God's additions

“Sharing what God is doing in your life may help someone else encounter God in a meaningful way.” Henry Blackaby


I really enjoyed sitting in on today’s New Missionary Orientation sessions at the Campus Crusade for Christ [CCCA] National Mission Centre here in Melbourne.

It’s always refreshing to meet some of the new people God is calling to join the Movement, often from a variety of backgrounds and locations. I appreciate hearing their stories and gaining some insights into how God has been working in their lives, to the point where they are convinced of His calling and are willing to trust Him to provide to meet their needs as they serve and follow Jesus.

I was reminded today of something Henry Blackaby (Experiencing God study series) has said;

“I pay close attention to the people God adds to the body.”

Blackaby suggests that God doesn’t add people to any local expression of the body of Christ accidently. He further contends that God builds the Body to match His specific assignments.

With this in mind I wonder what God might up to with these new members of the CCCA body, and what assignments He intends for them to help complete.

Also, I pray I will pay close attention to any new additons God may be introducing to the expressions of team and local church I'm associated with.


“So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
Romans 12:5

Seasons

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…” Ecclesiates 3:1


Having lived in Melbourne for a few years now, Judy and I would happily describe ourselves as locals. We enjoy living in this city, especially in the surrounds of our local suburb of Lilydale; gateway to the scenic Yarra Valley.

Melbourne people often joke about the weather here, as do people from interstate who come to visit! As locals we identify well with what people say about Melbourne being a place where you can experience four seasons in one day - in fact, one of the things that Judy appreciates the most about living here is the fact that the weather is so changeable!

This Melbourne Winter has been particularly cold, grey and often gloomy. There hasn’t been much sunshine, most days haven’t risen above 13 degrees and many people have copped their fair share of colds and flu.

I find it interesting to observe how the gloominess of the natural Winter season seems to be reflected in how people can feel personally - it can be a discouraging, even depressing time of year.

At a personal level, I have consistently found Winter to be a season when it is quite natural to go into a state of spiritual hibernation – my own spiritual disciplines tend to move at a much slower pace. I have to work and pray hard not to allow my faith to lay dormant. I must say that I’m pleased to see some emerging evidence that Spring is just around the corner – it’s time!

The Bible makes it clear that it is God Who ordains the seasons (see Genesis 1:14, Psalm 104:19, Daniel 2:21). The Book of Ecclesiastes speaks about a variety of contrasting seasons…seasons of life – this raises several interesting questions for me, particularly as a person of faith;

Can I identify the season (of life) I am presently experiencing?

Can I accept this season as God’s season for me at this time?

Can I recognise the signs of transition towards any new season that may be approaching?

Build a bridge!

“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?
Luke 14:28 NLT

Work has recently commenced on the construction of a new highway overpass bridge in our local community, just down the road from our family home. It is expected that once completed, this new 90 metre-long bridge will greatly improve safety and access for cyclists, pedestrians and users of a popular regional trail. It’s a good and timely initiative…

Bridges – what’s their purpose; why do they exist??

I see bridges being primarily about improving our connectedness – bridges usually remove the dangers associated with an existing obstacle (railway line, highway or river) and they can also reduce the time and distance that is required to travel between two points of reference, making for a better journey.

I think that the image of a bridge can also be useful when considering our connectedness with people.

I’ve been thinking lately about how this can apply with the one-another passages in God’s Word, especially concerning Jesus’ call for God’s people to love one-another.

I believe God is looking for more of His people to be bridge-builders – that we would be people who will take the initiative and weigh up the costs and do what it takes to build relational connectedness across the various obstacles that can often prevent authentic relationships from flourishing.

I also wonder what new bridges God might be calling our local churches and youth ministries to invest in building, to connect His amazing love and good news to a lost and hurting world. I expect that for some it will require enough conviction and foresight to look beyond their local context, to see something constructed that can span the gaps of culture to reach those who have yet to hear God's story or meet Jesus for themselves.

Bridge-building is surely a work-in-progress (I can easily see this by observing the current project near our home). It takes time to build a bridge; it takes some resources and planning to build a bridge; it takes initiative and hard work to build a bridge…but the end result will be worth it - overcoming obstacles...towards improved accessibility and greater connectedness.

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34

shared experience & common heart

“Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24:32 NLT

I’ve recently returned from a very encouraging few days in Perth, WA. I always enjoy heading back to this beautiful city – apart from the fact that it is a lot warmer than Melbourne at this time of year, Perth contains many friends and memories gained from the 15 years when Judy and I once lived there.

I was blessed to share three days with YMA co-worker Matt Fricker and a committed group of youth leaders from ten or so city and regional churches. Some of these guys were still in high school, some were fairly new to the youth leadership scene and there were others who have been serving in youth ministry for ten years or more – what an incredible blend of Christian community! Together we dug deep into God’s Word, the life of Jesus and our own ministry contexts as we explored some of the important issues of faith, life and mission.

I’m always expectant that we will encounter God at work in the midst of such experiences - I try to pray specifically for people to experience His presence and His voice - I’m rarely disappointed. God seems to reveal more of His Own heart, with conviction, when His body gathers around a common [biblically grounded] purpose, in unity, with passionate and teachable hearts.

This was certainly our experience in Perth. It appeared that God had selectively gathered together these Jesus-followers for such a time as this. It was great to observe the hearts and minds of different participants being genuinely stirred by God’s Spirit. Several common themes surfaced from our shared experience. These included issues of character, calling, investment in people over programs, tension between nurture & mission, small group dynamics plus being confronted with what it means to be faith-filled as we share in Christ’s work.

Matt and I came away from these days in no doubt that God had met with us. We concluded that God is clearly moving amongst His People to raise up a generation of harvest workers who truly love Jesus, who shun complacency and comfort, and who are willing to step out to take the risks of faith required to make a lasting impact amongst the youth communities of Perth and beyond – I look forward to what will continue to emerge in the weeks and months to come…

SHARED EXPERIENCE & COMMON HEART...I’m hoping to experience more of the same when I travel to Brisbane for meetings with a few key youth workers this weekend.