Can You Feel It?

Think about it, some of the greatest things in life cannot be explained in words. The feeling of a beautiful spring day, the emotions of love or the excitement about vacation could never be captured in words. This can be similar to the feeling of new life emerging, we cannot see the evidence fully, but we know when the air is warming the earth and sun is shining that certainly something great is about to bloom.
So it is the spiritual realm, we can see the excitement in hearts of people and feel the presence of God even though we may not know what is coming. God will certainly allow us as church and individuals to bloom into a greater sphere of living as we remain positioned in His Son's light and allow the warmth of His love to saturate us. So friend, hang in there and be confident that the best is yet to come!

Greater Glory

God sometimes places in those ironic moments to teach us. Just a few moments ago I called to look into some potential new space for the church and I decided to look into the zoning laws for that space. I found the town code book the particular town's website and after sometime of reading this very long and boring document found that a church will likely not be able to meet in that space. As a matter of fact, the entire town would be difficult to move into because of zoning restrictions on 'houses of worship.'
Now for the ironic part. In my preparations for Sunday's message I came across the line "Shouldn't we expect far greater glory under the new way..." (2 Cor 3:8). Despite restrictions financially and legally we should be expecting far greater things. However, we know that God's plan is often unexpected, but superior. This is true for a church that is growing in a difficult area and for individuals who face obstacles that seem to prevent growth, advancement and success. Nonetheless let us stand firm and hope for 'greater glory' as God works in us and through us!

Fruit

This time of year we look forward to all fresh spring and summer fruits & vegetables. There is nothing like eating fresh Jersey grown blueberries or tomatoes during a picnic or barbecue with friends. In a similar way a church that produces good fruit is refreshing and delightful to the community, world wide missions efforts and the members who make up the church.
Even if there are challenges for new small plants or churches it is important that we keep our efforts fixed on producing good fruit by honoring God and blessing others. From this perspective of viewing the church as a plant that is growing in concrete it is essential that we produce fruit. After all, any plant that is growing in the concrete barriers or retaining walls on the parkway or turnpike will be regarded as disposable. We must then set out to produce fruit so that we will have such great value that someday we may be planted in an environment that sustains and nurtures growth. Patience is key and many times greatly needed as real estate is in the millions, zoning laws are extremely restrictive of churches and land is rare and likewise in the millions.
Finally, just like a plant is entirely dependant on the one who created the seed, the sunshine and the rain so we too must remain completely dependant on our Creator. I am confident that the heart of God is that we reach the lost, strengthen other believers and worship Him as the Almighty Creator of all. As we strive to have our hearts beat as one with the one who holds our destiny we will see great and mighty miracles!