Our new church…

Well I have a praise report.  It really is quite amazing.  God has been faithful and delivered what we needed.  And we didn’t have to wait for it.  That’s right we have a new church building to operate out of and God just dropped it in our laps (He’s awesome like that).

A few weeks ago me and my best friend, Greg Sons, heard from God and He told us to step out of our old church and start a new one.  We had been having bible studies in my house for a few weeks and God basically said I want you to take this and turn it into a church.  Soooooo, with much faith and a little nervousness we stepped out.  We left our home church and started 4 Corners International. (pause for dramatic effect)

What happened then over the next few weeks was simply amazing.  In that time we’ve had bible studies in our friends house, church service in my mom’s house, and service in my dad’s insurance office.  It didn’t matter to me where we had service because I knew that God was going to grow our congregation.  I knew that we’d eventually get a nice building to have service in.  However, I was prepared to “pay my dues” to get there.  I was prepared to have service for a while in basements, garages, storage buildings or whatever.  I’d heard other ministers tell stories about how they went for years preaching out of a trashcan (being factious) and I figured I was no better.

Then a funny thing happened.  I went to the bank for some routine business and spoke with a loan officer.  I told him about our journey of faith and what God had laid on our hearts to do.  He said he knew a fellow who just bought a church building and was looking to help start a new ministry there.  He said that he would give him my number.  I didn’t think a whole lot of it at first.  The odds of anyone just up and telling us to move in was slim.  I wasn’t even sure if the fellow would call me.  Then out of the blue a few days later the phone rang.

Long story short, he wanted to meet and show us the building.  Again I was a little nervous because we have almost no startup capital.  How would we pay rent?  However in the few days leading up to the meeting I was moved of God to fast and seek Him concerning this meeting and the building.  As I, and Greg with me, did this a peace came over me saying that everything would be fine and that when the meeting took place we would know what to do.  Then Greg told me that God had said to him that the building owner had a heart for God and wouldn’t want any money.  I was hopeful that this was true.

Tonight we had the meeting and looked at the building.  The structure is immaculate.  It is one of the prettiest churches I ever seen.  It has everything we could possibly need and more.  I was overwhelmed with the size and the beauty of it.  After the tour was over, I said to the owner that we were very interested in the property, and asked what did he need from us? 

HE SAID “NOTHING”!!!!!  He said that he wasn’t interested in making money off of the property and that if we would dedicate ourselves to the ministry and take good care of the building we could just use it; just as Greg had prophesied.

GOD IS SO GOOD!!!!!

As I look back on all this I’m amazed by a few things.  1^st, what are the chances that this could take place?  Really?  Next to zero?  What are the chances that I’d happen to walk into a bank and run into a fellow who knew this guy and would put us together?  Next to zero?  What are the chances that four or five weeks after we left our old church we’d end up starting a ministry with a nicer building that the one our old church was in?  Absolutely zero!  However God is not a god of statistics and odds, He’s a god of miracles and power.  He accomplishes the impossible and confirms the Gospel with signs and wonders.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is just the beginning.  You are about to see great things come out of this church.  You are about to see the lame walking, the blind seeing, and deaf hearing.  You are about to see lives changed, relationships and marriages restored, and the bonds of addiction broken.

After all that God has done, and in the speed of which he has done it, I cannot help but believe that that we have only seen the tip of the iceberg.  It truly is an exciting time to be a Christian.

Praise be to God!!!!!

Ephesians 3:20-21 – ²⁰ Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,  ²¹ Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.