First Church of the Nazarene

February is upon us.  NYI Valentines Banquet, Children’s Valentines for Jesus, and Lent is right around the corner with preparation for Spiritual Deepening Week.  In our Missional Strategy last year we began to turn our attention to Experiencing Missional Practices.  It was the place where the rubber would meet the road as we explored what it meant to know and love your neighbor, practice biblical hospitality (love of strangers), and engage what we called third places.  These things were seriously challenging.  Many of you stepped into the fray with fear, and trembling, but courage filled your heart as you obeyed the Lord.  This year’s missional strategy emphasis is another rubber meet the road application. 

 

As a part of our missional strategy the leadership of the church (church board) adopted a “20/20” goal of planting 4 churches by the year 2020.  Two of those would be in Cuba and two would be here in our area.  Going, and making disciples is who we are and what we do in following Jesus.  He has called us to do this.  One church is already planted in Cuba (Cruces’ Church of the Nazarene) and the second church plant already has a group of about 30 that meets in Sanctus Spiritus.  We shopped for a facility for this group while in Cuba a couple weeks ago.  

 

That leaves starting two churches here.  It is easy to talk about the Great Commission, but it gets a little more serious when we start sending people, investing time, money, and resources to accomplish this.  Fear creeps up in our minds about losing connection, losing relationship, giving away the disciples we have equipped, or the money that does not stay in our church’s accounts.   Let’s be honest, it is a scary thing to freely give as Christ has given to us.  But this is exactly why we have made disciples, so they can go make more disciples.  Could they do it by staying here?  Perhaps.  Could they be more effective branching outside our own venue into places where there is no holiness church present? Every statistic says a resounding yes. 

 

I wanted to back off of such an audacious goal and the board called me on it.  They said if this is what God has placed in our path as a vision for ministry then let’s not back up on our faith.  We followed God in building and look what He did!  This is no different.  We stand at a crossroads in the life of LCFCN.  I don’t always know all the details in the Lords leading, but I know for sure, where He leads, I want to be found following.   There are questions yet to be resolved. Will I allow my fears to die, my concerns to submit to Him, my personal ambitions to give way to His, so that we can reap ‘a plentiful harvest of new lives’?  John 12:24 (NLT)   These are the questions we will look at in February.  It would be so easy to make this all about the prospect of planting churches, beginning more phases of building our facility, both at the same time, or whatever God is calling us to “do”, but it is really much bigger, it is about the stewardship of our lives.   Will you join me seeking God’s help to overcome fears in following His lead? 

 

Pastor David

SCRIPTURE: John 12:24-26 (NLT)
²⁴  I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.  ²⁵  Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.   ²⁶  Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.