CELIBATE RAVE
What makes mJa member Jake Organ rave with excitement...

IT WAS in a club on New Years Eve, 1990. In my rather “cosmic” state I was oblivious to the girls vying for my attention, dancing was boring me and the thought of another year in this scene filled me with dread.

A vision kept coming to my head of a gang of coolly dressed men, standing aloof from the nonsense around. They were the talk of the town, mysterymen only identifiable by their manner, and possession of a white gold ring on their wedding fingers.

“Jake”, I thought to myself, “you’re losing your mind”. Now, post-conversion, post- Jesus, I’m there: I’m celibate. The ring looks like white gold but is, in fact, silver. I’ve been through many fires of testing and I feel whole and established in it.

Celibacy is an amazing gift. I have no natural desire or ability to be celibate, but God has worked this gift into my spirit and it reveals itself as I live it. I burn with a desire for the church. Each day I wake with a yearning to impact people’s lives with Jesus. At night my heart reaches out to God and I feel His presence in a deep way.

Celibates have to walk through dark places with Jesus. We need to confront our loneliness and emptiness through His Cross. This gives us power in our witness, confidence to stand before the world.

People say things about Jesus (“He’s a good man”, “He’s a prophet”). We answer that He is God incarnate; we know His very depths and He is more real than the things we see and touch.

We are free to feel God’s heart for the people around us and build strong relationships that last into eternity. In our dark times we feel God’s heart toward us.

Singleness is a gospel statement: it’s that true, it’s that serious. Jesus Christ has conquered death and is alive – and we know Him.