The following is a part of our weekly devotional series, which is a companion to the 2013 Foursquare Life Journal.
Most of the things we view as successful began in the shadows, small and hardly noticed.
Trace an ocean back to a river that feeds into it. Then, trace the river to a stream and a stream to a tributary and a tributary to an underground spring. “Don’t despise these small beginnings,” stated the prophet Zechariah, “for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin” (Zech. 4:10, NLT).
Perhaps the most impressive observation about the worldwide spread of Christianity is how it began with a small band of unlearned followers and grew into the most influential movement in the world. Today millions of people visit Rome each year to the see the ruins of its empire and, in contrast, also witness the lasting global impact of a simple carpenter’s son from Galillee. If you had predicted such an outcome some 2,000 years ago, you would have been considered insane. Yet, here we are.
On Christmas Eve, I heard a compelling story of how one person shared the hope of God with another, and how that simple act spread to impact several others. It involves two co-workers, a daughter, a boyfriend, a doctor’s appointment and a sermon.
Carly attends The Sanctuary (Canyon Country Foursquare Church) in Santa Clarita, Calif. She invited Dawn, a co-worker, to attend church with her, and on that Sunday, Pastor Marty Walker taught about the value of human life from God’s perspective.
The message powerfully impacted Dawn. On the way home, she called her daughter, Crystal. They had scheduled a doctor’s appointment for the next day so Crystal could have an abortion. Crystal and her boyfriend had determined that this was their only option. Fortunately, they changed their minds.
This family (now a married couple with a 15-month-old child and a newborn) was at an earlier Christmas Eve service, and though I did not get to meet them personally, I did get to hear their story. I saw a picture of this family, taken with Carly, the lay member who felt empowered to influence her world with the gospel message of hope.
The Foursquare Church has long been known as a “pastor’s movement,” but what if we became better known as a “people’s movement?” What if we became a movement where every person is engaged, encouraged and empowered to answer the call to be a minister?
A person certainly does not need a position or a credential to fulfill the biblical call of ministry. Every impacting movement that I am aware of became sustainable because of a deep conviction that its future depends on its followers, not just its leaders.
That includes our Foursquare movement.
During 2013, we are calling on our Foursquare family to engage the scriptures on a daily basis, journaling about our journey and intentionally sharing that journey with others.
“Engage: Learn. Live. Lead.” This is our theme and our strategy for 2013. Future history about The Foursquare Church is waiting to be written—help write it.
By: Glenn Burris, president of The Foursquare Church
Download the yearlong reading plan (PDF, 80 KB) or sign up for the full, online version of the Life Journal. To purchase a Life Journal for your own use, or to place a bulk order for church-wide use, visit www.foursquarejournal.com. Learn more about Foursquare’s 2013 Life Journal project.
