God's plans are better.

 

Q1 Update Summary

My wife's fave Christmas present this year was this book...

I find it highly amusing, that such a naturally gifted project manager would ever need encouragement or help to make yet another list. To me it is right up there with giving Lionel Messi a book on basic football skills, or Nelson Mandela a book on how to cope with a brief period of isolation. Spoiler alert: There are some things in this world that even the great Mrs Hinch did not plan for.

When we plan things as human beings, we always do so from a limited perspective. Oftentimes our own preferences and desires can drive what we would define as a "successful" outcome. The Bible reveals to us the bigger picture; the cosmological, eternal, multigenerational, multi-ethnic worldview, and reminds us that GOD and His wisdom are incomparably bigger than all this...

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord. 

 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Isaiah 55

Fundemental to receiving the transforming grace of Jesus Christ, is the step of submission that declares God's wisdom to be greater than ours. On our own there is no way that we could ever truly repair and restore ourselves (or this world) from the damage done by our own rejection of God, however good our planning. We need "more". We need more than we can muster, envisage, and contrive, a global multicultural diverse way forward for all people at all times. We need someone else, who can bring all things together under his leadership, especially the things we don't understand. 1 Cor 1:18-2:15 reminds us that Jesus Christ is the man of all wisdom, the center of God's dealings with mankind. He is "before all things, and in him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:17).

For many of us reading this, we can remember that time when the lightbulb went on by God's tender kindness, and we realised that we had come to the end of our own resources and solutions. That day we cried out in abandoned surrender (and scrumpled up all our self driven plans), was the wisest move we will ever make... and yet sometimes as battle-hardened, world weary Christians, we can forget this. We can forget what it is like to know the utter security, clarity, and success of universal, unreserved submission to the One who knows better. We fail to remember God in ALL our ways, and miss out on the promises and peace of Him outworking a straight path before us. (Prov 3:6)

 Over the last few months, and especially with the advent of a second UK lockdown, things are not as we had planned them as a team. 

But is this bad ? 

The reality is, that during this time God has accomplished far greater plans and has done far more than we can think or imagine in his good purposes. Our plan was to give a simple 1st quater update in 2021, but God has had other plans... He is doing "way more" and (at a much accelerated pace than we expected), and so the updates will come in stages (thick and fast) over the next few weeks and months.

In simple terms the completed list looks like this: 

• (Many) more people have come into the family of God, in (North, South, East and West) regions where we partner.

• More pastors, church-planters and youth-workers are coming together in God's purposes - asking how can we take the good news of Jesus Christ to unreached areas and peoples, especially for post covid rebuilding?

The vast majority of our mission partners have not only significantly suffered in health, stress and with an increased workload, but also financially over these last few weeks and months. Many of these wonderful friends are humanitarian hubs, leaders of gospel shaped mission who lead by example with their families. They have therefore sacrificed their own limited food and comfort for others in order to express the love of Jesus Christ. This has given us more opportunity to share with friends in their pivotal moments of need, and our small help has proved hugely signifcant for some - as God has so graciously included us as a means of answering their crisis driven prayers. This is so humbling and breathtaking. The growth of our relationship, gospel unity, and thankfulness to Christ are all the more for the way he has provided more, and blessed all of us more, one day at a time.

Sometimes "manna" may not look impressive to the outsider (Exudus 16:4) but when it comes from God's loving hand without fail, every day as promised, it is a visible illustration that His heart is with us, and for us in Christ. This rain of love from heaven in Christ is mindblowingly incomprehensible. 

"And my God will meet all your needs 

according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." 

Phil 4:19

We are experiencing a time of "MORE"

There are more requests for help, experienced mentors and training. More possible areas of development for churches, church plants, ministries and networks to work together in a post-covid world. As systems and structures fragment under the weight of pandemic, there are more opportunities to teach English, go into education, stream a program, or help people to understand the culture in which we live (apologetics) and make the most of these opportunities. Less infrastructure gives opportunity for more human contact, radical relationship, and new innovation in the name of Jesus Christ.

A hugely significant development has been the increase in “more invitations” coming from areas and countries we are not yet active in. A desire for more churches planted, more training and equipping initiatives for more of the next generation to be mobilised. Some of our friends in ministry with covid, were promoted to be spend eternity in the immediate presence of Christ. Simultaneoulsy a prompt of God transpired in an emerging generation who dispayed a growing appetite to make "more" of the opportunity that this baton had passed to them. We grieve with those who grieve, and cry with those who cry. We also look to God to make more of this legacy of faithfulness, that he will make the next generation (who stand on the shoulders of these giants) even more fruitful. We look to be more strategic with what we do have, in order to reach even more with the unmatchable answer found in Christ.

The prayer is a grateful one yet pleading for more.

Are we in any way proud or self-congratulating of the more? 

100% NO !

Remember none of this was of our planning, but His, the timing was His, the provision was and is always His, and this is His mission (which he has kindly, graciously, and generously included us in.) We will need "more" for the future.

·       Our Crisis fund has been wiped, strained through the sieve, and boiled down to the bones for stock. Yet as we live hand to mouth, God is providing one day at a time. We have more friends in a wider network, some with resource, many without. We will need to think through what this means; for more local churches to partner with hungry children, displaced peoples, our disabled friends, humanitarian aid, buildings needing to be built, beds needed for a night, pastors needing encouragement and respite training, pastors who need time to grieve loved ones, street and gospel workers working alone (without a full team) as they care for far too many in a very broken world. In times of crisis the cost of those who do the caring is often the last to be attended to, but the one of greatest signficance.

·       More UK volunteers: As soon as travel restrictions are lifted there is more that immediately needs to be done, more need of folks being ready to follow the prompt of God with us (as soon as they have had their vaccines). One of the unique privileges of living in the Uk is that we will be earlier to receive our vaccines. How do we give out of this blessing of God rather than keeping it for ourselves and viewing it as a human right ?

 I am reminded that in times of great spiritual awakenings; In Wales (1904/5) Scotland (1630/1730's/ 1859) America and England, (with Edwards, Whitefield and Wesley) ... there was an appetite for more... more of God. Ultimately this is the summary of our prayer. We want more of Him in our lives, more of Him to shape, renew and revive our hearts, more pliability to God in His ways, in His strength, full of His grace and His Spirit. We want Him to be more praised, in places yet to hear of Christ. 

We are in uncharted waters,
but we are more thankful than ever for the one who has the tiller in His hand. How awesome is our God?

Mark 4:38 "but He was in the stern"

More appropriate communication going forward:

The next 4 blogs will give more specifics, latest developments and greatest needs (“The Northern “Hub”, “The Eastern front”, “The forgotten many”, “The secret growth.”) Simultaneous to this, those who partner with us in prayer will be sent information that would be inappropriate to circulate on a public forum. If you, your church, smallgroup or family would like to be included in this, please do send us a short note (equip4good@gmail.com) and we will be only too glad to help.

With much gratitude for all of you who have partnered with us through recent days, and those who have joined the story recently. We are on His mission not our own, we are together under Him, our times are in his hands (Psalm 31)  and we look together to Him, united by Christ in His great plans. 

There is no better place to be.  

Much appreciation and love, your friend and brother,

P (on behalf of the team).