A phrase from Kevin Costner's film "Field of Dreams" has stuck in my mind for years. "If you build it, they will come." The little girl in the movie said this line to her dad who finally built a baseball field for the ghosts of old players to use. Lets leave the happenings of the movie for the bigger thought in that phrase.
Acts 7:48 (nlt) --- However, the Most High doesn't live in temples made by human hands. As the prophet says,
I like beautiful churches. To walk through one that is well thought through and fully functional as well as pleasing to the eye is cool, but God doesn't live in churches. He lives in the lives of people. You and me.
For years I have watched churches crumble because the building or their money begins to take the place of the call of God on the group of people who are the local church. When The Community Fellowship was founded one year ago, I said and continue to say that we want to invest what we have an who we are in lives and NOT in buildings. One day we may have a fine and cool building of our own. BUT we want to make sure our real investment is in people.
Think about it. "If you build it, they will come." It is not about the building. It is about the dream. For me this new church was a dream coming for a long time and with much fear, faith and dreaming. I thought that my family would be planting a church in some other part of the world and not in Henry County, Virginia.
One year later, I am pleased to say, as I did on September 3, 2007 that God called me and a team to build a local body of people for Him to touch our community for Christ. No, not to build a building. But to build people, one person at a time. And we are seeing that happen.
God has called us to be visionary builders. Think about Nehemiah back in the old testimony. We did the same things Nehemiah did:
Nehemiah 1:4 --- he asked God for what to do when he heard of the need.
Nehemiah 2:11-18 --- after watching God open the way for him to walk, Nehemiah went to see what was needed and shared his vision with others.
Nehemiah 6:15 --- in only 52 days, Nehemiah led the people to rebuild was was in ruins. He led the people to make the vision theirs even when people said it was wrong, yet they heard God say this was right.
The Community Fellowship is something did. Leaders, I remember a gentleman in our church say to me, "if you build it, they will come." And they have. I am, again, more excited today than I was a year ago. Our celebration this Sunday is going to be awesome. Because...look what God has done!
I want to close today's e-devotion by giving you some thoughts on planting churches from Albert Einstein (you heard me right). These may be secular thoughts, yet they have deep spiritual guiding principles. Learn from the wisest of people and use what you learn for God's best...
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
"The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
Acts 7:48 (nlt) --- However, the Most High doesn't live in temples made by human hands. As the prophet says,
I like beautiful churches. To walk through one that is well thought through and fully functional as well as pleasing to the eye is cool, but God doesn't live in churches. He lives in the lives of people. You and me.
For years I have watched churches crumble because the building or their money begins to take the place of the call of God on the group of people who are the local church. When The Community Fellowship was founded one year ago, I said and continue to say that we want to invest what we have an who we are in lives and NOT in buildings. One day we may have a fine and cool building of our own. BUT we want to make sure our real investment is in people.
Think about it. "If you build it, they will come." It is not about the building. It is about the dream. For me this new church was a dream coming for a long time and with much fear, faith and dreaming. I thought that my family would be planting a church in some other part of the world and not in Henry County, Virginia.
One year later, I am pleased to say, as I did on September 3, 2007 that God called me and a team to build a local body of people for Him to touch our community for Christ. No, not to build a building. But to build people, one person at a time. And we are seeing that happen.
God has called us to be visionary builders. Think about Nehemiah back in the old testimony. We did the same things Nehemiah did:
Nehemiah 1:4 --- he asked God for what to do when he heard of the need.
Nehemiah 2:11-18 --- after watching God open the way for him to walk, Nehemiah went to see what was needed and shared his vision with others.
Nehemiah 6:15 --- in only 52 days, Nehemiah led the people to rebuild was was in ruins. He led the people to make the vision theirs even when people said it was wrong, yet they heard God say this was right.
The Community Fellowship is something did. Leaders, I remember a gentleman in our church say to me, "if you build it, they will come." And they have. I am, again, more excited today than I was a year ago. Our celebration this Sunday is going to be awesome. Because...look what God has done!
I want to close today's e-devotion by giving you some thoughts on planting churches from Albert Einstein (you heard me right). These may be secular thoughts, yet they have deep spiritual guiding principles. Learn from the wisest of people and use what you learn for God's best...
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
"The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
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