So, I’m sitting in an empty building in downtown Bellingham. It is our new church plant – and we’ve now had two services – joyful, exciting, hopefully Christ-exalting. Many people are engaged and helping… wow!
And yet… the building is covered with blemishes on its walls, and a big loading-dock door on one end. There are mountains of things to do. And I’m thinking through the joy of fellowship at the community church we’ve been at for many years, the comfort of it, the ability to focus just on teaching and counseling, the many fun times we had… and I get a wave of doubt. A heaviness of heart.
Why are we doing this?
What is the purpose of “planting” a church?
Can’t we just live life, and not worry about all the details and struggles and obstacles that go with starting a new work?
I’m not much of a rabble-rouser or rebel; I’m not up in arms about this or that. I’m not very political, though I believe in fulfilling my obligation as a citizen to vote.
So what cause is so great, what passion so high, that we do push through the obstacles? That it overcomes doubt? That we dependently stand, hoping and praying and desiring to proclaim God’s Word, clearly and truly?
For me, that doubt-banishing motivation is reflected in the very first greeting of Paul in almost all of his letters, echoed in Ephesians (1:2):
“Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
There really is grace to us from God Himself, maker of the universe, the one who is offhandedly referred to as He who “made the stars, too” (Genesis 1:16). The Lord of Lords, who became flesh and lived among us and died for us and rose again and is forever making intercession, He declares peace to us, and has grace for us.
The “us” in this are those who have been set apart by God, those who in the realm of Christ Jesus are faithful, who believe that our only hope is Christ and our lives truly are united to His.
The motivation is – we know this grace. We know this peace. And the “we” and the “us” is not a big enough group. Everyone should know this grace! Everyone should know this peace! Could it be that there are many in Bellingham who don’t really grasp this grace and peace? Could it be that God would have us proclaim this message to them?
And even beyond that – we need to remind each other of this grace from God. We need to put specifics on it, explore the depths of its truth and show the reality of its experience. What has He really told us in His Word? How does that lead to our actions and encouragement of each other?
Actually “need” is perhaps the wrong word in the little paragraph above. We will remind each other, we will put specifics on it, because we can do no other.
This is what banishes doubt for me. The depth of knowledge that I, by God’s grace alone, have tasted peace and grace from God. That my life – yours, too – has purpose. That purpose is not toward doubt and fear but toward standing as heirs… by which we cry ‘Abba, Father’ (Romans 8:15).
May we be used by our God to proclaim His truth to those around us, in word and deed. May our love for Him lead to love of others, glorifying Christ in all things. May we truly be motivated by the grace we have received.
Ok… I’m stepping off my excited mini-platform now. But I’ll come back when my heart is tempted by doubt, or when my eyes want to dwell on shadows.
What grace we have received!
