WOW!!!! What a service Sunday! That was our best yet I think. I am so pumped! PLEASE PRAY! You may have noticed I did NOT discuss the potential building across from Hampton Inn on 431. That's because on the inside of me I simply "CAN'T SEE US IN IT." At least not yet. For the past few months the only thought that keeps coming to me about a building is "WE ARE WAITING ON SOMETHING; I'M NOT SURE WHAT, BUT WE ARE WAITING ON SOMETHING." I just don't feel I should take a direction against this check in my spirit at this moment in time. Yes, we need to reach more people! Yes, I (myself) need to reach more people! Yes, we need our own location! Yes, we need the right location! But even more than that, "YES, WE NEED TO OBEY GOD!" We must be led by the Spirit, NOT by sight. I BELIEVE GOD IS STRATEGICALLY GUIDING US WITH GREATER PRECISION THAN A GPS! We are indeed reaching multitudes through our missions projects! Let's enjoy the trip!
Perhaps we are on hold concerning a building for several reasons, and then again maybe the reasons below are NOT God reasons at all:
1. Perhaps we are a FORERUNNER PROTOTYPE CHURCH rather than a traditional church. If so, for this kind of apostolic and prophetic church God is mostly concerned about making this kind of congregation an OBJECT LESSON and PROPHETIC EXPERIMENT in the greater body of Christ. God's plan for FORERUNNER CHURCHES is slightly different than the TRADITIONAL CHURCH. The FORERUNNER CHURCH is supposed to publish materials and become a colorful experiment in His Kingdom that LATER impacts the whole body of Christ. (Case in point: I do recall that back in the 60's and 70's, and even in the 80's, only new Charismatic type churches had contemporary praise and worship music with free expressions of uplifted hands, clapping, shouting, leaping, dancing, and the such. But NOW every kind of church and denomination incorporates these more intimate and relevant expressions of music! Glory to God!) Being cautious here of saying anything that might thwart evangelistic growth of God's Kingdom, I will venture to say that God's paradigm for a FORERUNNER CHURCH is somewhat different than the traditional church in that forerunner churches are CRUCIBLES for mixing new content and prophetic insight in preparation for the next move of God on the earth. FORERUNNER CHURCHES are usually smaller (not that they cannot grow) and have less turnover in membership. TRADITIONAL CHURCHES are larger by design of God, but also have more turnover. This discussion does require some maturity and discernment, however, because a FORERUNNER CHURCH is not to be confused with an ICHABOD or DEAD CHURCH, or a NON-COMMISSIONED CHURCH started by a Wanna-Be that never grows and wasn't God's idea in the first place. (By the way, there are many groups like this that should simply close their doors and join a group of believers that have God's obvious touch on their congregation. But they don't. Usually because the tin-horn pastor, or the senior pastor who is really supposed to be an assistant pastor somewhere else, wants to keep the tithe income from his little group despite their spiritual health. Ouch!) This discussion should NOT be used as an excuse not to connect with people and labor for evangelistic growth. (After all, Paul the Apostle told Timothy the pastor to "do the work of an evangelist." Not to be an evangelist - but to do some of the same things evangelists do to reach new people.)
2. We must keep the Petrucci's ministry as one of our primary missions until they are fully re-launched nationally. Presently we are almost their only channel of income.
3. Perhaps we are waiting for the Lord to add several more key people or couples to our church before He shows us our location and building. God is smarter than we are!
4. We may be waiting on my previous thought that might just be from the Lord: That He may combine us with another congregation and we could have an instant congregation and an instant church facility. Bam! Boom! Wham! El Fini. Done!
5. God might be very "choosy" about the unity of the Spirit at Life International and He doesn't want to add just anyone for the sake of church growth who might jeopardize our world missions impact, and take away my time and energy by having to fix people problems instead of ministering to you, my 2500 email subscribers around the world and the over 200 ministers ordained through Apostles International. After all, the Lord knows He has me on a government day job too. The Lord knows I don't need to be spending all my time on carnal Christians who obstinately refuse to grow up. Baby Christians are one thing; but carnal Christians are another. And plenty of big churches are full of them... and they mess up things big time!!! Hence the infamous church split or church splinter that everyone loathes. :)
6. Perhaps he views us as a "crack cadre" (hopefully not a "cracked" cadre. Ha!) rather than a traditional full service church with split focuses. Irregardless of how He views us, His touch on our services is an OBVIOUS CONFIRMATION that we are in His will and that He is for all general purposes, pleased with us. Of course there is always room for improvement. But neither does He want us to struggle internally and beat ourselves up if we do not fit some traditional mold of what success is supposed to look like.
7. Perhaps the Lord wants us to be a church with multiple small campuses rather than one large campus: Huntsville, Spring Hill (Nashville), Tullahoma, and/or other possible locations. In any case, TRUE SUCCESS is 1) Knowing the will of God, 2) Being in the will of God, and 3) Doing the will of God! One cannot improve upon the will of God!
I don't know about you, but I am having a blast with each of you! See ya tonight at my house! 6:30 prayer. 7:00 Bible discussion and fellowship.
Much Love & Respect, Pastor Dan
