Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean I began to contemplate the value of family. Actually, the contemplation began earlier in the day as Elisa and I were preparing to leave Birmingham for our trip to Kenya. This trip to Kenya is unique in that three of the four members of the Board of Directors of The Association of Bridge Churches will be working together to train pastors and minister to the children of Pavilion Village. It is not so much that this trip is unique because three board members will be traveling together or even because it is the first Association wide missions endeavor. Instead, I began to realize it was unique when I started to consider the full makeup of the team. The three board members include myself, Sam Biggar(of The Bridge Keesville) and Bart Malone (of The Bridge Orlando) and each of us are bringing along a family member. Sam is traveling with his daughter, Bart is traveling with his father and I am traveling with my wife (at least I hope to be[i]). I consider the family dynamic of this trip to be the truly unique aspect of it and I find it difficult to believe that this is merely a coincidence.
The prophetic insight that the Lord seems to be emphasizing is the value of family. This trip to Kenya is made up of a spiritual family joined in service by their natural family. I believe that if we are to build a household of our own and leave Laban behind to establish the House of God, then we must do two things. First, we must begin to realize that the spiritual family ties that bind us together are as significant as those of our natural bloodline. Second, as a result of such realization, the anticipation and excitement over the expansion of our spiritual family should begin to reach the same level that we would reach over the expansion of our natural family. The birth of a baby in our natural family circles is a time of tremendous joy and when any young couple in our natural family struggles to overcome some form of barrenness, we naturally tend to come together to provide encouragement and prayer cover.
As a church, if we continue to build the household of Laban, we will never walk fully into our spiritual destiny. Though Jacob had several natural sons at the time of his departure, the hard facts are that what he wanted was to see his family expand exponentially. It is time for us to develop a new zeal for an increase in the size and influence of our family. We must become passionate to see our family be fruitful and multiply. This must provide prayer cover and encouragement that will bring The Bridge Birmingham out of a history of spiritual barrenness and into a place of new birth and discipleship. Our church cannot be said to be traditional and therefore the things we do to bring an increase to our household will probably look no more traditional than those that Jacob did.
Jacob, upon the strength of a dream grew the size and influence of his family upon the back of the spotted and speckled. In the context of church life, the spotted and speckled are frequently compared to those who either don't fit the mold or present some degree of challenge to acceptance in the typical church setting. While I do not disagree that this comparison has application, I think it is far more significant in this present season and in the context of The Bridge Birmingham, that the comparison that we focus on is that the growth did not come in a typical way. In order to accept the spotted and speckled, Jacob had to reject every principle of animal husbandry common to the culture of his day and simply do what God told him to do. In the same manner, we must on the mechanisms of church growth that are common to our culture, but rather we must be bold and brave enough to simply do what God is calling us to do.
I cannot say that I have the full picture as to what we are to do as a church in order to pursue the growth of our household with the passion that God is expecting, but I do know that as we come to a greater understanding of the bonds that bind us together and walk ever more fully in our destiny as a family, God is going to reveal more completely the steps that we need to take. The seeker sensitive model of church will never bring the kind of growth that God is calling us to, but neither will a hyper-charismatic emphasis on gifts that remains constantly focused on ministering to one another within the walls of the church. Let's pull together as a family, seek the Lord and prepare ourselves to build this household on the strength of vision the vision that God is even now beginning to set within our hearts.
On the Day of Atonement, the Lord revealed a number of things to me and among them was a vision of a bloodhound being released to seek out its quarry. I knew within my spirit that the bloodhound that I was seeing was only one of many that were being sent forth. I am confident that these hounds are being set on the scent of those who will bring new life (awakening) and new lives (spiritual children) to The Bridge Birmingham. The hounds of heaven have been released, and the question is will we leave aside the things we are comfortable with to receive the quarry that they bring in? Are we a people willing to take a chance on the lessons of the spotted and speckled? I believe that we are and I believe it is time for our household to grow.
[i] Elisa was not allowed to board the plane from Birmingham on Monday due to a problem with her passport. Since it was partially Delta's problem they are attempting to help her get it corrected as I write this, so that she will be able to fly out on Tuesday to join me. At the time I am sending this newsletter, Elisa has still not been able to verify she will be able to join me. I believe that this is a prophetic illustration of the challenges we must overcome in order to pursue the things that God has been teaching us.
