Ignition

If you've ever taken a fire safety class, you're probably familiar with the fire triangle, a graphic that reminds those concerned that three components are necessary for fire. They are: heat, fuel and oxygen. The idea, as far as fire-fighting is concerned, is that if you deprive a fire of any of the three, it will be extinguished. And, of course, without all three, there will be no ignition.

As this year's spiritual renewal weekend, known as Ignite, approaches (September 10-12), It strikes me that similar components are necessary for spiritual fire.

Oxygen: Nothing worthwhile happens in the church without the wind of the Holy Spirit blowing across its surface. In fact the church was started at Pentecost when "a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came" and the believers "saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them." And they were "filled with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2: 3,4 NIV)

Heat: The heat for renewal can come from many sources. We will depending on Charley Reeb to provide much it for this particular emphasis (whether or not he preaches "fire and brimstone") out of what Dr Self has described as the "fire in his own heart".

Fuel: It's going to be up to us to provide the fuel for this particular fire. Each of us need to"fan into flame the gift of God" in our own lives (I Timothy 1:6 NIV). In addition, as members of the Force Of Seventy, we need to be leading the way in inviting our neighbors.

I'm thankful for the work that the Witness Events Team, the church staff, and all the committees and volunteers responsible for Ignite have done, and I'm excited about the potential this emphasis holds for renewal, evangelism and growth for Johns Creek.

Shaking Our Place

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. (Ephesians 6: 18-20 NIV)


As we enter our third-quarter small-steps emphasis on prayer, let's commit to pray for the Force Of Seventy program.

Evangelism is, for most of us, not easy. Except for that small minority who are especially gifted in this area, sharing the good news doesn’t come naturally. However, if you think about it, that’s actually good. Why? If evangelism were easy, we could do it ourselves - we wouldn’t need God. It wasn’t easy in the first century either. After a quick start, the early church began to face furious opposition. Yet they knew where to turn for help.

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4: 31 NIV)


Please pray.

• Pray for yourself that you will have the time, ability and energy to fulfill your role on your team.
• Pray that God will provide clarity to our leadership and to each of us as individuals as to how this still new emphasis should work.
• Pray that the Lord will send and reveal to us more prospects so that all the teams will be able to perform the tasks for which they have been gifted and trained.
• Pray the Holy Spirit will come down and shake our place and our lives so that we too may “speak the word of God boldly.”

Also consider setting aside time to pray for your team members, and for the other teams. They are:

• Workplace Witness Team
• Neighborhood Witness Team
• Worship Hosts
• Sunday School Outreach Team
• Telephone Witness Team
• Prospect Mining Team
• Outside Groups Witness Team
• Corps of 25
• Witness Events Team
• Communications/Emerging Technologies Team

We have a great God! We have access to Him through His only Son. We have the guidance of the Holy Spirit. So--- Why wait? Stop now and go to God on behalf of the Force of Seventy. And, the next time your at the church building, you might want to stop by and visit our nice new remodeled prayer room. You'll be glad you did!

Answering Rhetorical Questions

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (Romans 10:14-15 NIV)

When the apostle Paul wrote these lines to the church at Rome, he was in all likelihood not awaiting answers to his questions before continuing. These were in fact rhetorical questions. The answers should have been obvious. However, this young church at the political center of the first century world needed to answer them for themselves.

How can they call on the one they have not believed in?

Well...... they can't.

How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?

Not going to happen.

How can they hear without someone preaching to them?

They can't.

How can they preach unless they are sent?

.... We'd better send "preachers".


As members of the 21st century church, JCBC, and the Force of Seventy, we must answer these same questions. We are part of the same plan they were. We've been given the same task - to tell the good news to those around us - to Go, make disciples, baptize, and teach. We must constantly be mindful that there are people who may not ever know the joy of belonging to Jesus Christ unless each of us is faithful to share with them.

I've been asking myself a few "rhetorical" questions lately. Maybe they'll help you too.

Do I know my next door neighbors? - their names? - their children's names?

Do I know anything about what's going on in their lives?

Am I too busy to spend time with a friend or neighbor who needs a listening ear?

Am I approachable to people at work that might need to know that there is a God that loves them?

Do I come across as the kind of person who would know such things?

Asking these questions is helpful as I strive to be the witness God has called me to be. Especially when I come to one for which the answer is "not so much".

When Isaiah saw God in the temple high and lifted up, he was asked a couple of questions that weren't merely rhetorical: "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"

Today, God is asking us the same thing and not so rhetorically either. The real question is whether we’ll answer God as Isaiah did when he declared, “Here am I. Send me!"?