Church Planting Doesn't Make You Great

As a church planter, the role of announcing the good news of the kingdom of God in unusual places is just part of everyday life.  As one who talks one-on-one with people in coffee shops and bistros, pubs and sidewalks, and who speaks more formally in our hip downtown venue on Sundays, I find myself championing the grace of God a lot!  Talking about Jesus as the one who forgives sin, who reconciles us to God, the one who paid the price for our sin - this is just what I get to do, and I love it.  Calling people to repentance, to genuine fellowship with the Holy Spirit, and calling them to enjoy the amazing relationship we have as sons and daughters of God Himself is such a privilege.  But I can also be so busy doing all these things that I forget to take advantage of all these benefits that I have in God.

I was reading this morning in Luke 7 when this scripture jumped  out at me:

"I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John.  Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."  (Luke 7:28, ESV)

Jesus had just declared that John was not just a prophet, but more than a prophet:  he was the "messenger" whom the prophet Malachi had foretold would come to prepare the way for the Messiah (See Malachi 3:1).  In that sense, John was a pretty big deal.  However, after this statement Jesus then proclaims that the least in the kingdom of God is greater than John!  What?  How can this be?  How can the greatest prophet be lesser than a brand new follower of Christ?  (To be clear, Jesus wasn't saying John was excluded from the kingdom of God.  John was looking forward to a kingdom that he could not yet fully understand.)

To participate in the kingdom of God is better than to talk about it!  To be a great preacher of the glories of God cannot compare to experiencing them!  To live as a citizen of God's kingdom, as a member of the New Covenant in Christ's own blood, a citizen of grace and truth, freely approaching the very throne of God Himself, is a completely different reality than to declare that this is available.  While I could personally call people to repentance and call them to respond to Jesus - and I do - yet, I could still stand distant from the enjoyable benefits He has provided for me.

It was not John's "prophet" status that would cause him to become great in the kingdom of God; it would be his embrace of the King.  It would not be his austerity or good works that signified greatness but his faith in the Greater One.  In the same way, being a church planter doesn't make me great.  It's not that I come as a prophetic voice into my city of Spokane.  God hasn't called me (or you) to be "merely" a mouthpiece for His kingdom, a herald of things to come; he has called us to be active participants in His covenant of grace.  He has called us to relationship, to citizenship in Himself.

I can hear your theological gears working:  "But greatness in the kingdom is all about serving!  Jesus said that!  What about serving?"  You would be right, but what's the motive for all this serving?  Our service, whether it's declaring the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ, clothing the poor, or feeding the hungry, is best given from hearts that enjoy the abundant provision God daily lavishes upon us.  Citizenship in the kingdom of God never begins with us serving God, but with Him serving us.  He opens our blinded eyes, softens are hardened hearts, brings us from death to life, fills us with His very own Spirit, and causes our hearts to then beat in sync with His!  The least in the kingdom of God can enjoy these benefits of grace; the greatest servants in the kingdom - whether they are cancer-ward volunteers, church leaders, or poor widows who pray for them all - will serve greatly because they are rooted and grounded into the grace, truth, and love of their all-sufficient Savior.

Here's the prophetic call:  take some time to enjoy the very benefits you love to talk about!  Yes, search the Scriptures, but also come to Jesus and enjoy the life He provides.  Speak from that place.  Love from that place.  Serve from that place.  Maybe even plant churches from that place!

Baptism, Prayer, and Prophetic Update

It's November and it's snowing here:  heavy wet snow that the girls are enjoying, and Gabe is shoveling!  This weather reminds me of my childhood in Missouri, so I'm feeling a bit nostalgic today.  That being said, I'm also full of faith for the future and for what God has in store for the church in Spokane.  Since it's Veteran's Day and the whole family has the day off from school I have a chance to update everyone.

Prayer just before baptizing Michelle...

...Just baptized!

If you've been following my blog (www.jonnydavids.blogspot.com), you'll know that we were preparing for our first baptism in October.  Well, we've now had two baptisms!  Two young ladies, Erika and Michelle, were baptized this past month.  The day Michelle was baptized, we had 30 people there for the celebration - lots of family, friends, and even a French professor from Whitworth University (she teaches French - I have no idea if she has any French heritage)!  Since our own home did not come equipped with a "baptismal" (of course), we were able to use another home up on Five Mile Prairie in Northwest Spokane.  This home has a great baptismal tank in the form of a hot tub.  After we all prayed for Michelle we went outside to the hot tub, where I prayed for her one more time and then her sister baptized her.  Very fun!  Hot tub baptisms, anyone?  I know you are jealous. 

   

Following the baptisms we enjoyed a great meal at another home on Five Mile Prairie, where we discussed the finer points of running, soccer, and other sports with two of Gabe's cross-country coaches.  One of his coaches, Tracy Walters, used to be a USA Olympic track and field coach so he's full of amazing stories!  I don't think Gabe really realizes yet just how privileged he is to have such high-caliber coaches training him.  These guys love Jesus and are also really good at what they do!

We are just finishing up taking our launch team through Terry Virgo's book, "Start," a book designed for new believers and an excellent first-step discipleship training tool.  We've been using the book as a way to cover some of the core values of who we are as a Newfrontiers church, while also equipping each member of our team to take others through the book.  As we wrap this up, the challenge is for each team member to personally take someone else through the book now!  This Friday night, we'll be sharing our own testimonies of how Jesus has changed our lives.  We'll also go through the basics of sharing the gospel with our friends, family, and co-workers.  Please pray for effective gospel communication within our relational networks here in Spokane!

Friday night prayer in our living room

Two Fridays ago, our team spent most of the evening just praying for each other, prophesying into each other's lives, and praising Jesus together.  It was a really great night of prayer.  We know that as we develop a culture of prayer and worship that our roots will go deep while our effectiveness multiplies.  We have much work to do here in Spokane, and we look forward to continued partnership with all of you who are mutually invested with us through prayer, encouragement, and even finances.  Thank you!

  

As I bring this update to a close, I thought I'd share some prophetic encouragement:  On the morning of October 16, I felt God gave me a mental image of a rock dropping into a pond.  I was feeling a bit like I'd been dropped into Spokane kind of like that rock - under the surface - but knowing that the ripple effect was real and would be effective.  Then I saw myself re-emerging from the water, like I was extremely buoyant.  It was a forceful, fast explosion up and out from the water.  It's a good encouragement that our small beginnings are not insignificant and that the Grace Church Spokane team will have a strong launch from the "waters" of Spokane!  I hope you remember that too; no matter where you are, God is the one who makes you strong, makes you effective, and enables you to rise up!  As Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:1-4, we are both hidden in Christ and raised with Him!  Let's fix our eyes on Jesus.

For The Kingdom,

Jon

FYI - Giving is now possible directly to Grace Church Spokane, PO Box 10312, Spokane, WA 99209.  Thanks for all your support!