Derek Godshall, Salford
As we slowly inhaled we would say, “Yahweh” and at the same time the Holy Spirit would be present in the cool air we breathed. Exhaling we would breathe out our warm breath containing the Holy Spirit into the world to work in the hearts of people all over the globe. This is one way my youth group spiritually prepared for the upcoming convention. I continued this practice for five minutes everyday at convention to help refocus myself on God. This daily practice seemed to cleanse me of the things that distracted my attention from God.
Going to convention I prayed that I would receive a sense of spiritual and communal encouragement for a decision I needed to make. During the first worship service I found myself feeling a bit uncomfortable with the unexpected style of worship. Entering into convention I expected a familiar setting to that of my own congregation––quiet hymn singing Mennonites––just a few thousand more than at church. To my surprise the only aspect that held true to my original expectation was the number of people. The majority of songs were praise songs and many of the speakers were animated, speaking wholeheartedly.
In reflection this was a blessing because I quickly became very comfortable and found myself becoming encouraged by the Holy Spirit through the songs and speakers. In particular Shane Hipps, pastor of Trinity Mennonite Church in Phoenix, was a blessing in the way he compared our bodies to soil, showing that there is only one difference between my body and dirt. That difference is breath––the breath the Lord put into the chest of Adam––and the breath he put into mine. Being in an environment I was not accustomed to helped illustrate to me the fact that the things you need most do not always come in the familiar packages you were expecting.
During convention I experienced an internal struggle, deciding whether or not to become a part of the Mennonite Church and, more importantly, publicly confess my love for and belief in Jesus Christ through baptism. The encouragement I prayed for came in many forms, some of which I did not expect like the worship mentioned above, but other times it came in ways that I fully expected and prayed for.
One of these means of encouragement was through our youth group’s daily meetings during convention. During these times I often felt the Holy Spirit moving in me as I breathed in the words of the other members of my youth group and was filled with the interpretations that I missed from the sermons. These sessions helped demonstrate to me the importance of community, especially in continuing to grow in my faith.
With all of the encouragement I received from convention, which helped me grow more confident in my faith, I also received new questions to ask myself. I began to ask myself if what I was doing, through my faith, was enough. The main spark to this self-inquiry was Shane Claiborne. He spoke about the difference between being a follower of Jesus Christ, who tries to model their life after Christ’s, and merely a believer, who believes in Jesus but does not necessarily make sacrifices to follow Christ’s example.
This brought me to my question, am I a follower of Jesus Christ or just a believer? At this point I am not sure what my answer is, but I know what I want my answer to be. I desperately want my answer to be, “Yes I am more than a believer, I am a follower of Jesus Christ.” That desire to really be a follower of Christ along with the encouragement I felt from the Holy Spirit during convention is what ultimately helped me to quash my hesitations toward becoming a member of the Mennonite Church and of the global body of Christ followers.
To start my journey to becoming a follower so that I may continue my spiritual growth I have decided that I am ready to be baptized. So what will you choose to be, a follower of Christ or simply a believer?
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.