Would you agree most people view Christianity as a straight line– going from point A (where we were found) to point B (where we are headed)? I think that was most definitely my initial view: I was lost, but now I’m found. I was without Christ, and now I am in Christ. Heaven is our home; it is our final destination.

But what I’ve learned is, getting there isn’t linear.

Picture with me more of a loopty-loop journey with forward motion. This would be more accurate according to Isaiah (and many other places in scripture). I’m not a roller-coaster kind of girl and I certainly don’t want to paint a picture of “roller-coaster Christianity” (up one minute, down one minute). Instead, I want us to see the journey of our Christian lives as something beautifully designed.

Isaiah 61 describes the mission of Christianity. Jesus Himself picked up this mantle in Luke 4:18-20 and His mantle is every believer’s mantle. Not only can we find our past and present in these verses, but also our future.

The Spirit of the Lord God is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and freedom to the prisoners;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of our God’s vengeance;
to comfort all who mourn… (Isaiah 61:1-2).

I can find myself (my story) in these verses. I was once the poor (the crouched and laden with heavy burdens), the brokenhearted (by my own hand and the hand of others), captive and prisoner to sin, grieving but never knowing what was missing — until Jesus saved me. This was my past– this was your past.

Thankfully, God never intended us to stay in that condition.

to provide for those who mourn in Zion;
to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
festive oil instead of mourning,
and splendid clothes instead of despair.
And they will be called righteous trees,
planted by the Lord to glorify him… (Isaiah 61:3).

In His faithful love, God exchanged everything tied to our former identity and provided us with everything new! Peter said, “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:10). The Message says we went “…from nothing to something; from rejected to accepted!”

This is our present condition. And if Christianity was selfish, it would be linear; meaning, it would only ahead. But it’s not– and here’s why:

They will rebuild the ancient ruins;
they will restore the former devastations;
they will renew the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations (Isaiah 61:4).

Maybe we only read the first part of Isaiah 61 because that’s where Jesus stopped reading. But the prophet wasn’t finished declaring what God was communicating.

The first question is, who is “they”?

Apparently, “they” will rebuild, restore, and renew devastated generations. This sounds like an assignment, a task, a charge– a responsibility to do something for another.

So who is they? They are all of us. We who were once the broken, captive, and bound shall rebuild, raise up, and repair those who are currently broken, captive, and bound! This is why Christianity was never meant to be a straight forward destination! And notice the result: the devastations of many generations (ours included!) will be restored, equipped, and set right!

Every one of us who have received beauty for ashes, and oil for mourning, and new attire for our former despair have a responsibility to circle back and help those who are healing from brokenness, those searching for freedom from oppressive and demonic attacks, and those in deep sorrow and grief because of the enemy’s devices.

As we found healing, beauty and restoration, it is our mantle to pray for, console, and encourage others with God’s faithful love.

Henry Drummond said, “Christ did not come into the world to give men religion. Religion was in the world before Christ came, and it lives today in a million souls who have never heard His name.”

I pray we would gratefully live for Jesus– moving forward in Him while always mindful that the kingdom of God is so much more than one railcar on an isolated journey. May we open the door of our heart and invite in those who need what we have found in Christ.