by Jeff Tunnell
The primary thrust of the Apostles had direction from the risen Lord Jesus. Starting in the center of the earth, Jerusalem, they would then expand an ever-extending circle of the gospel’s reach until the entire earth was affected.
I have been called to a “Jerusalem” of sorts for my life; the center of my world is a small resort community in the Southern California mountains called Big Bear Valley. This is where I start. I am not suggesting a limitation by stages, rather a vibrant heartbeat for my immediate surroundings. It may be that, in a sense, we are on an island one hour’s drive in any direction from the lower elevations, sticking up above the clouds that makes me focus here first.
So my goal is to saturate this community with cells first and as we progress by building districts of cells to keep them connected in one church. More of the Elim model mentioned by Joel in yesterday’s blog. I would not resist a satellite church with it’s own leader as God raises up a leader, but I would keep the fellowship of churches connected overall. This has been my vision now for some years, I’ve failed at accomplishing it twice. If Dr. Cho is correct, I must fail that many times before success, so hopefully we’ll get Judea in our sites soon also!