Encouragement!

by Jeff Tunnell

www.bigbearchristiancenter.org

Encouragement!  We all need encouragement.  The Church Growth International (CGI) conference at Bethany World Prayer Center last week supplied just that, and plenty of it.  Pastor Mario Vega ministered with precision, giving insight to the Cell church philosophy of multiplication and evangelism; setting clear goals, training new leaders, diligent continuance in our work, having all things underwritten by the essential life of prayer.  Dr. Cho inspired us to live by faith, dreams, vision and the good confession in expanding the church.    Billy Joe Daugherty reminded of the necessity for delegation combined with organization and planning in order to “Let my people go” to do the work of ministry.

Surrounded by 1500+ others who desire to expand the kingdom of God through cell ministry I was encouraged to see that I am not alone in the daily efforts made at the local church level to which God has called me.  As Casey Treat said, “Every overnight success is preceded by 20 years of hard work!”

It’s like the farmer who came along a traveller stuck in the ditch.  He hitched Daisey, his old, blind workhorse to the car and began to call out, “get up Daisey, get up Bess, get up Daisey, get up Bess” and the horse strained at the harness until the car was pulled out.  The traveller thanked the farmer and inquired curiously about his calling out to two horses when obviously he had only one.  To this the farmer cupped his hand and whispered in reply, “Daisey is blind, but she pulls much better when she thinks she’s part of a team.”  I return to the work, encouraged, knowing I am part of a greater world-wide team that I just can’t see.