small beginnings

Zec 4:10  “Who dares despise the day of small things…?”

A couple of weeks ago I had the honor of participating in GCC’s Asia Interface.  Most of the time was spent as different individuals shared updates about what is happening in Asia through the different outreaches.  It was so encouraging to me because I remember sitting in a room with many of the same people just five years ago and hearing a very different account of what was happening at that time.

If I remember correctly, there were only one or two healthy churches that we were connected with in all of Asia, and a handful of individuals with big dreams from God about what could be.

However, through a lot of faith-filled steady plotting, planning, and much sacrifice, the situation is very different.  Now, we are connected with and serving dozens of churches and hundreds of new believers.

As we prepare to leave for Japan with a small and inexperienced team, heading into one of the spiritually darkest areas of the world, this brings me great courage.

Psalm 128:2 says, “You SHALL eat the fruit of the labor of your hands.”  It says in verse 1 that this is a blessing for “EVERYONE who fears the Lord.”  Our hands are set to build God’s Kingdom.  And we know the end of the story…

Rev 7:9-12  “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”