Hope in Christ

The last month has been a long and slow road. I have had the opportunity to share with many people and churches about what we hope to do in Bakersfield. This is the exciting part of support raising. The not-so-exciting part is the waiting....and the waiting...and the waiting. During the last month or so we have had some "ups" and "downs". Currently, we need roughly $900/month to reach our support-raising goal. Given the climate of the economic status in our country, this is encouraging. Certainly, a pressing prayer request is that we would see this $900/month come in soon. 9 families committing to support us at $100/month would do it.

Yet in the midst of this process, I have learned to keep the "emotions" out of the support-raising efforts. There would be too many highs and too many lows to go through. Fortunately, our hope doesn't rest in $900/month. Putting our hope in Christ keeps in check our emotional stock.

Ephesians 2 is a very familiar chapter. Many people, from children in Sunday School classes to adults, memorize 2:8-9. While these verses are propositionally and substantially important, what I love about the second chapter of Ephesians is how Paul demonstrates our hopelessness without Christ and our hope in Christ. Taking the main thought from Ephesians 2:1-7 we see this emerge:

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins...but God...made us alive in Christ...so that he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace...in Christ Jesus."

We were dead, but God made us alive, in order to show us how rich his grace is in Christ! This is staggering! And it certainly puts support-raising into perspective. Our hope is not in what people and churches decide to commit. Our hope is in Christ. Through Christ, people are brought from death to life. Through Christ, ordinary men and women are sent out into the world. And through Christ, his church (and church plants!) will be fully equipped for its worship, witness and work. And it is all through Christ.

We want to get to Bakersfield soon. I would love to move in March and much has to happen between now and then to see that happen. But this one thing is certain, Christ is our hope.