Move When God Says, "Move!"

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Hebrews 11:8 ESV

 
WOW, what a year! It has been an adventurous year of faith for the Citadel of Faith Church Of God In Christ (COGIC) throughout the process of acquiring, relocating, and transitioning from the place of preparation to a place of promise.
 

Praise is due to God, who in His grace has brought the Citadel of Faith Church to a wealthy, spacious place! From our church’s inception out of the womb of very small COGIC church, to an incubator at the home of charter members, to a crib in a classroom at an old elementary school, to a laboratory in a 2,500 square foot building on less than an acre of land, God has now blessed us with a 25,000 square foot facility on 5+ acres of land in a strategic spot to do greater works for the Kingdom. God has prepared us through years of testing and learning in the laboratory at our old church location for entering into a new phase of ministry in our new church location to bring into fruition His promise and plan.

You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.

 Psalms 66:12 ESV

This time last year, I couldn’t have told you with confidence that we would be in a facility one year later like we are today. We knew it was necessary for us to either expand the building we were occupying, or relocate to a larger facility (God confirmed in 2008 to relocate). Either way would require reassessing and planning out a financial strategy and campaign for at least another two years. Then in January of this year, God spoke to my heart that it was time to move, to relocate the church saying “give Me something to work with.” I looked at our needs and what we had (I think you know what that means)…it didn’t add up on paper. The only thing I had to give God to work with was the bit of finances we had and a whole lot of faith. Needless to say, GOD DID IT! It’s amazing what God can do when He’s ready to move (there are plenty of biblical stories and personal testimonies confirming that).

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”

 John 6:7-9 ESV

One of the adventurous and confounding aspects early on in this process was having our hearts set on a property we felt adequately met our needs and would allow for growth, but from the beginning of negotiations in the spring-time, everything always ended in a stalemate. We were yet encouraged with our facility having a buyer within 30 days of being on the market in June. Then in August, we became aware of the property we closed on December 1^st. The ironic thing with that is it was the very first property we viewed when we started looking at properties over two years ago when the economic market had hit rock bottom. The property had been taken off the market for sometime and was put back on the market this summer. God providentially orchestrated that, knowing exactly what we really needed. Most amazing is that we purchased the property for only 35% of what its list price was when we first viewed it! We held our first service in our new facility this past Sunday, December 12^th. We're celebrating the Christmas Holiday season in a great gift provided by the hand of God.

Whatever God may be challenging you with, if He says go, do, or move...act in faith. It's amazing what God can do when He's ready to move!

I invite you whenever in the Indianapolis area to visit the Citadel of Faith Church of God in Christ (COGIC) where we are endeavoring to transform and empower lives through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We're  located at 7676 E. 38th Street, between Shadeland Avenue and Frankiln Road at the I-465 overpass (Exit 42 off I-465). We'd love to have you worship with us! Please feel free to become a Facebook fan as well.


Copyright © 2010 Johnson Beaven III. All Rights Reserved.

Johnson Beaven is pastor of Citadel of Faith Church of God in Christ (COGIC). He serves as a district superintendent and Episcopal assistant in the COGIC Indiana North Central Jurisdiction; human resources director for the COGIC International Department of Evangelism. He is the Indianapolis site coordinator and an instructor for the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) Certificate in Theology Program, and a religion columnist for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. His Twitter account is @jbeaven.

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Not a Good Sermon Sunday

There are diferent kinds of Top 10 lists, some worth heeding, others not. I came across this one from Nelson Searcy's Church Leader Insights Blog that made my day and I had to share. It's a list he saw from Preaching Magazine (http://www.preaching.com/):


The Top 10 Signs Your Sermon Isn’t Going Well
13. Your associate pastor is warming up in the bullpen.
12. The praise band begins playing you off the stage.
11. The congregation is filling in the blanks of your outline before you get there.
10. You think the lyrics to a bluegrass song are really connecting with your audience.
9. When you pause for dramatic effect, several people giggle.
8. Your cell phone starts ringing, and you answer it.
7. The person signing for the deaf just pulled on mittens.
6. When the children are dismissed to junior church, most of their parents go, too.
5. Your sermon took shape over a glass of wine and volume three of Left Behind.
4. Your interpreter just rolled his eyes and put your last statement in quotation marks.
3. Desperate mothers are pinching their babies.
2. The ushers are handing out refunds.
1. You began your sermon with “Top 10 signs your sermon isn’t going well.”

If you are a preacher, I hope none of these happened while you were preaching this past Sunday. If it did, go ahead and laugh, then try it again this coming Sunday.

Copyright © 2010 Johnson Beaven III. All Rights Reserved.

Johnson Beaven is pastor of Citadel of Faith Church of God in Christ (COGIC). He serves as a district superintendent and Episcopal assistant in the COGIC Indiana North Central Jurisdiction; human resources director for the COGIC International Department of Evangelism. He is the Indianapolis site coordinator and an instructor for the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) Certificate in Theology Program, and a religion columnist for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. His Twitter account is @jbeaven.

The Local Church is the Spot

According to recent research by International Bible Institute, approximately 100 million people in America want a quality and affordable Bible school education providing a good understanding of the Bible or to be better prepared to serve in their churches. Where do you think is the most appropriate of all locations for such education and training? Simply, the local church.

For many people, the local Bible institute serves a discipleship function as well as being a practical training ground for ministerial development and practice. -Bruce W. Jackson

If you are a pastor or Christian education leader who desires to start a Bible institute in your local church, you can through International Bible Institute (IBI) located in Santa Fe Springs, CA. As an IBI consultant, I can help you establish your own institute joining others in the growing trend and resurgence of the Bible Institute movement. According to the Hartford Institute for Religious Research, in addition to other forms of training, 20-30 percent of megachurches have maintained a Bible school or institute since 2000. The significant point isn't that megachurches have institutes but that the local church is the best location for offering training because that's where the people are, and their desire for quality and affordablility can be met.

Help for the Hope of Haiti

Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, as well as famines. But this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. Mark 13:8 (NLT)

By now you have heard, read, and seen photos of the devastation in Haiti by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck this past Tuesday. The capital Port-au-Prince is flatten and destroyed beyond imagination. Blood-stained sheets and cardboards cover bodies piled in the streets. Seemingly every standing image of help has been demolished; hospitals, schools, orphanages, governmental structures, even the U.N. Headquarters. What was once called a home for some three million Haitians no longer exists. One CNN report stated the devastation equals the effect of several nuclear bombs. The Red Cross estimates over 45,000 death toll. Last evening I spoke with a Haitian ministerial colleague who has received report that some of his family members survived but yet not a word on three siblings. He had plans for making a trip to Haiti on January 25th prior to the earthquake, and still intends to if permissible. Pray that he and his team are afforded opportunity to go to offer assistance.

In light of the life-shattering effects of this earthquake or any natural disaster, one may wonder, “Where is God in all this (if there is a God)?”...“What does God have to say about this (if anything)?”..."What can I do in response to this?" These questions pervade the mind and heart in moments like this. In our quest to find answers we often turn to theologians. I appreciated the article by Dr. Albert Mohler, especially in light of the remarks made by Rev. Pat Robertson regarding a possible cause of this catastrophic calamity. Let me share three basic thoughts.

"Listen Up Preacher!" -- My Best Advice to Preachers

Use me, O God, not because it's the hour for the message, but because you've given me a message for the hour. -Ed Towne

This past Saturday I spent most of the day doing what I truly love—teaching. I enjoy every opportunity to teach and engage with persons in learning, preparing, and improving themselves to better serve the Lord and His Church in ministry. This was the final session of a homiletics course at a C. H. Mason Jurisdictional Institute of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) denomination with persons preparing for the ordination process. The emphasis of this course was in expository preaching, which is becoming a preferred method among Pentecostal preachers.

One typical method of classroom learning is reading textbooks written by experts and professionals, in this case professors of preaching and famous preachers because we suppose those in the halls of academia and mega-church pulpits can offer the best advice for preaching. One such book, Best Advice for Preaching (1998) edited by John S. McClure, offers as the title presumes some great wisdom on the greatest endeavor persons like me have ever been allowed to engage for the eternal benefit of others.

It is not necessary for a preacher to express all his thoughts in one sermon. -Martin Luther

I thought for this course to include an added perspective. So I posted on Twitter and Facebook, “What would be your best advice to preachers?” I just want to share some of the replies with you.