Insoo Kim
The church fathers taught that the two most important questions that a person can ask in life are: Who is God? and Who am I? How we answer the first question directly impacts how we answer the second question. These answers shape everything about our lives. Who is God? Who am I?
We are living in strange times. It feels as if the ground beneath our feet is sinking. There is a sense of fear and anxiety all around us. We feel disconnected and isolated, even when we are around people. Too many things are changing too quickly. Everything feels a little bit off. Things are not as they should be. As I think about launching our new Grandview campus, there are three things that I sense God inviting us into in this journey.
First, God is inviting us to remember that we are the people of his presence.
In the book of Exodus, we find Israel, the chosen people of God, living as slaves in Egypt for 400 years. God hears their cries and he raises up Moses to lead his people out of Egypt into the Promised Land. Through miraculous signs and miracles, he delivers them out of Egypt. But before God brings them into the Promised Land, they find themselves in the wilderness - in this space between Egypt and the Promised Land.
And Moses understands that entering the Promised Land is more than a destination. He understands that God is raising up a people for himself. Moses understands that Israel’s greatest need is the presence of God. So Moses says to God:
If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name. (Exodus 33:15-17)
Above all else, the people of Israel understood themselves to be the People of the Presence, the people among whom the eternal God had chosen to dwell on the earth. And the Kingdom that broke into our world through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is built on this radical idea that God no longer dwells in temples or tabernacles. But through the Holy Spirit, God now dwells in us.
Church, what makes us different from every other people in the world is the Presence of God. We are the people of the Presence of God. Yes, we want more of his power. Yes, we want more of his activity in our lives and in our city. But that all begins with the presence of God. So we always pursue intimacy with the Lord. We always ask God for more of his Spirit. We always seek the giver before we seek the gifts. And we pray again and again, “Come, Holy Spirit!
Second, God is inviting us to contend for renewal and revival as we launch the new Grandview Campus.
One of the worship songs that has been stirring in my heart in this season is called God of our Mothers and Fathers. The lyrics go something like this:
God of our mothers and fathers, come now and move among us. What you did before, come and do once more. We want to be a part of your story. God of our mothers and fathers, show your glory to your sons and daughters. What you were back then, come and be again. We want to see your power in our presence. In our time, in our day, come and move in this place. Come and move, God, move, God, move, God, in this place.
This is my prayer for us as we launch the Grandview Campus. We are contending for the Kingdom of God. We want to see God’s Kingdom come, God’s will be done, on earth as it is in heaven right here in Grandview, Upper Arlington, Clintonville, Bexley, on the OSU campus, and throughout Columbus.
We want to see:
The sick healed
Those in bondage set free
Broken marriages restored
Divided families reunited
People far from God encounter the life-changing love and power of Jesus
Prodigal children return home
Older brothers fall in love with the father again
We want to see renewal and revival.
But here’s the thing. We cannot give away what we do not have. We cannot take people where we have not been. We cannot disciple people through second-hand experiences and borrowed convictions. What we want to see out there must first begin with us here. Charles Spurgeon, the great preacher, said this:
The one thing I want to say is this—you cannot get out of the church what is not in it. The reservoir must be filled before it can pour forth a stream. We must ourselves drink of the living water till we are full, and then out of the midst of us shall flow rivers of living water, but not till then. Out of an empty basket you cannot distribute loaves and fishes, however hungry the crowd may be. Out of an empty heart, you cannot speak full things, nor from a lean soul bring forth fat things full of marrow, which shall feed the people of God. – Charles Spurgeon
What we want to see out there must first begin with us here. To join with God in contending for renewal and revival in our city means that we go first. Before we can light fires out there, that fire must first be lit with us. So, that’s the journey that we will be embarking on as the Grandview campus.
Being the church of God in our city means to be the extension of God’s Kingdom, his dynamic rule and reign, to partner with God to see all that is upside-down made right-side up again.
Our city does not need fancier church services or cooler websites. Our city needs the people of God to embrace our Kingdom identity and our Kingdom calling to make upside-down things right-side-up again wherever we are, whenever possible.
Third, God is inviting us to be strong and courageous as we launch the Grandview Campus. I don’t know about you, but for me there is a big gap between who I am and who I want to be. Sometimes the gap is big. Sometimes the gap is small. But the gap is always there! I want to be a better husband. I want to be a better father. I want to be a better pastor. I want to be a better leader. I want to be a better follower of Jesus. But there is always a gap.
I have realized over the years that the gap between who I am and who I want to be is not an intellectual gap. It’s not that I don’t have enough information because I have all the information that I will ever need. The gap between who I am and who I want to be is also not an emotional gap, because there are a lot of things that I feel very strongly about. And it’s certainly not an opportunity gap because the opportunities are all around me. The real gap between who I am and who I want to be is a courage gap.
I know what I have to do. I know it in my head. I feel it in my heart. I have the opportunity to do it. But I don’t because I lack courage.
After Moses, Joshua is chosen by God to lead his people into the Promised Land. And Joshua knew that the Promised Land would not be just handed over to them. It was to be taken. So here is Joshua standing on the outskirts of the Promised Land. And God comes to Joshua and he says to him exactly what he needs to hear. God doesn’t say, “Let’s get your strategy in order!” He doesn’t say, “Let’s go through the training manual one more time.” Instead, God says to Joshua:
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
Courage is doing what needs to be done even when you’re afraid. Courage is loving even after you’ve been hurt. Courage is risking again even after you fail. Courage is saying yes to God even when we don’t know where he may lead us. John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard movement said this:
The economy of the kingdom of God is quite simple. Every new step in the kingdom costs us everything we have gained to date. Every time we cross a new threshold, it costs us everything we now have. Every new step may cost us all the reputation and security we have accumulated up to that point. It costs us our life. A disciple is always ready to take the next step. If there is anything that characterizes Christian maturity, it is the willingness to become a beginner again for Jesus Christ. It is the willingness to put our hand in his hand and say, “I’m scared to death, but I’ll go with you. You’re the Pearl of great price. – John Wimber
I want to invite you to say yes to God and join us on this adventure. Let’s be the people of the presence of God together. Let’s content for renewal and revival together. Let’s be strong and courageous together. Come and be a part of this story with us!
