Fighting for life!

This week on the Central Coast a 16 year old boy, aided by a gang of kids younger than him, from Erina High School, stabbed and murdered a 15 year old girl at Forresters Beach. He stabbed her 7 times. I don't know all the details nor do I know why children so young would feel such a desire to murder someone, but I do know that these kids are still worth fighting for!

I do a lunch time program and teach scripture at Erina High school. It's right on our doorstep. There's a primary school next door to our property, Woodport Primary, and then directly across the road from Woodport is Erina High. I haven't done much there yet, there's already someone in place, so I've come in to help out with it, but as of today I've received more info of another program that I will possible take on board at the school (check it out at hillsong.com/shine)...At the moment the lunch time program, which is called Flipside, is running as a small Bible Study with only about 4 regular kids who come once a week. But we have faith that it will grow...one of those kids became a Christian through the program, not having any family background in church whatsoever...and another boy has been coming along after having a scripture class and staying back to ask questions...now he comes to Flipside every week! So who knows how big God will grow this!

I realised something today...I realised that there's a whole community of people out there who are just going to give up on these kids who were involved in this stabbing! A whole community of people who are going to be angry and distraught at this tragedy and this waste of a 15 year old girls life, and rightfully so! No one deserves to lose their life like that! But you know what, these boys didn't just take this girls life...but they have also taken their own lives...their life, as they know it, will NEVER be the same again! They have become outcasts! They are hated by so many now! They are despised and rejected! But you know what? No matter what they've done, God's love is SO big for these boys that His love will break through anything and will make a way for them!

Some of you probably think I'm crazy and maybe just a little dilussional...you might even think I have no heart for the girl who died and her family and friends! Well, you couldnt be further from the truth! My heart breaks for this girl and her family. As I said, NO ONE deserves to have their life taken away like that! What these kids did was indescribable and I wouldnt even try to make excuses for their behaviour! It was just WRONG! No if's, but's or maybe's! Jesus loves them, but He knows it was wrong too! But, what about this thing called GRACE!

This week I started my Bachelor in Theology and in my reading material I read the parable of the workers in the vineyard who were hired throughout the day, and at the end of the day they were still all payed the same amount...even though some had worked 11 hours and some only worked 1 hour! (read Matt 20:1-16) The parable explains that in the Kingdom of God, the first shall be last and the last shall be first. Do you find it hard to grasp that if these young people find Christ and accept Him that they too will receive the same reward in eternity as you will...even though you have been faithful all your life and certainly never broken the law!? Well, that's what the Bible tells us! It also tells us that we are ALL sinners who fall short of the glory of God! So, if God can extend His grace to us, then He WILL extend His grace to these kids!

The question, however, remains...Will WE extend the grace of Jesus Christ to these kids? Do we believe that they were just as worthy of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross? Do we believe that they deserve to have Christ in their life and that they should dance in Heaven with us one day? I want to ask you to remove from your mind the fact that these kids have committed this crime! Strange request you think? I ask you to do this because while it is in your mind you are probably all thinking 'What's the best way that JUSTICE can be served here?' Well, that is not for you to question or to answer! God is a gracious God, but He is also a God of justice. These kids will answer to God for what they've done, you can stop worrying about that, but you can also stop casting stones as if we're better than them! In God's eyes sin is sin! We've all sinned and we've all fallen short of God's glory and grace...but we still receive it quite happily!! How then can people turn around and say that people who do these things should rot in hell!? God would never desire that for anyone!! His desire is that we make disciples of ALL nations and baptize ALL people in HIS Holy Name (Matt 28:19-20)...His desire is that we love our neighbour (Mark 12:30-31)...His desire is that we show people what life SHOULD be like! That we should show people what life with Christ is all about!

Someone lost their life this week in an awful way! Again, this proves that there is such an urgency to be reaching out to everyone we can reach out to...whether you think they deserve it or not! We don't deserve it either, but its freely available! My heart breaks for these kids and what this means to their life now! They have ruined their whole life...(although I have to say, society is not completely blameless in all this...murder and anger and hate is promoted in the media like nothing else and in same cases it's seen as glamourous and the right thing to do! In some cases it's used in comedy...is it any wonder that kids who grow up being taught and subjected to these things go out and do them...I know that we dont all do that...but I guess that society doesnt consider the more vulnerable and impressionable young people...or they dont care! We have alot to answer for!) These boys are going to suffer for what they've done...I could almost guarantee that! But I want to know, who is going to go and visit them and tell them that Jesus still loves them? Who is going to love them? Who is going to give them a Bible to read while they're stuck in prison with nothing but their lonely thoughts to give them comfort? Who is going to show them that Jesus WANTS to be their comfort? Who is going to bring them up in their next Bible Study and say a prayer for them aswell as the victims family and friends? Who will pray for reconcilliation for these kids? Who will pray for NEW LIFE to be breathed into them? Who will think of their family and friends who are devastated too? I know Jesus will...I know I will pray for them...WILL YOU?!

Fight for life my friends...fight for those who's lives are so destroyed and confused without our saviour Jesus Christ! While there remains one lost soul without the light of Christ, fight to the very end!

Your sister in Christ...

FIGHTING FOR THE CAUSE!!

Jodi