A Step Forward

I remember a conversation I had with a guest on The Meeting House who spoke of "assignments" from God, and I think that can be an accurate description of the activity that we do at God's direction.  We have basic principles by which we operate, but from time-to-time, there may be special assignments that we are given to do - short-term or long-term.  We just have to make sure that we are listening for God's dispatch and are compliant.  Paul's life demonstrates this divine direction. In Acts 16, we can read:
5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.
6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.
7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.
8 So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.
9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.

It started as a one-off, but God had plans to expand a particular ministry outreach that was undertaken by a group of Southern Baptist churches in Georgia.  The Christian Index reported: "What began as a simple coat drive for Hurricane Helene victims has grown into a long-term mission of love..."  The effort was organized by Haw Creek Baptist Church in Cumming, GA.  The article relates:

This ongoing ministry has been marked by personal investment, practical support, and a desire to meet physical and spiritual needs. Shad Faulkner, pastor of Haw Creek in Cumming, says the point of reaching out to those impacted by the storm is simple. “Ultimately, the goal is to get them to trust us and know that we love them. That’s how we can tell them about Jesus.”

How this got kickstarted began with a call to the church's youth pastor from a congregation member about sending supplies to Helene victims as cold weather was setting in. He contacted the local Baptist association, and the next day, the first truck of supplies was heading to Western North Carolina. Then, there was a request for toys for Christmas. Pastor Faulkner states: "Before I knew it, we had 400 families signed up, so that’s about 700 people that we were going to serve in Waynesville. And we had about 150 volunteers on our end, ready to go.” The article states that the youth minister, Jason Power, "...had another idea. 'I want to give them Bibles,' he said, 'good, leather, Bibles.'"  It goes on to say:

Power explained, “In my mind, I’m thinking I’d like to hand the head of each family a Bible, and say, ‘Here’s the most important thing we’re giving you. We’re giving you toys and stuff, but here’s what can change your life.’”

Faulkner raised the issue of cost, which would be significant for quality Bibles. Within an hour of raising the idea, Power called him back and said, “I’ve got the money for the Bibles. There’s a business owner who wants to donate $25,000.”

He shared that they served Christmas meals to some 400 families, provided a Christmas celebration for the kids and gave the families Bibles.  

One assignment from God had been extended - it had grown into something much more.  The ministry added another key leader, according to the article:

Butch Kirk of Boots on the Ground ministry and a member of Pine Crest Baptist Church in Cumming, had been making trips to North Carolina with food and supplies for months.

“At first,” he said, “I just went up to Old Fort, and I was feeding people out of the back of my trailer, cooking them hot dogs and hamburgers.” Since then, he estimates he’s served more than 3,000 meals.

“We started a little place called The Refuge” in Old Fort, he said, “and we have a distribution center, and there’s a little kitchen in it so we're able to prepare meals and feed the community and distribute goods there. And now,” he added, “we've started having church on Sunday.

Then there was Chuck Bragg - The Christian Index shared the story of his and his wife's involvement:

Chuck Bragg and his wife are also a part of the effort to reach affected areas of North Carolina with physical and spiritual help. He recalled that people were initially skeptical of his motives. Bragg and his wife had bought some chicken at a restaurant and were looking for people to help when they stopped at one house on a Sunday evening. The homeowner told him, “We're tired of people handing us a bottle of water and taking our picture.”

Bragg assured the man that it was not their intent. The next Monday, he said, “I was back up there with building materials to help them get back into their home in the weeks to come. So that was the first relationship that we were able to build. And then it was from that home to another home to another home.”

The ministry group also did an outreach around Easter this year. 

Here is something that started with, actually, as Bragg says, "a box of chicken and a prayer in October..."  God has multiplied the efforts and brought together a consortium to do ongoing ministry.  

What we have to do is yield to God.  We may think He wants to do one thing - say, collect supplies for disaster relief. But, out of that act of obedience, He did something else entirely; and it's impacted not only the recipients of the aid, but the providers, too; as one volunteer said: "I think it's not just what has happened to the people there, but it's what's happened to us as Christians.”

So, we must be careful not to put God in a box, as if that were even possible.  But, we also should not try to duplicate or expand a ministry effort when He has set an expiration date.  We have to remain sensitive to the Spirit, full of His love, and go where He calls.  And, when He shows us that the assignment is completed, we can look back and give Him praise for His faithfulness.

It's important that we are watchful, sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and responsive to those divine appointments that come our way.