Be Strong and Courageous


Church Planting comes in many different models. Some of the most successful church plants are those that take a core group from an established church and begin another work down the street. The model that God has called me to do is not like that. In fact, it is perhaps one of the most difficult models of church planting. We are going to move into a community where we have no momentum built-up and try to start a work completely from scratch.

Some call this method the parachute drop. As an avid action movie fan, I know that if a paratrooper wants to stay alive, he must hit the ground running. You have a mission that has been assigned to you and you must get out of the drop zone and begin to focus on the mission.

The anticipation of the initial drop is perhaps the most frightening moment. Imagine sitting packed together like sardines inside of a Douglas C-47 Skytrain waiting for the moment that you reach the drop zone. Before the ramp even opens you hear the enemy trying to knock you down. As soon as the ramp opens you can see the flashes of flack all around trying to distract you from your mission. But then you hear the call to go and you rush forward; fully committed.

We are in that time of anticipation. Sometimes it is tempting to give in to the "what if's" that abound. What if we cannot find a house to rent? What if we cannot find a location to meet in for worship? What if, like Noah, nobody answers the call to join us. God's Word gives comfort during those "what if" moments.

Often in life we are faced with impossible tasks. Joshua was called by God to do something that had never been done before. Moses planned to do it, but God decided that Moses would not be the one to see this mission to the end. Now Joshua was faced with the task of claiming the Holy Land for God using the children of a bunch of former slaves as his army. So God gave him a pep-talk: "Be strong and courageous, stay focused on the mission, be strong and courageous, do not turn away from your mission, be strong and courageous, I am with you always."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dirty Feet

Image
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news.” Isaiah 52:7 (NIV) I have never been very comfortable in shoes. It really doesn’t matter whether they have great arch support, ultra extreme amounts of cushioning, or how much they cost. The first thing I do when I arrive home is take off my shoes and stretch my once imprisoned feet by bending them at the arches and wiggling my toes. I then remove my socks and begin to feel my feet relax as the fresh air washes over my tingling, sometimes sweaty, toes. Pretty picture, I know. It must be the right thing to do. A billion Chinese could not be wrong. My mother could not be wrong. After all, she was the one who always told me to, “Take off your dirty shoes before you come in here. I just finished mopping this floor and I don’t want mud tracked all over my clean house.” It became a normal ritual around our house to put the dozen or so shoes away before company was expected. My mother didn’t want dirty f
Read more

Pampered and Pacified

Author J.M. Barrie created the character that never wanted to grow up. Peter Pan, also the title of his famous book, did not want to become an adult and be forced to deal with all of the stress and struggles that came with the transformation. So Peter found his way to Neverland where, along with his lost boys, he could remain a carefree child forever. But those who know the story also know that carefree was not all that it promised for villainous Captain Hook constantly lurked around the corners, and then there was that tantalizing Wendy who stole Peter’s heart before he even knew what hit him. Millions of Americans have seemed to follow in the footsteps of Peter Pan. We have become a nation that no longer values the virtues of adulthood: especially responsibility, strong work ethic, self-dependence, selflessness, and community awareness. You don’t have far to look in our American society before you see lost boys, and girls, running around everywhere. Grown men and women who want
Read more

Silent Lord's Supper

Image
I planned this service in 1995. ====== Please enter into tonight’s service humbly in silence and meditation. There will be no words spoken, so you need to follow the bulletin closely. We pray that this service will be a meaningful one for you. Come in …be seated …be still for a season …pray …and reflect with us upon the matchless love and grace of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Not a word will be spoken during this entire service. The only sound will be that of the piano as some familiar hymns of Christmas and Calvary are played. “Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord.” (Zechariah 2:13 KJV) Prelude “Kings of Orient” Removal of the Cloth “What Child Is This” Scripture Meditation “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12 NIV) “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people li
Read more