Last night, I attended Willingdon's New Year's Eve Service for the very first time. And I loved it - being in a quiet, reverent time of worship, testimony of all that God has been doing in people's lives over the last year, and hearing God's word delivered powerfully from Hebrews 12:1-2.
As Pastor John was talking about all that the faithful giving at Willingdon had accomplished over the last year and his desire to see the Gospel move forward in Vancouver, he talked about how 1,000 people had gone through the Discovery program this last year and his desire to see the church in Vancouver grow. "What does it take to be a church of 6,000 and then 7,000?", he asked. He followed up with talking about how people often ask when he will be satisfied with the size of the congregation coming to Willingdon and it's church plants. He emphasized it's not the numbers that matter to him, but that "...as long as there is one unsaved soul who has not heard the good news of the Gospel in the Greater Vancouver area, I'm not satisfied!"
I've been thinking about that, and wrote on my own blog a little about how I want to run hard for God this year. I encourage those at FLUX CM SFU, FLUX CM UBC, FLUX CM BCIT and elsewhere following this blog to think about how you can run hard for God with all you have this coming semester and the rest of this year, that His Gospel may go forward on our campuses. I've found the following Youtube clip of the 'Balance Beam' analogy by Francis Chan particularly relevant for me to think about:
Whatever way along the balance beam you've got to walk across this year, trust Christ to help you get across. Take to heart God's instruction to "...lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2, ESV)
Run hard, everyone! Happy New Year!
In my Father's Service,
Kevin
