Attempt Great Things for God
Sharon W. Betters
Today’s Treasure
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21
Dear Friends,
We were twenty-one-year-old newly-weds, in New York City for the Billy Graham Crusade School on Evangelism. During a seminar in an old city church, we saw a plaque with these memorable words:
Expect Great Things from God
Attempt Great Things for God - William Carey
Chuck and I interpreted this exhortation as our unique marching orders from our God and we enthusiastically accepted the call. Yes! We would do just what William Carey challenged us to do. By God’s grace, nothing would stand in the way of our desire to do something “BIG” for our God.
And GREAT - yes GREAT - would be our impact.
So when God opened doors for Chuck to pastor a tiny, dying inner city Philadelphia church while he attended seminary, our answer was an unequivocal, "YES!"
It did not matter Chuck's salary would be below poverty level. We had Jesus! It didn't matter this little church was dying. We would turn this tiny congregation into a vibrant, living testimony to God's power and grace! We planned, prayed, and dreamed of the day our efforts by God’s grace packed out this BIG, beautiful stone building!
No matter that only thirty people were left in this once vibrant mission, established in 1903. God’s clarion call filled us with confidence and hope fueled by William Carey’s declaration:
Attempt GREAT things for God. Expect GREAT things from God.
Surely, a GREAT BIG vibrant city church was God's will and we would make it happen!
Twenty-one years old. Pastoring an inner-city dying Methodist church as a "one-year-old" Christian with no background as a Protestant. Ah, yes, we would definitely turn things upside down. But not exactly as we planned:
God's definition of GREAT is often quite different from our own.
God's idea of great was to use this little congregation as our School Master. Something great happened, but it was not in the size of the congregation. God doesn’t measure greatness with numbers. God started performing painful but life-changing heart surgery on both of us. Three years later Chuck asked to be moved to a suburban church. Instead, God redeployed us to another inner-city church - this one deeper in the city and far more dangerous. Its claim to fame was for the highest rate of daytime gang killings in a once white, prosperous, Polish, Catholic neighborhood. Now, numerous ethnic groups and skin colors filled the homes. Our toddlers’ best friends were Bindu and Sindu Babu, two little Indian girls who lived in an apartment that overlooked our postage stamp, fenced in concrete yard. Women carrying grocery bags on their heads and multiple languages shaped the culture of our neighborhood. Such diversity made our move more exciting. YES, this time, we will do something GREAT for God in this tiny dying inner city church. After we moved into the huge old parsonage one of the leaders told Chuck, "This is three dying congregations coming together out of desperation. We're gasping for breath. The hearse is backed up to the door..." implying, "Good luck."
Our first Sunday in our new mission we should have been high on Jesus. Yet, after I put the two babies down for their naps, I found my young pastor husband crying quietly as he sat on the front porch. The promised "amazing music program" consisted of a powerful pipe organ and a choir of 3 elderly women. Only one couple without white hair sat in the pews of the 500-seat sanctuary. The other 27 were elderly, tired, and almost hopeless as they listened to this new energetic, twenty-four-year-old preacher call them to action and silently wondered who this young guy thought was going to do all the work to accomplish his vision.
"Go for it!" was their response.
I didn't know how to respond to Chuck's soft words, "Sharon, there is so much work. I don't know where to start. The needs are beyond me. We are so alone. I don't want to stay here."
No doubt many of you, including me, remember feelings like Chuck’s, or maybe you are deep in the abyss of hopelessness right now. But are we hopeless? Over the next few days, let’s learn from a little bit of oil what it means to attempt great things for God and expect great things from God. Little is much when God is in it.
Treasured by Him,
Sharon
PRAYER
Oh Lord, thank You for Your Word, how it is a lamp for our feet, lighting our way in the darkness. May we listen carefully for Your voice as we hear and read Your Word this week.
Sharon W. Betters is author of Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness and co-author of Treasures of Faith. She is Director of Resource Development and co-founder of MARKINC.org, a non profit organization that offers help and hope to hurting people. Sharon enjoys quality time with her husband, children, fourteen grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
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Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.