Entrepreneurial Faith - another lesson from Long Beach

Good Day!

‘Seems I barely get home from Long Beach and I am missing being with my people, and I begin to ask
God for the next week’s message. ‘There’s something more .
. . I just know there is . . . at least, there ought to be,’ I was
thinking at the start of this last week. I was feeling
unsettled inside.

‘Lord, show me why I feel this way about Long Beach,’ I prayed. You see, I have learned that when God stirs the waters in ministry, it usually means he is about to give a greater vision. There
is no doubt that God has clearly been showing up at Long Beach, meeting
us in prayer, answering our prayers, changing hearts and changing
lives. Being part of what he is doing there is one
incredible experience! But then, Scripture teaching
combined with Spirit-filled prayer is a dynamic combination to bring
about change, so that is not surprising! But for folks who
are so poor, I do not feel that just bringing these to them is enough. I
sought the Lord about that, and then I flashed on a passage I have
taught several times: “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I
wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his
physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it
is not accompanied by action, is dead.”1 Hmmm . . .

And then I pulled a book from my shelf that had stoked the flames of vision six years ago, and reread it—Entrepreneurial Faith;2 it
was even better than I remembered it! Two godly men talk
about having an entrepreneurial attitude toward rallying the Christian to get out of
the church and into his community. (not an endorsement for
sitting at home on Sunday, but rather taking your Sunday learnin’ out
to others in creative ways)

Many of us have entrepreneurial spirits…whether they have been stretched or not or used for Christ, is the question. See, entrepreneurship is about seeing,
sizing and seizing opportunities. The entrepreneur then is
the one who is not satisfied with the way things are, refusing to stand
on the sidelines doing nothing about it. Combine that
fire with a passionate faith in Christ, and well, maybe that’s what
Jesus was talking about when he told his followers that they would do
even greater things than what he had done on earth.3

I went to the beach to pray, and asked God to show me next steps. ‘I’m listening, Lord,’ I prayed. ‘Then let’s talk about Long Beach… in order for some of those folks to get
their lives back, they need more. Things you take for
granted, like being able to bathe regularly, like having friends, like
not having to always look over your shoulder . . . ‘anything you can do
about those things?’ ‘I dunno, Lord—there’s just so much I
don’t know—‘ ‘Then go find out—there is no excuse for ignorance,
Child.’

So, the Duke of Earl took me to Lincoln Park, where many lay their heads down at night. You would laugh if you had seen the rehearsal before we entered the park. ‘Listen, Kris-teeen,
you’re gonna see people you know from prayer meeting—you can’t hug them . . . not
out here. You put out your fist, like this—they know that
means to stay an arm’s length back. Now, try it.’ So,
I did. There, on the busy downtown street, under the
watchful eye of tall county buildings, I extended my fist, and he met it
with his big dark knuckles. ‘There, that’s it. That’s
all.’ ‘Okay, I’ve got it.’ And with that,
we entered the park, and sure enough, I saw some of my people just
sittin’ around talking, discussing the Lakers’ chances in the evening basketball
standoff with the Celtics. I saw where drug deals go down,
bedrolls are hidden, all in a beautifully landscaped park, that is
filled with evil-doing, especially at night.

From there, we went to the Village, a place I had been desperate to see—having heard about it and read about it in The Soloist. Hydro
showed me around, while the Duke trailed watchfully behind. I
saw so many of my friends, and again, it was quite remarkable how happy
they were to see me on their turf. The Village gives
desperate people second chances—with mental healthcare, vocational
classes, a place to bathe, study, eat, get clothes, and log on to an old
computer. Seeing what the Village people do really
reassured me that help was around and readily available, if people knew
about it.

‘Time to get people moving then, Lord--rally the troops to start helping one another—I got it. Create a team of a ‘few good men’ to ….

‘Okay, Lord, show me next steps, show me how to do it—I’m listening.’ And with that, a tune came to my mind from high school choir 35 years ago. ‘The
words that fit that tune? “If my people who are called by
my name, shall humble themselves and pray…” I looked up the verse to
get it straight, “if
my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray
and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from
heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” ‘Get my people praying . . . I
mean, really praying.' 'Yes, Lord.'

And with that, I went back to Long Beach on Friday, and delivered the message of a lifetime about the power of prayer—the one called ‘Rocks in Action.’ Do you
have an entrepreneurial spirit? Have you used it to
further God’s work? Start praying about doing just that,
won’t you?

Christine

podcast:

1 James 2.15-17 2 Entrepreneurial Faith: Launching Bold Initiatives to Expand God’s Kingdom by Kirbyjon Caldwell and Walt Kallestad 3 John 14.12-14