So we are 4 weeks in to this experience called The Collectives Church. And to be honest it has been a wild ride. God has been incredibly faithful in so many ways. As we continue to press forward, here is what I have learned so far.
- God is faithful in unexpected ways.
We have seen God do what he would say he would do. Yet, it has not looked how I expected it to look. God has faithfully provided the resources, the people, the place. Each one of those resources came in the most unlikely of ways. It as if He is pressing not just on my trust that He will do what he says, but teaching me to trust the process of how he will do what he has promised. I think we try to script the role of God in our life and circumstances. We try to guide him in doing what he said he would do just in the way we are most comfortable with him doing it. God looks at us and says “hold my Communion juice”. Then shows up in a way that is completely unexpected.
2. People are the greatest resource.
I cognitively knew this. I have experience this in leadership before. Yet, this has been a reminder of how valueable God’s people are. We have been given thousands of dollars and that has helped immensely (if you’d like to give you can here), but the greatest capital in the Kingdom of God is his people. Are team has faithfully served and sweated, quite literally as the air conditioning went out the last two weeks. The continue to serve and give of themselves. The continue to pour themselves out as an offering not just for our house, but for the Lord. We would have never reached this point without them.
Church is not an organization or a building. The Church is the people who are serving well, loving well, and glorifying King Jesus. We did more than plant a church, we believe we are planting people who will grow into leaders of the church.
3. People are hurting, but God is faithful.
This seems like a downer, but this is a lesson we are learning and one we knew all along. It is one of the reasons we pressed to start The Collectives to begin with. We live in a busted and broken world that has taken its full shots at individuals. A lot of people walk around wounded. A lot of people carry years of hurt with them.
While this is true, the reality is the Lord is still in the business of healing hurting hearts and mending broken lives. We are believing for miracles.
4. We believe in this generation.
If you join us on Sunday night, our stage is filled with twenty-somethings. At the door will be young adults and teens smiling and offering you coffee and a snack. If you linger around after, you will see young adults scatter like ants to tear down and reset the space we use. With all the berating of this generation, we have watched them step up and step into leadership. We have watched them fill the rows and lift their hands and hearts in worship. We have seen them respond to the call to lead.
It is as if they were just waiting for someone to ask them to lead.
Don’t mistake it, I realize we are really early on in this process and there will be more lessons to be learned. Yet, I am so glad we were courageous enough to step into where God has called us. Lives are changed, families are impacted, and individuals entire trajectories are being established as we keep reaching the lost, raising disciples, and releasing them into their purposes.
Go Be The Collectives!
