What U2 Taught Me About Discipleship

The first number was Even Better than the Real Thing. The sound quality was incredible and the lyrics surprisingly clear:

Give me one more chance
And you'll be satisfied
Give me two more chances
You won't be denied
You take me higher . . .
You're the real thing

I threw my arms overhead and waved them side to side. I had suffered to be here. I had united with my fellow fans. I had earned my place at the band's feet. And now it was time for the adoration to begin, and I didn't intend to hold back!

How can I say this without sounding ridiculous? Well then, I'll just say it. The feelings I experienced were cosmic. The music transported me to another place, a place as close to the Kingdom of God as I've ever been. I felt mystically connected to the 80,000 other people in the stadium, strangers all. I didn't want any song to end. Call me Peter, but I wanted to build a booth and stay forever.

Preachers like to say that actions precede feelings. Have you heard that truism? If we want to feel loving, we need to first act in a loving way. If we want to feel full of faith, we need to act faithfully. If we want to feel like a disciple of Jesus, we need to act like a disciple.

But it wasn't until I was in that stadium with my hands in the air that the power of this really hit me.

One love
One blood
One life
You got to do what you should
One life
With each other
Sisters, brothers
One life
But we're not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each other