May 6, 2020
Here are four things that will help you come out of quarantine stronger than before:
Let’s learn from the past:
- Israelites had escaped from slavery
- They’d gone through 10 plagues, diseases
- They had to go to a place they’d never been before
We are coming through and out of a quarantine
We are going through a plague on the world-Coronavirus
We are going to a new place- a new “normal” that we’ve never been to before:
- How will church be?
- What will it look like?
- How will I reach out?
- How do I lead my people?
- Know when it’s time to advance: Dt 1:6-8
6 The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 7 Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. 8 See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.”
- They’d received the law
- They had time to rest and recuperate
- They had to go back to the original mission, the conquest and settling of the promised land’
- We’ve had time to rest, take a break
- We need to return to our original mission
- Perhaps you’ve felt the restlessness
- Understand the power of inertia
- It’s normal to feel sluggish
- That’s your sinful nature
- Look to God’s guidance during times of uncertainty: Exodus 40:36-38
36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; 37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. 38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.
They were in the desert, uncharted territory for them
They longed for the familiar, even if it wasn’t what God wanted for them.
God had something better in mind
He was guiding them forward through his presence in the cloud or pillar.
We have to set our minds forward by faith, not looking back.
Some things will remain, but many things will change for good and for the better.
We have to have faith that God’s Kingdom will grow and expand in ever greater ways in days ahead.
Look to God and his presence in your life.
Let the Word and his Spirit guide you through this time.
- Be a “Can Do” Disciple and leader Numbers 13:30-31
30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”
10 of the 12 spies said we “can’t” do it
They saw the obstacles and said no, let’s go back to the old way
Caleb and Joshua said, “We certainly can do it” because God is with us.
You are going to hear a lot of “I can’t”
- I can’t share
- I can’t serve
- I can’t go out
- I can’t meet
- I can’t participate
You are going to have to decide what kind of a disciple and leader you are going to be:
- I can do it
- I cannot do it
Because you are listening to this, I think you are a Caleb or Joshua type disciple.
Here’s what you can do practically to revive yourself and your ministry in the wake of the Coronavirus:
- Create a campaign for yourself and your ministry
Whenever, I’m facing a situation where I’ve lost momentum personally or in the ministry I lead, I create a simple, short-term campaign to inspire and prod me.
Here’s the benefit of a campaign:
- It’s short term
- It’s a forcing mechanism
- It demands that my best self responds
- It enlists others so that I’m surrounded by other people moving in the same direction
Here is what Tucson is doing at the end of May:
Goal: 31 Bible Study Appointments by May 31st
- Encourage one another: Call, encourage and pray with another disciple every day.
- Fast and pray together: Please set aside one day to pray and fast for God’s guidance and blessing on the mission.
- Read the Bible together: Please read through Exodus 1-21 in in 21 days
- Serve together: Help make PPE masks and ask friends to help us. If you can’t because of health reasons, find another way to serve.
- Reach out together: Invite friends and family to a special Neighbor Day on May 24th.
Goal: 31 Bible Study Appointments by May 31st
You can create a campaign to help you break camp and advance spiritually.
Here are four things that will help you come out of quarantine stronger than before:
- Know when it’s time to advance: Dt 1:6-8
- Look to God’s guidance during times of uncertainty: Exodus 40:36-38
- Be a “Can Do” Disciple and leader Numbers 13:30-31
- Create a campaign for yourself and your ministry