My Identity Is in Christ, Not AIM

Being part of AIM is such a great experience. You get to know some of the greatest people, learn about the Bible, learn how to preach, are lifted up spiritually, etc.
These are great things, and all of those are godly things. But after being in Lubbock, and living under certain "rules" or "standards,” some AIMers forget why they came in the first place. When they are back at home or on the mission field at times, they forget the main reason they came. Maybe it’s not that they forget, because they know they are there to bring the Gospel to the lost and encourage the church, but they lose the heart behind it. They start doing things because it's “required by AIM," and not because that's what they want to do for God. It’s sad you know, because we are not sent to do "what AIM requires," but by the faith we have, to do what is good in the Lord's sight.

In John 14:12, it says, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

The word used here as believe in the Greek translates, 'to have confidence, conviction and trust.’ So it isn't just knowing that He is our Savior, but trusting in Him and having confidence that He is our Savior. We need to remember that we don't earn our salvation through missions or programs, like AIM, but that God gave it to us by grace and by a true faith in Him. All He wants from us is to have faith and plant the seed. He didn’t say that you have to go and baptize people or have tons of bible studies to be saved. He is the one that saves and is going to make the seeds grow.

In Colossians 2:10 it says, ”Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

When we think about what Jesus did on the cross, it’s clear where we want our lives to go. It’s clear that we want our lives to be identified in Jesus Christ. We often trade that identity for another one, like AIM for example. So remember, AIM is just a program; a tool that God uses to gain souls for His kingdom. Never give up, and fix your eyes on Christ, the one that ultimately saves.

Evelyn Galvan (AIM, Scotland '09)

Influence

As Christians and disciples of Jesus we are given two very important identities; salt and light. With these two identities Jesus gives us the charge to be examples to this world. In Titus 2:7-8 it states, “In all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.” Our example and influence is not about how other Christians view us but about how the non-Christians view us.

Gandhi famously said, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” How we act can affect people’s view of Jesus Christ. Some might be on the edge of belief but see Christians who act no differently from the people who do not claim Christ and decide that Jesus isn’t for them based on their behavior. People who don’t believe constantly use Christians’ hypocritical behavior as their grievance against Jesus. We have to remember that we are called to be salt and light. We are called to influence those around us so that they can be influenced by the love of God.

- Ryan Jarboe (Aim, Italy '09)