Why should we keep going and is it even worth it? I ask myself these questions from time to time, and maybe you do as well. We are almost 8 years into our church journey – from the very first leadership team meeting where we prayed and asked God if we should even pursue a new church with no idea what it would look like to today, where we are a network of four house churches that are working to be faithful to God. It has been a fantastic journey, and I believe a journey we could not in good conscience avoid. I say that both for my wife and myself, and for many in our network.
There are days I wonder about what we are doing and why we are doing it. The reality is that I can’t shake the feeling that we are slowly and methodically pursuing God and that failure to stay on this course would be unfaithful to what we have been called to do. Each time I come back to the tough questions I look at our network and I see a group that are intentionally working to bring God’s Kingdom to earth as it is in heaven. I see people intentionally engaged in relationships, in the community and in conversations that build the Kingdom. I also see fruit. The Kingdom is expanding – albeit more slowly than I would prefer – which is likely a struggle as great for me as it is for you. Some who did not follow Jesus now do. Some who never considered it now do. Some who have never heard are now hearing. But in most cases it is slow and requires a deep and trusting relationship.
At this time we are seeing some victories, as one of our house churches is really exploring what it looks like and what we should expect to see in serving a powerful God in our world. They are grappling with difficult questions about healing and why we don’t see more of it. We are also seeing some struggles as one of our house churches is having a bit of trouble firing on all cylinders. One of our house churches is made up primarily of people who have no church back ground, so they are trying to figure out how to integrate into our network and what discipleship and being the body looks like.
Our hope and aim is to be faithful to God. To listen and respond to what He is doing in us and around us. Our hope is that if we continue to put ourselves out there, just beyond our comfort zone, that we will continue to grow and that in time our actions will be used by God for His purposes. We are excited and thankful, hopeful and sometimes fearful.
