by Jackie Aldava

It's funny how things can shift in the blink of an eye. Months ago, when asked to contribute, had I not procrastinated, this would look much different. I had it on my heart to talk about how I use a talent that I believe God has given me to love on people, even if it's only a glimmer of hope in a dark time. I was going to talk about my heart for missions; and how my art has given me a venue to be able to raise funds to support worldwide missions. 

But today, I feel a different urgency in my heart; I feel an urgency to reach the lost like never before. It turns out when you're in the midst of pandemonium and chaos; your perspective is not only shifted but radically shaken. What I feel stirring inside of me is a product of months of God speaking gently to my spirit in preparation, so let me backtrack a little bit. 

We were recently called out of our church home, the only church that we had ever known. My husband and I were saved there, we were baptized there, our kids came to know the Lord there, we joined the ministry team, and I even started teaching a class there, all within a short two year period. God did a mighty work in us, just as He promises in His word. Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV) notes,

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

We had no clue how comfortable we had become conforming to the "norms'' of Christian society, inside the safety of the walls of the church. I realized how easy it was to go and prophesy over someone during a moment of prayer or worship because it was "safe," but would I do the same if I felt the Holy Spirit urging me to speak to a stranger in the middle of Target? The moment we began realizing our comfort was the moment we realized we weren't going to be allowed to stay in it. 

Don't get me wrong, we tried. But the longer we stayed, the more I felt as though I could feel the walls shaking and the ground beneath me starting to part. I want to be very clear; we love this church, and the people within it and walking away was the hardest thing. But the moment that we allowed it to become an idol, compromising our mission, there had to be a change. Everyone's walk looks different, and I know that God is moving mountains through that body. Walking away forced us to be more intentional with the relationships and bonds we had formed there. We couldn’t just expect to bump into people once a week anymore, we had to start walking in a manner worthy of our calling Ephesians 4:1.  

I believe that God places people in your life that you're meant to grow and build with. Kris Vallotton said in his book Destined To Win notes,

"You can't find your purpose until you have found your people, because your ultimate purpose is in your people." 

When we look at scripture, we see the disciples going out, at least in pairs, it wasn't a lonely one-man mission. We were created for community; community with Jesus and with one another; to bear each other's burdens, to edify and encourage. 

We were also commanded to GO and to make disciples in ALL nations. I fully believe that there needs to be a safe haven to come back to, to be filled up, and encouraged before we are sent back out, just as the disciples did. Where we've missed it, is getting comfortable in the safety of our buildings where we gather. We've forgotten the part where we're supposed to go out and find the lost. Scripture says in Hebrews 10:24-25 (NASB), 

...and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

We do these things to be able to overflow out onto others, the ones that we reach outside of the church walls- the ones who don't yet have salvation. 

Acts 2 reiterates what the prophet Joel spoke, that,

"...in the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people."

As we follow along and watch what unfolds among the believers in Acts, we see the model that God designed for us, for the fellowship of believers.

And in Acts 2:42-47 (NIV) the passage notes:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

I believe God is calling us as a generation to the next. As you look through the book of Acts, the devotion they had for one another overflowed onto all that they came in contact with, and daily their numbers grew. Can you imagine living in a community where you experience no need because it's met within?

I have felt so strongly in my spirit in the last few months that God is redeeming and redefining the word "church" and what it actually means. When you google the word church, you'll see it defined as "a building." When you look up the Greek root word, it's "ekklésia,"  (ἐκκλησία) defined as "an assembly or gathering." 

It was never supposed to be about being contained in a building. Please don't hear me wrong; I see absolutely nothing wrong with gathering in buildings, as long as we continue going OUTSIDE of them to reach the lost. 

In light of recent events, I feel God is confirming these words; our buildings have been shut down. Gatherings of more than ten people are now illegal and fined up with up to six months in jail. I do not believe that this is an attack on Christianity; I believe God is working in the midst of it, and I know that God works ALL things for His good (Romans 8:28). 

God is shaking His people, placing an urgency inside of us to GO, to get out of our comfort, our buildings, our mindsets to reach out to the lost as He commanded. I believe that He is releasing creative strategies to His people, His people that will humble themselves and pray. He is giving us ways to reach people that would never step foot into a "church" because of their hurts, their pasts, or their impressions of what it is. As He is redeeming and defining what we have turned His church into, He is smashing idols, and as we allow Him back onto the throne of our hearts, He is releasing everything that we need to press on. No matter the circumstance, our mission never changes. 

A month ago today, the Lord called us to start something new with the people we've been called to do life with. We began as three families partnered with God's mission; to live in missional community by reaching, responding, and reproducing. God’s love has flourished through this body, and it has organically grown over the last month. It shows us just how desperate believers are for more, how much they need community with other believers, where they can get real, and they feel heard and can minister to each other. It shows how much they long to have their lives interrupted to be given an opportunity to sow into others. I can personally say that one of the most impactful meetings we had was while gathered in a public park where onlookers came from afar to see what was happening because they heard the name of Jesus being lifted high. We worshipped and heard a word from Kenyan missionaries in town visiting as the heavens opened and it rained down on us; even our kids prophesied and prayed with no fear. We believe that we are in an epoch moment. God is speaking the same throughout the nations to all of His people. 

ep·och  a) an extended period of time, usually with new advances & great change; time marked by an event begins a new period or development;  b) characterized by a distinctive development or memorable series of events.

You were created for such a time as this (Esther 4:14). 

Allow God to release the creative strategies of Heaven so that during a time of lockdown and fear, a beacon of light and hope can shine bright through the darkness that is attempting to dominate. 

We may not be able to gather in a park this week, but there are endless ways to reach the lost when we allow God to guide us. 

Take some time to sit with the Lord and let Him show you all of the things He's placed inside of you. Let Him draw you the blueprints He's mapped out for you, let Him minister to your heart as He shows you the areas of influence you have, that no one else does. 

I believe that He is purifying His vessels in preparation for the next, allow Him to. Don't forsake His sweet presence for Netflix and chillin' during a time where distraction is so easy to yield to. Allow your family to be a part of the fruits as you sit together during this time. We need to be able to pour out just as much into our spouses and children as we do the outside world, God is calling us back to the table as a family; where conversations flow and intimacy happens. 

A mandated time of social distancing and isolation doesn't have to be a barren time of no harvest. He's still a miracle-working God; I pray that your ears would be opened, that your eyes would see, and that your hearts would be ready to give everything that you've been given to the one who has nothing.

Resources

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