Part-4: Planting is not easy, but still excellent

This wraps-up my mini-series on "Planting is not easy, but still excellent."  Of course, nothing is ever really wrapped-up...and that's the point.  We live in a broken world with broken pieces of people and places always flying around--- that's why the mission to share God's Good News will always be a challenge.  Yet, we always have His power as we seek first His kingdom!  Planters: We take heart in Jesus who says, "Take heart...I have over-come the world!"

Story-4: "Changing the Spiritual Climate"
After standing with it's majestic stone facing since 1873, Holy Cross Episcopalian Church closed it's doors in 2009.  Why?  It's members had slowly died off--- a classic case of what happens when you stop making disciples that make more disciples.  My church plant, Rejoice!, then purchased the land and facility and made plans to develop a parking lot and add-on a 9,000 square foot facility--- functional for contemporary worship.

Planting is not easy, but still excellent....

We invited the surrounding neighborhoods to come and see our plans for improving the property and blessing the whole city.  We shared grace with all, but grace was not received by all.  A small, but very angry group of atheist started a city-wide petition against Rejoice!'s vision to add-on to the facility.  They argued we were wrecking history.  We argued the building's history was as a church facility--- and we were going to keep it's history by moving forward to make more history!

None-the-less, the atheists sued us.  They posted signs around the city to defame us.  They wrote to the newspaper and attacked us through a popular city blog.  The campaign against Rejoice! (or, more likely, against evangelical Christianity) seemed to be working.  The city had a dark cloud over it.

I must admit that my initial "flesh response" was to fight back with clever words.  The Holy Spirit, however, broke me from that thinking.  I was not to wage a war of flesh-and-blood against flesh-and- blood, but to follow the Father's fight--- a fight in the heavenlies.  Therefore, our congregation stayed away from responding to the blogs and we didn't write letters to the editor.  Instead, we pray-walked the neighborhoods of the city!  We blessed and spoke peace over our enemies.  Our responses were positive--- blessing and loving.

Planting is not easy, but still excellent...

What happened?  Long story, short: in about one-year's time we not only won the case to build, but even more powerful is that we won the people of the city.  There is no doubt prayers of peace broke the spiritual climate of hate.  In it's place, the Spirit created an atmosphere of blessing that ignited a renewed hope that Jesus is real and relevant.

How do I know this?  Here's one example: Rejoice! began serving the city--- helping to clean up the river/park areas, helping families in crisis, supporting the local government with individual prayer and opening up the new facility to city-wide needs.  Members of Rejoice! volunteered to serve on the annual city celebration team--- giving, giving, giving as a blessing in the name of Jesus.  Even the mayor's atheist wife dropped her mistrust of Bible-believing Christians and began to welcome the vision of Rejoice!.  Wow...all because we battled against principalities of darkness instead of battling flesh and blood!

Friends: preparing for the launch, launching, then developing a new ministry for sustainability is never easy...and the work will never be completed (see blogs 1-2-3 on this topic for more details)...but it is excellent when we develop a church to be effective in bringing the heart of Jesus to the people, instead of developing a church that only brings Christians to the programs.

Start a new ministry and you will automatically have a bulls-eye painted on your back.  That's because Satan is afraid of any Christian movement that is missional.  Mission in Christ always defeats the work of the enemy.  New church plants will continue to come under attack and I say GOOD!  That means you're on to something important--- changing the spiritual climate of your city!  After all, we plant not because it's easy...but because it's purpose is excellent! 

2 Chronicles 20:17, "You will not need to fight in this battle.  Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf."