A reflection on ‘Journey To SURRENDER’ Summer Orientation program

By Carly Inder

In high school, I found it really easy to get trapped into feeling like life is just one huge conveyer belt. I thought I’d go to school, I’d buy a car, get into uni, get a good job, buy a house, start a family, retire… and that was it. I considered myself a Christian, but faith was just something I had to fit around everything else. I never thought following Jesus might mean jumping off the conveyer belt entirely.

Doing Journey Towards Surrender exposed me to people who were living radically different lives to the one I had planned. They seemed to be moving the wrong way on the conveyer belt: moving out of nice houses to live in poor suburbs, or choosing to work part time so they could get to know their neighbours and help out their communities. It inspired me to actually think about how I should be living my life. Maybe uni is only one small part of it? Maybe I should think twice about buying a car? Maybe I need to learn my neighbours names? I found really practical examples of how I might live differently and take seriously the call to follow Jesus with my whole life.

A reflection on ‘Journey To SURRENDER’ Summer Orientation program

By Matt Pilcher

The Surrender internship has been an experience has given me a greater heart for the poor and marginalized and has assisted me on the journey of being an apostle for Jesus! It has been an impacting practical experience following on from the course ‘Year in the Son’ I undertook at Tabor college last year,  which opened my eyes to what it means to be a disciple of Jesus in this broken world and how to bring about the kingdom of God through my passions.

My surrender internship was a bit different to the rest of my group as part of my time I was on mission with Crossway Baptist sharing the gospel to the margins in Mt Druitt, West Sydney. During that time I was lucky enough to be able to connect with a few of the Surrender partners in Sydney. I spent one day at Salvos- Street level and was able to see their heart to reach the marginalized first hand and was challenged and encouraged by hearing the stories of Nathan Mould (Edify coordinator) and others working and attending Salvos. I was also blessed to have the opportunity to catch up with Jon Owen, who is living and working with a UNOH community in Bidwill, which was part of the deprived region I was doing mission work in. One of the things that impacted me was his Kingdom of God mentality he lived out of: personal sacrifice, love (God and others) and community.  Without these things we can’t possibly bring about God’s kingdom.

The cost of following Jesus requires a personal sacrifice to ‘take up our cross,’ (Mark 8:34-36). The 2 months I spent reaching out in western Sydney required me to leave my work, family, close friends and desires to satisfy myself. During that time I learnt to ‘surrender’ every part of my heart to God and to be filled with the Holy Spirit, so I could do His will. I learnt to love with actions; to receive God’s love and pour out that love on others. Finally community, when you live in community with the same vision and sharing everything you are able to use each other’s gifts for the benefit of the community and to bring about the kingdom, which was so evident in the early church of Acts, (Acts 4:32).

The Surrender internship broadened my view on what it means to abandon my own selfish agendas to journey with Jesus to the Margins and to disciple others in my world. So I urge you my brothers and sisters, don’t settle for little, don’t be content with just attending church, step out in faith to the lost who are crying out for freedom,  love and disciple them step by step to Jesus. We need to rise up together as an army to reclaim this nation for Jesus!

If you don’t go, who will?