I trust this post finds you well and looking forward to Easter and Spring! The hills in Southern California are an incredibly beautiful emerald green. The trees are just beginning to bloom. Birds are singing. You can sense the newness, the birth, the opportunity. I watched a small House Wren busily looking for food this morning. If you have ever watched a Wren you know what I mean- they are flitting, looking, jumping, hopping, always on the lookout for some tasty morsel which is usually some unsuspecting bug!
Without getting into the "bug analogy" too deeply I would like to think the Body of Christ is like that little Wren. The Church, busy, looking, jumping into places that you would not normally think to jump into while looking, always moving, eager...ready and responding to whatever you might find! The Body of Christ has a mandate to "ever be on the lookout" in all things and that would be especially true in the spread and propagation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
That is why I believe "partnerships" are so important. We can be busy like the little Wren, but we are able to accomplish much more when we are a team, a partnership, sharing the same intensity and desire of "searching" as that little Wren does individually. So we ask, "what does a partnership look like and what are we searching for?"
- First, we recognize and acknowledge without a moment's hesitation that Jesus is Lord and that really this is HIS game.
- Second, we know our target. In our specific instance we are looking for the "least reached people groups" living on the planet right now, today! That is who we are searching for!
- Third, we have trained JONATHANS who are ready and eager to go to the "least reached people groups" and tell the story of Jesus Christ.
- Fourth, we have "Armor-Bearers" behind the scenes pulling for the JONATHANS. AB's adopt a people group. They commit to pray for that people group specifically. As they are able to contribute financially to see that the Gospel is preached, taught and devoured by that people group. "AB's" make sure the JONATHAN is able to accomplish the mission, (I Samuel 14:6-7), even as JONATHAN'S Armor Bearer did in I Samuel 14.
- Fifth, we are looking for a five year commitment from Armor Bearer's in these partnerships to carry the Gospel to a least reached people group.
Just like that little Wren, you can see that there are a whole lot of people who are connected together, who are partners, who see that this fulfillment of the Lord's Great Commission to "go into all the world," is really carried out! This spring time if I could come and meet with you, your church group, your global team, your entire church, I would be happy to schedule that opportunity and share with you in even greater detail what this ministry is all about! I promise, I will sit still long enough to tell the story and answer your questions! We only go so far with our Wren comparison!
God's Peace on you all!
Graydon Jessup
714.488.7922
graydonandjudy.blogspot.com
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