Outreach

Tonight was one of the most encouraging and uplifting nights I have ever had in my life. On top of all the worldly highs I have had, this one hit home for my soul. Ravi Zacharias very subtly brought the house down on the K-State Student Union tonight by mixing logic with philosophy and being lead by the Spirit. There is no doubt in my mind that I could sit for hours or possibly even days and never lose sight of his thinking. He thinks on a level far above what many of us think and what many of the people in our world think. I heard countless people say that he got them thinking in a way in which they hardly ever think. It is almost as if trying to think on the highest intellectual level possible is no longer valid. If we do not accept others and the way they think, then we are labeled as arrogant and selfish in regards to our beliefs. The problem is that when you have evidence that strongly supports an idea and it is believed to be absolute truth then why not run with it? The only way that our nation and our world will turn back to God is if we get them thinking critically again on all aspects of life. We can no longer accept the fact that people are going to just do as they are told and think like robots because it eliminates diversity in our world and teaches people that they must conform to the world and it's ways of thinking in order to get by. We should be embracing the idea that people could formulate thinking that is supported by facts and logic instead of thinking that is just widely accepted because it is labeled as "correct".  Ravi stimulates the minds of people so that they will not just go away from this and think they are stupid or that they are wrong. but that they will search for answers that are true and they will research their beliefs so as to find the absolute truth and the one thing that fills the hole that so many people have.

Ravi's Ministry is not to be motivational or to tell people they are sinners and they need to repent, but it is more that he is telling people that there is hope and there are answers and if you find God then we can talk about you getting your life turned around but the first step is to believe that he not only exists but that he is the Christ and he is the Savior. 2nd Corinthians 4:1-6 states, "Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly, we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." Ravi uses the Bible and his philosophy to formulate truth that is understandable and that people can relate to. He does not distort the truth but rather tells the truth as it is rather than making it something that everyone wants to hear. Now you might say that people would want to always hear the truth but in reality, people only want to hear the truth when it is what they want to hear. Hence the reason why we have things that are politically correct and people who only think that what they believe is true with no foundation or support that can verify and provide validity to their ideas and thinking. Outreach is definitely something that needs to be done and it can be done in a variety of ways, there is the way in which Ravi does it through proving the existence of God, and there is preaching the gospel straight up and inviting them into a relationship with him. There are other outreach opportunities and whatnot but these are the major groups that can be broken down into other activities and ideas to achieve these goals. One thing that caught my attention tonight is when it was stated that it is not that people do not see the light, they just are afraid to become a part of it, verse 5 states, "Let light shine out of darkness," and that will hold true until the day of redemption because we will change lives and we will pull people from Satan's reach because God is all powerful, all mighty, he is faithful, loving, and compassionate.

I believe that outreach is an important tool because it not only gets other people thinking but it stimulates us to use our knowledge in Christ and allows us to utilize who we are in him so that we can grow in understanding and faith by seeing that he does help us and gives us words to speak when we are talking to others because he cannot be defeated.

I hope you all had a great day, i had a very busy one and am ready for rest but I am truly blessed to have been a part of this great event that took place here at KSU. I am praying for all of you and I hope you continue to pray for me. Please feel free to ask if you need prayer and I will make sure to pray for you specifically. Keep seeking his glory and keep fighting the good fight.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson