No more Excuses

I was preaching at THEBRIDGE a month ago about the HOT TOPIC. So I would write it down again imagining that it would be more blessing for more people and I do believe that if some of you who was there when I preached this topic, you would GET SOMETHING again when you re-read this. Enjoy, be change, and let’s make a difference.

NO MORE EXCUSES
I was sitting in front of my computer and typing “excuses” on Google. And guess what, I found an interesting site about “the mother of all excuses”. There’s a HUNDRED even THOUSAND excuses human made for one occasion and I decided to close the tab. Leaving me thinking about those WORD, I suddenly remembered my Senior Pastor Ps Nala Widya. Dari sepanjang pengenalan saya terhadap beliau, I think I can sum up some of the little thing from his life. In his life, ada 3 kosa kata yang gak pernah disebut: SUSAH, TIDAK BISA, TIDAK MUNGKIN. Same thing I GOT this from the freakin’ Ps Victor my spiritual father.

Beranjak dari pemikiran itu, ya well timbul satu kerinduan untuk semua anak-anak muda (including me) untuk punya GAYA HIDUP yang sama. Hey, they’re a MAN OF GOD. And look at their lives, come on. Now let’s look to the BIBLE.

1. ADAM & HAWA
Kejadian 2:9-10
Tetapi TUHAN Allah MEMANGGIL manusia itu dan berfirman kepadanya: “Dimanakah engkau?” Ia menjawab “Ketika aku mendengar, bahwa Engkau ada dalam taman ini, aku menjadi TAKUT, karena aku telanjang, sebab itu aku bersembunyi.”
2. MUSA
Keluaran 4:10-12
Lalu kata Musa kepada Tuhan: “Ah, Tuhan, aku ini TIDAK PANDAI BICARA, dahulupun tidak dan sejak Engkau berfirman kepada hamba-hamba-Mu pun tidak …”
Berapa banyak dari kita SERING mendengar alasan seperti yang ADAM dan HAWA katakan dan juga yang MUSA katakan. “Saya Takut” dan “Saya Gak Bisa” Wow, what a common excuses we heard nowadays, right.

And, I believe every human has THE RIGHT EXCUSES, punya segudang alasan bahkan WE often HAVE A GOOD & EXCELLENT excuses dan YA ternyata Alkitab pun menceritakan sebuah perumpaan tentang orang-orang yang berdalih di Lukas 14:16-21. Ternyata ada 3 alasan baik yang biasa orang-orang utarakan yang juga tercatat di Alkitab:

1. POSSESION (harta)
I still remembered the first time I jumped into the ministry; it was ketika saya sedang mengerjakan Tugas AKHIR (TA) saya. Btw, saya kuliah di jurusan DESAIN INTERIOR dan TA saya waktu itu adalah “Children Hospital” (The hardest project in Interior Design that moment). And HEY, I have an EXCELLENT excuse untuk gak melayani, untuk gak merintis sebuah pergerakan di sekolah Yahya waktu itu. I have a GOOD excuse, dan waktu saya CINTA banget dengan TA saya; TA saya waktu itu adalah harta saya. It was my possession for me to become a good interior designer, and I was enjoying every minute of doing my Last Project (Tugas Akhir)

2. VOCATION (Misi Pribadi)
Everyone of us has their own personal mission; they have their own vocation and its GOOD. Its Fine until it becomes YOUR EVERYTHING specially excuses for not seeking and serving God.
My Husband and I, we definitely have our vocation in life. But my husband is a man of God, he love God extraordinary and he dedicated his life his time to help the church in the MULTIMEDIA things. It all started with ONLY him, I remembered waktu itu masih pake OHP, sampai PROJECTOR bahkan sampai making the video; any kind of video: opening video for Sunday service, until today we have Announcement video host by our local VJ. And it took him 4 years to DO ALL THAT all by himself. Noticed that he’s a graphic design and he has a lot of project and that 4 years he dedicated; ALL HEART for God, for Church, and for the people. He’s a graphic designer who have a mission to be THE BEST GRAPHIC ENGINEER IN THE WORLD and he gave it all to God. Tuhan pakai dia waktu itu untuk jadi operator OHP.

3. FAMILY (keluarga)
Seems this one is THE BEST excuses in the world to not seeking and serving GOD. Im gladly to say, that you can look to our life and DO IMITATE us when you have a family. HAVING A BABY is an EXCELENT excuses to not serving God, because well maybe you can say that YOU WANT TO SERVE FAMILY atau juga GIVE THE BEST untuk family yang Tuhan sudah percayakan or else.

Ketiga hal diatas merupakan GOOD EXCUSES dan I believe GOD wont get depress if you’re not serving God anyway; He gave you FREEWILL and its your choice. But let me tell you what happen to us when we serve God instead making a THOSE GOOD EXCUSE: me, my husband, and also my baby boy

For me: I gave Him my possession, and HE gave more some more possession in life. Im imagining apa yang terjadi kalau waktu itu saya gak terjun ke sekolah Yahya, hari ini gak ada movement youth yang lebih besar lagi. Gak kebayang kalau waktu itu saya gak menginvestasikan hidup untuk 18 orang anak yahya; karena hari ini 18 anak Yahya menjadi para perintis kegerakan anak muda di sekolah-sekolah lain; dari yahya, mengalir ke Smuk1, Smuk2, Taruna bakti, SMP Rehoboth, SMA Kalam Kudus, SMP BPK4, dItenas, SMP7, SMAN16, SMAN22, komunitas sepeda, SMP Yahya, SMP Advent, SMP Gamaliel, gak lupa juga SMP SMA Paulus. If I made an excuses that day; there wont be another change for another youth to hear about the gospel and to encounter an amzing family in cell group. If I made an excuse that day; there wont be another leader rising up like today. They’re so YOUTH, STRONG, and PASSIONATE people. Isn’t HE AMAZING GOD?

For my husband (Brian): He gave his mission, he gave it all to God, He gave it all because of his desire to see GOD’s house are filled with YOUNG PEOPLE. And He did everything to make GOD’s house were attracted through Multimedia, through Video (and he learn everything all by himself), and also through magazine. And today, after 4 year he had one person who have a BIG heart for the church, and a FAN of Jesus, and also a multimedia person who finally rising up Multimedia CREW. And God gave him more than he was expected. God gave him more than his own mission, He gave another vocation. He used to be called as a graphic designer, now he was known as a GRAPHIC DESIGNER and also a graphic artist. Through his life experiences, he created a character that now SOLD OUT through out the internet. And last month, he was together with his friend in Singapore having their own TOYS EXHIBITION. Isn’t HE AMAZING GOD? Today, what he achieved is more than his own mission, its way bigger than we ever thought.

For my baby boy (Max): We gave his life to God, we think that we cannot take care him like GOD can take care of him. We believe that we can’t provide him everything like GOD can provide everything for him. I took him everywhere I go, even when I went to school to visit some of my spiritual children. He grows in car with us. Today, among every baby, he’s the only baby boy who enjoy the praise n worship in church (standing together with others right in front of the stage) and (I believe) he is the most TALKATIVE baby boy, and today, he is a toddler student in a HIGH CLASS and VERY EXPENSIVE school. Who pay for his school? Not his daddy or his mom. Someone called me one night karena orang tersebut kepikiran Max terus semingguan dan terbeban untuk sponsorin Max sekolah. Isn’t He JEHOVAH JIREH?

Church, ada banyak alasan untuk tidak melayani Tuhan bahkan ada banyak alasan baik dan sangat kuat, tapi maukah kita selalu temukan alasan untuk selalu melayani Tuhan dalam hidup kita? Dan ini adalah gaya hidup yang harus dibangun bersama. Untuk membuat perubahan dan yang pasti untuk kemuliaan nama Tuhan, demi generasi yang akan datang. By not making an excuse, we are worshiping God and making a legacy. Because it’s not just about your destiny, but it’s about your legacy.
Be blessed and let’s make a difference.