Post By: Chris Brown, Co-Senior Pastor and Teaching Pastor, North Coast Church
The last bit of candlelight cast long shadows across the cobblestone floor, while the artistry of brass and gold reflected the rhythmic movement of the flame. It was the darkest hours of night, and outside the only slight movement was from the corner of the shade canopy when a random breeze would creep through camp. It was in that hour that the whisper came. The call was faint, yet deliberate enough to wake him from his sleep. He lay frozen in silence somewhere between the land of dreams and reality trying to figure out where the voice had originated. A church at night can be a scary place for anyone, but sleeping in one when your name is whispered down the corridors is a completely different story. The young man jumped to his feet and ran to the old priest to see why he had called, only to find that the whisper hadn’t come from him at all.
In a way that only the Bible can, the lens of scripture has taken us into the first five verses of first Samuel chapter three, and yet the scariest part of the story is still two verses away. In the midst of God calling Samuel in the temple, there lays one of the most chilling statements in the Bible. And if we aren’t careful, it could be our story. Surrounded in the text by suspense and mystery, verse seven simply states that “Samuel did not know the Lord, the Word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him”. What? Are you kidding me? How did I miss that for so many years? Or better yet, how are we still missing that today?
Remember the context of the story. These events are taking place in the very epicenter of all things spiritual. The boy is sleeping in the Temple of God, next to the ark of God, and his roommate is God’s high priest of the chosen nation of Israel. Can you really find a more spiritual location than that? On top of all this, Samuel’s daily routine is to take care of the temple, and to help with all of the religious services and sacrifices that would happen there. Are you starting to see why verse seven is such a shocker? How can someone be in that place, at that time, surrounded by those things, and not yet know the Word of the Lord? But then again, how can we?
There is a chilling warning here for those of us who busy ourselves on a daily basis with the things of God, the people of God, the work of God…and yet can still completely miss the Word of God. We can easily get caught up in so much hurry, busyness, and noise that we fail to hear that deliberate whisper of Yahweh yearning for relationship. All too often, we rely on our own gifts, rather than on the Giver.
Let me ask you a simple question: If the Holy Spirit left your ministry today, how long would it take for you to find out?
A pastor, passionate about developing communication skills in young leaders, who has the unique ability to bring biblical passages to life through narrative storytelling. As a 2013 Summit Faculty, Chris will share insights on a biblical leader in a way that is both fresh and compelling. Follow him on Twitter: @_chris_brown
A letter from Gary Schwammlein, WCA Executive Vice President, International Ministries
Dear Friends,
As I continue my journey through India, let me share with you what I have experienced since I left Mumbai. Out next stop was Kolkata, or as it used to be called, Calcutta. Coming in from the airport I thought I was in China or Dubai because of the endless construction going on and buildings going up everywhere. India is one of the BRIC countries where economic growth is strong and it is certainly apparent on the road from the airport to the city.
However, it does not take long to be made aware of the huge needs this country is facing. We met with Compassion International (CI) staff and witnessed once again the tremendous work they are doing. I heard many heartbreaking stories about families and children that face incredible odds to ever escape the cycle of poverty, and how through child sponsorship their lives are dramatically changed for the better. I, for one, am so deeply grateful that God led our family many years ago to support several children who are helped by CI.
Our next stop was a church in the heart of Kolkata that is such a perfect example of a church working right. Not only do they have a hospital with several hundred beds and a school for 3,000 pupils, they also feed 10,000 children one nutritious meal a day, every day.
Think about it – 10,000 meals a day provided by one church that is not well off by any standard.
They are truly living out the gospel, and do many other things to help spread the gospel and make a difference in a city where less than 1% of the population are Christians. The pastor of this church also pledged his unequivocal support for the GLS and will do everything he can to make it happen, and in a way that will impact this city. He assured us he will make all the resources of the church available because he considers the GLS so important for the churches in this city.
We then stopped in the city of Chennai and met with a group representing most of the key pastors in this city. One of the highlights for me was to have Pranitha Timothy, a speaker at last year’s GLS, attend our GLS planning meeting. What a joy to meet this brave woman and to hear more about the ministry of IJM.
Sunday morning reminded me once again of the incredible beauty of a church when it’s working right. The church I attended, among other things, looks after 80 widows who have been abandoned by their families after their husbands died. I can’t tell you the anger that welled up in me when I heard a story of a son who kicked out his mother from the home that she and her deceased husband had built, and that he, through deception, had taken ownership of. Many of the women there asked me to pray for them, and I was glad to oblige and commit them into the loving care of Jesus.
In Chennai as well, the committee voted to host the GLS later this year. In closing, one more brief report from the neighboring country of Pakistan. 310 people attended the GLS in Lahore in late April, a city where only a few months earlier an angry mob burned down over 130 homes of Christians in a Christian enclave in that city. The GLS was an amazing experience in many ways, as this short report shows: The GLS provided an opportunity to the Leaders of Punjab Province to experience the Holy Spirit move in their unity…they say it was never experienced before, some testified that they have never ever sat with other denomination leaders, GLS-Lahore created an atmosphere for National Heads of different Missions and Organizations and Christian Secular Professionals to sit together for 2 days and experience God’s Special blessings.
Thank you Lord for allowing your Church to prevail, even in the midst of great persecution, opposition and poverty. And thank you for allowing us to be a part of it through the teachings offered through the GLS.
My next stops are Hyderabad, Goa and Bangalore, before heading to Myanmar.
Blessings,
Gary
Gary Schwammlein will be traveling for the next 4-5 weeks working with leaders around the world. Please be praying with our team for safe travels, intentional conversation, divine appointment, and for world leaders will capture the vision for the GLS in their country.
Post by Cally Parkinson
Meet Epic. Six years old and church home to 2,000 of Decatur, Alabama’s 55,000 residents.
But this thriving church was almost DOA in 2007. Three months after IV (pronounced “ivy”) Marsh moved to Decatur to help plant Epic Church, the senior pastor bailed, making IV the leader by default. The then-170 attendance dropped to 100, then 67, and by week three—Epic was back to its original launch team of 35.
In response, IV shared his vision for the church with eight staff members. Four walked out.
It was a humble beginning.
Today Epic’s spiritual energy is palpable, thanks to God’s blessing on IV’s relentless commitment to a vision of unconventional servant leadership. “This is the driving force that sets us apart,” says IV. “It’s what we do, not what we say.” For example:
Attendance soared, prompting IV to turn to REVEAL’s Spiritual Life survey. Another “game changer,” IV explains. “REVEAL showed us our blind spots. We acted on them and grew by a thousand.”
Epic’s spiritual vitality also increased dramatically—from an index of 62 in 2010 to 82 in their second survey—placing them in the top 10% of all REVEAL churches. Key initiatives included a focus on life groups designed to move people through Epic’s Discover, Develop, and Deepen stages of spiritual growth. Today, nearly 90% of congregants participate, and spiritual practices—including Bible engagement and solitude—have increased significantly.
So an epic outcome from a humble start—thanks to God’s grace and a bold leader.
What are the takeaways from Epic’s story?
Cally Parkinson is the director for REVEAL, an initiative in partnership with the Willow Creek Association that utilizes research tools and discoveries to help churches better understand spiritual growth in their congregations. To date REVEAL has served 1500 churches and surveyed 400,000 congregants. Cally has co-authored four books with Willow Creek’s Executive Pastor, Greg Hawkins, describing the insights from REVEAL.
