A couple of weeks ago, I shook up some folks in my sermon when I said that we, as a church, have been camped too long!  The reference was to the People of Israel in their 40-year sojourn in the wilderness after God set them free from Egypt in the Great Exodus.  The text was Numbers 9:15-23.  When God, who was represented by the pillar of fire by night and the pillar of cloud by day, stopped moving, the people were to likewise make camp and stay put.  But when God (His pillar of fire/cloud) began to move by lifting off of the tabernacle and moving off, the people were to break camp and follow.

I said that we have been camped too long, and that I believe God is calling us to break camp and move ahead into what God has in store for us.

Unfortunately, we don’t have something so obvious as a pillar of fire or cloud to follow, but I believe that God has given us discernment of His Spirit, and He is calling us to move out.  We have been camped for a while, resting after a particularly painful season in the life of our church.  Perhaps you have been sensing the urging of the Spirit as well?

The direction that I sense God calling us is toward embracing our denominational mission, to “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” I believe that we need to (re)create a disciple-making culture in our church family, where everything we do is intentionally designed and purposed to make disciples.  That means that we focus all of our efforts in this regard.  We are to help new people to become new believers and to  nurture them and all believers in deeper and more faithful (mature) discipleship.

Please be praying about this.  Share what you hear from God with me and the other leaders (Church Council) of The Fount.

Breaking camp is not easy, nor is it comfortable. But when God says “Move out!” I think you’ll agree with me that our only option, if we want to be faithful, is to do just that.

Blessings,

Pastor Glen