First off, thank you for stopping in to check out our new family blog. This means that you either care about us or that you are curious to see just exactly what we have gone and gotten ourselves into. I hope that it is a little bit of both. The purpose of this blog to stay connected with each of you, and to take you with us on the journey that God has prepared.
Since we have shared with our family and friends the "calling" to church planting, we have a fielded a barrage of questions about where, why, and when. To some, our answers seem to make even less sense than the calling itself. But before I get to that, I want to clarify what we mean by "calling" and "church planting".
In a general Spiritual sense a "calling" is a direct communication and/ or summoning from God via the Holy Spirit. This calling can be manifested outwardly through revelation of scripture and inwardly in thoughts, desires, and emotion. The Bible is clear in its teachings that a Spiritual calling is upon ALL believers.
- The first type of "calling" is that of God to draw us from our sinful and destructive reliance on self to a fellowship and salvation through His son Jesus Christ.
- The second form of "calling" is a general call to action, growth and maturity in our walk with Christ. The Bible says that ALL followers of Christ are called to be involved in actively proclaiming the gospel. The Great Commission in Matthew 28 was not just for teachers and preachers but to all who hear and believe.
-The final type of calling is that of a specific ministry and/or purpose. God used Moses to deliver His people, He used Elijah & Elisha to take a stand against idol worship, He used John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus, and of course He used His only and perfect son to save an evil and dying world. But God has also used many people, everyday average people, even less than average people like me, to fulfill His purpose in us and the world. This specific calling for my family is to come along side our brothers and sisters in Christ, The Scott Family, as they answer the call to go forth and plant a church. Because I have already gone long on this post, I encourage you to check out the Scott's Blog at http://family-of-scotts.blogspot.com to get a much better prospective of the Church Planting process from the pastor's point of view.
So, back to those questions: Where, why, and when? At this point, we can only answer the why. It is because the love of Christ compels us to reach out to those in need of Him. To bring a source of light and hope to those in trouble and darkness. For if we don't go, who will? As for the where and when, the story is still being written. We don't know, and we have decided that the where and the when doesn't matter nearly as much as the why. It may be somewhere here in Florida, it may be North Dakota, or it might be Zimbabwe. The Lord knows and will reveal it to us in His time. So for now we are in the prayer and preparation phase. We will be seeking networking with other church planters and looking for specific training for folks who are called to church planting. The "where" may be revealed in 2 months or 2 years, but right now we are keeping focus on the why.
We know that not everyone is going to get this, not everyone is going to understand or agree that this is a wise thing for our family to do. I hope that through this blog each of you will be able to hear our heart and better understand the Love of Christ that compels us. Romans 8:31 says "What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?" God will look out for our family. He will meet our provisions, be the source of our happiness, and bring us peace that passes all understanding. His blessings will be upon us in a mighty way for hearing and answering the call.
Will you share in the faith with us? Will you pray for our family, The Scott family, and the new believers that will be reached through this act of radical obedience? I hope so, because we desire the prayers and support of each of you.
With much Love and Respect,
The Harmons
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