actively, intentionally, and mindfully elevating God) in the Dominican were really special. There were two causes for that: first, because it was ridiculously unconventional. We worshiped through painting. We worshiped through blessing the kids in the city we stayed. We worshiped through performing Speechless and portraying the gospel. We worshiped through hosting a special couple's night on Valentine's Day. We worshiped through talking and making food and meditating on God's Word. At its most conventional, we worshiped in a huge circle and sang English worship songs. The second reason it was special is because the majority of our worship was not even in English. We sang to the Lamb in Spanish almost every time we sang, and it was odd. Because I'm American, I just assume that English is the correct language and that the Lamb probably talks in English all the time.
That is, of course, false.
We admire the Lamb because of who He is, and that naturally means that we care about and elevate who He is. In the midst of that elevation, it is hard, yet important for me to keep focused on actually praising the Lamb, and not my voice or my abilities. The Lamb is worthy, and because of that we spent some really sweet time worshiping Him, even if it was in a different language.
The last time you said the phrase "thank you", did you think about it? Thanking someone presupposes the fact that they did something for you that you did not or could not do for yourself. It is a phrase of humility and lowliness. Praising the Lamb through thanksgiving, repentance, and worship are all expressions of our low state towards His infinite glory.
When we elevate something that is worthy, we begin to act like it.
Have you ever realized how easy it is to rub off on someone? Conversely, have you ever realized how easily other people rub off on you? The only evidence I need is that all of my friends use the phrase "cheeseballs" regularly because of me. (By the way, that's "pelotas de queso" in Spanish.)
When we spend time looking at the Lamb and elevating the Lamb, something is bound to happen. Our stagnant, dead selves will no longer be stagnant and dead if we spend time admiring the Lamb and elevating Him. Eventually, He is going to rub off on us.
I got to witness a lot of individuals this week acting like the Lamb. Even people in their neat little box (the "cool kid", the "my friend's parent", the "cook", the "photographer", the "leader", the "not-really-part-of-the-group person") proved to be a lot more than whatever their description was. Each of the individuals on my team displayed admiration for the Lamb this week through their worship and their actions. It was things like filling up my water bottle, like encouraging me intentionally and honestly, like leading me to the Lamb and following me when I followed the Lamb, like being uncomfortable so I could be comfortable, like reminding me of the gospel, like waking up early and going to bed late for my sake, like telling me when I had erred, like helping me with the things that were important to me, like teaching me Spanish, and through looking like the Lamb. I tried to make it really clear to the individuals that displayed those attributes of the Lamb: that I am thankful for my team because of the way that they made me love the Lamb more. He is worthy.
I'm pretty convinced that the members of my team also consider the Lamb to be worthy, because they admire Him and worship Him and act like Him.
I'm thankful for those of you that stayed home and prayed for us and supported us financially so that we could go on this trip. The Lamb proved His faithfulness to us time and time again, and I hope that you are blessed through hearing about Him.
For our leader's perspective on the week, visit the team blog: http://gcodr15.blogspot.
In the end... need I say anything but this?
Digno es el Cordero.
andy jei
