A “sad list” of 2,500 unreached people groups was unrolled during one of our services.
Jesus told us plainly, don’t talk about a harvest happening someday. Look at the fields that are white for the harvest today. As long as we see the Great Commission as some far off, unreachable goal, we will remain far off from reaching our goal.
Earlier today, 175 people gathered in a movie theater in northwest Arkansas as Grace Hills Church. We’re less than two years old with a modest budget and a long way to go toward being a “grown up” church. But we’re serious about making disciples of all the nations, today, even before we seem ready. I’m moved by how this young body of people have gotten swept up in the Spirit’s desire to carry the gospel further. A few things we mentioned and celebrated today…
- Michael Smith is a month and a half into a one-year residency with us, after which he’ll go plant a Grace Hills daughter church.
- A dozen and a half Grace Hills members are heading out in six days on a trip to Honduras and for most of them, it’s their first time out of the country.
- We’re investing in the Brito-Semedo family who have moved to Thailand to plant churches and share Jesus.
- We’re also investing in the Herring family and Refuge Church in Nixa, Missouri, a plant that will be launching soon.
- We’re blessing the Crabtree’s and Sanders’ who are moving to Papau New Guinea to reach an unreached tribe of people after they get their hut built.
And then there are the things we have going on for northwest Arkansas, such as:
- A growing kids ministry that is about to multiply by starting Cinema56 just for 5th and 6th graders.
- A student ministry that has taken off recently and is already seeing more than a dozen teens on a Wednesday night in a living room.
- Celebrate Recovery will be launching early in 2014 at the conclusion of our Road to Recovery sermon series.
- A lay counseling program to address the soul care needs of our community.
- A partnership with a local school to provide for some families in need over the holidays.
We could wait until we have a building of our own, a larger budget, or a more stable cash reserve. But the story of Jesus is one that needs telling now. Today. In this moment. Don’t fall into the someday ministry trap. Go to the nations today!
