As we look to the future, we see thousands upon thousands of people all around us who need Jesus.  Some are falling away.  Many, many more are waiting to be reached out to by loving laborers.  Elk Grove and south Sacramento continue to grow with thousands of new residents.  Who will reach out to these precious souls with the good news of Jesus?

We must take on this challenge.  We must invite them in and open our hearts to receive them with love and acceptance.  But we have a difficulty that must be overcome: Our home is not big enough.  We must have more space for more people.  We must adjust what we currently have and make plans for a future move or expansion (that’s the “X”) to bring more people into a relationship with God!  How can we do this?  First, by seeing this as a challenge and not a problem.  This demands the right spiritual vision.  In the days ahead, together, we are going to believe God will give us the insight — and the foresight — to do great things for His sake.

Prayer Focus:  Today, think about a close friend, family member or someone you can see being reached with the Gospel — someone you are praying will one day worship the Lord with us in Impact’s new home. 

Pray about what it will take to get them in the Kingdom.  Then envision them in a seat at Impact.  Awesome isn’t it?  Now envision about 1000 other current attenders at Impact doing the same thing.  Wow!  Where will we put them?  Let that simmer with you and God for a while!

George Mueller hadn’t faced a situation quite like it.  Before him were 120 orphans, expectantly seated at long dinner tables.  But something at this mealtime tested the mettle of Mueller’s heart.  On the dinner plates at that table was...nothing but water.  Eager faces looked toward him, as if to say, “What’s for dinner?”  But he didn’t know; the cupboard was bare and the icebox was empty.  There was no milk, and no money to buy food or drink.

What was George to do?  It didn’t take long for him to decide.  He would do what he had done every other mealtime.  He would instruct the children to bow their heads and join him in thanking God for the meal they were about to eat.  He would praise God for the faithfulness of His provision.  And so he did.  Mueller prayed simply, directly, and with a heart filled with faith.

When the “amen” was pronounced, the plates were still empty.  But as the eyes of those 120 youngsters turned again to the head table, a knock sounded at the door.  One of the boys was sent to answer.  A moment later, he called out, “Mr. Mueller, it’s the vegetable man!  He’s got a lot of stuff for us!”  “Coincidentally,” there were many vegetables that would spoil if he didn’t do something with them.  While the vegetables were being unloaded, another person came to the door — the butcher!  He had run out of ice at the end of a hot day and faced the prospect of awful, rotting meat.  Could the orphanage use it?  No sooner had he spoken the words than another amazing “coincidence” occurred.  The milkman’s wagon pulled up, overloaded with milk and dairy products and needing desperately to do something with them!

Needless to say, it was quite a banquet that night.  And it was the finest lesson in faith those orphans ever received.  Would the same thing have happened had Mueller not prayed, believing God for His provision and thanking him ahead of time for it?  We don’t know, but we do know Jesus said we have not because we ask not.  And we know His will for us is to walk by faith, not by sight.

Prayer Focus: God is calling each attender of Impact to answer a vital question:  “Do you have the faith to trust God for His provision?”  No matter what the circumstances are?  No mater how gloom your reality may seem?  Do you trust God to provide?  Talk to Him about that right now.  Spend at least 10 minutes (minimum) and share your heart about your faith in His provision.  Oh yeah… and be honest!

Remember the television show M*A*S*H?  It was based on an American emergency medical unit in the Korean War.  This group of people was composed of some very different personalities.  There was Hawkeye Pierce, B.J., and Father Mulcahy.  There was Colonel Potter, Radar, and Hotlips Houlihan.  They were always playing jokes on one another and arguing over different political views and the war.  But there was always one thing that brought these characters together.  It did not matter what particular argument was going on or what particular practical joke was being pulled, when they heard the sound of the choppers bringing in wounded, they always were united in the O.R.

In our day of hurting and wounded people, we cannot afford to be one more church that spends all of its time arguing over things that will not matter in the light of eternity.  We must bring our differences together and allow the Lord to merge them in unity of the Spirit.

Just as Aaron, the high priest, was anointed on his head and the oil ran down his body, so the Holy Spirit descends from our great High Priest, Jesus Christ.  Anointing always brings harmony.

Prayer Focus: Pray that, throughout the fulfilling of the vision God has given Impact, we will experience genuine harmony resulting from the Holy Spirit’s presence among us.  Ask God to show you specific ways you can contribute toward the unity of believers at Impact.  Do you know anyone who adds to the disharmony of the church?  How is God guiding you to respond to that division?  Are you divided?  Many times people just need their questions answered.  Ask God to help you lead a unified cause to see more lives changed… starting with your own!

A personal relationship with God is established by faith and a continuous fellowship with God is maintained by faith.  Paul told the Colossians, “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Colossians 2:6, NKJV).  We receive Him by faith, and we walk in Him by faith.  Without faith we cannot please God, and we cannot live effectively for Him.  “Without faith,” the Bible says, “it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6).

Second Kings, chapter 5, records the story of Naaman, a powerful Syrian military leader who was suffering from the most dreaded disease of that era, leprosy.  Someone told him Elisha, the man of God, could possibly heal him, so he sought the prophet’s help.  Elisha instructed Naaman to wash himself seven times in the Jordan River to be healed.  The great soldier became angry at such a ridiculous suggestion.  “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy,” said Naaman to his servants (2 Kings 5:11).  At first he refused, but without any other remedy, Naaman at last went into the river and was healed.  The act made no human sense, but in the divine plan, it was an act of faith.

Prayer Focus: Why do we need faith?  It’s how we relate to God.  In His infinite plan, He has determined “the just shall live by faith.”  On your own or with your family, identify one thing you consider would be an act of faith. 

Determine to do that thing, and keep a record of the evidence of God’s blessing on obedience in that behavior.  Then tell someone about it!

In the 1984 Olympic Games hosted by Los Angeles, there was a memorable event in the women’s 3000 meter race.  Two premier long distance runners were entered: Zola Budd, a South African running for Great Britain, and Mary Decker from the U.S.A.  During the race, the two bumped.  Budd landed awkwardly and was cut deeply by Decker’s spikes, but was able to continue.  She finished a disappointing seventh.  Mary Decker suffered a pulled left hip stabilizer muscle.  Her injury put her out of the race.

In a spiritual sense, there are many Mary Deckers today.  Wounded, they have quit running the race.  Among the many images of life found in Scripture, there is the image of the runner and the image of battle.  As believers in Jesus Christ, we begin with a birth, but we discover quickly this journey we are on is more like a battle.  It is very difficult to persevere in a battle.  In 1 Kings, chapter 22, the Bible records the time when King Ahab of Israel joined with Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, to battle against Syria.  In the midst of the chaos, Ahab is struck by an arrow.  He groans to the driver of his chariot, “Wheel around and get me out of the fighting.  I’ve been wounded” (verse 34).

There are many like Ahab (and Decker) who have been wounded in the battle for souls and have forgotten their place.  The Scriptures are full of these warnings and admonitions.  Galatians 5:7 says, “You were running a good race.  Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?”  A disturbing part of our culture today is an aversion to any kind of commitment.  Our society is short on longevity and long on short-term, quick, instant “what have you done for me lately” attitudes.  God teaches us differently through His Word.  We are to persevere – no matter what the battle brings us. 

Prayer Focus: Pray Impact will persevere with what the Lord has entrusted to us (the “X”).  Ask the Lord whom you can encourage to persevere today.  Proverbs 11:25 says, “…he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”  Claim this promise as you act on it.  Go ahead – make the call, write the note, send the email OR do whatever it takes to encourage the wandering.  And if you are the one about to drop out of the battle – for goodness sake… tell someone now so you can be encouraged to persevere yourself.

Moments before the resurrected Jesus returned triumphantly to heaven, He left His disciples with this promise:  “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).  After He spoke these words, Jesus ascended before their very eyes.

With this scene fixed in your mind, consider this question:  Was Jesus’ promise only for those disciples who were physically present that day?  The answer carries implications for us as believers today.

Those assembled with Jesus that day were no doubt profoundly affected by everything He did and said following the Resurrection.  They took it all to heart.  But the promise wasn’t exclusively for them, any more than hundreds of other promises in God’s Word were meant only for the relative handful of people who originally heard or read them.

In the “true” Lord’s Prayer, recorded in John 17, Jesus prayed for spiritual fruitfulness and unity among the disciples.  And He said, “My prayer is not for them alone.  I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” (John 17:20-21).  Many of the plans and the promises of God encompass all believers, not just those who were blessed to literally see and hear the Messiah.

Prayer Focus:  Pray today our entire church family will have the spiritual vision to see the reality of these truths and to act in obedience to them.  With that in mind – we have received power in the Holy Spirit to be witnesses.  Everyone is a witness even though we are not all evangelists.  Sharing our faith is 100% imperative. 

Talk to God right now about your witness.  How are you doing?  If the last words Jesus spoke were about us having power for witness… don’t you think that is something you should do?  Now?  What does that look like?

The believer must exercise faith by acting in obedience to God’s Word.  As the Apostle Paul explained to the Romans, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17, NKJV).  Such a response allows you to enter into partnership with God, and gives the assurance of success even though you may not see the end in sight.

When Noah was directed by God to build an ark, he obeyed by starting a project that lasted for 100 years.  Noah had never experienced a flood, nor had he even seen rain, yet he obeyed the Lord with reckless abandon.  Since the command of God came without a specific schedule, Noah had to believe and act accordingly because authentic faith has no time limit.

Hebrews 11:7 says that Noah, “when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.”  The fear wasn’t fright, but a deep and abiding respect for the Lord and a confidence in His Word.  Faith was the only reasonable response for Noah, as it is for us today.  As we look to the church’s future we can’t see it perfectly (that’s the “X” in The X Factor), but we can know God will honor our obedience to Him in the commitments we make.

Prayer Focus:  Encourage each member of your family or small group to ask, “Lord, what do you want me to do in this spiritual journey?”  Whatever His leading, respond in faith. 

Would you be willing to ask God right now, “Lord, How are you going to challenge me to participate in The X Factor?”  Don’t settle yet… continue the journey and be open to His leading. 

And when He leads… even if it requires faith above your knowledge… above common sense… respond with obedience!

At first they didn’t believe the reports of the women.  “Jesus is alive,” they said.  The disciples were disturbed and filled with doubt.  Then, one by one, they recognized Him, fell at His feet, and worshiped Him.  He was alive!  Hope resurrected from the dead… just like He said.

But what about the past?  Would He remember how they had deserted Him... how they had bailed on Him at the moment of danger?  How could they have been so faithless and unbelieving?

Jesus quietly reaffirmed His love for them.  He spent time with them on several occasions.  He allowed them to touch His hands and His side, to settle their doubts and be convinced of His reality.  He helped them in their daily needs:  directing them to the location of fish when they had caught nothing and fixing them breakfast on the shore.  He opened their eyes to the Scriptures.  He gave them the promise of His Spirit, to be with them forever.  And then, He gave them a mission.

When the disciples were renewed in faith and secure again in His love, He gave them a charge.  Those who had so glaringly failed Him in His moment of trial were now entrusted with the greatest work the world would ever know:  the spreading of the Gospel.  The past didn’t sabotage the present or the future.  Their failures would always be a reminder of the weakness of the flesh and the power of sin, but they would not be a barrier to future usefulness.  These men, renewed by love and mercy, went on to turn the world upside down.

As we look back at all God has done for us in the life of our church, our hearts are filled with gratitude for the Lord’s goodness.  He has always been faithful and forgiving!  And, like our counterparts in the first century, we have a mission to carry His truth to our community and to regions beyond.  As we renovate and expand while planning for the future, imagine what the next 5-10 years will look like.

Prayer Focus:  What is the most significant lesson God has ever taught you about the importance of staying committed and not giving up?  Let that victory soak in… let the feeling of the win be etched in your mind… and hold on to that as we move forward in expanding the Kingdom through Impact.

On Thursday, August 1, 1985, a room full of America’s top intelligence officials were gathered outside the office of the director of the CIA for a farewell reception of a retiring colleague.  However, the topic was not about the retiree.  Whispers were flying around the room that the highest ranking KGB agent, Vitally Sergeyevich Yurchenko, had defected.  He was most important because he was in charge of all KGB operations in the United States and Canada.  Now, he would be able to provide extremely important information about Soviet spies in America.

After presenting himself to the American Embassy in Rome, he was quickly flown to the United States in a military plane.  Once in the U.S., he was taken to a “safe house” in northern Virginia where he was interrogated for hours and provided very sensitive information.

The most startling and amazing part of this story took place three months later on November 2nd.  Yurchenko had been spurned by a girlfriend in Canada and was growing increasingly impatient with his situation.  During the evening he persuaded the CIA agent assigned to him to take him to Georgetown for dinner and a movie.  During dinner Yurchenko asked the agent, “What would you do if I got up and walked off?  Would you shoot me?”  The CIA agent replied, “We don’t shoot defectors.”  Yurchenko countered, “I will be back in 15 to 20 minutes, if I am not, it is not your fault.”  With that he walked out of the restaurant and presented himself to the Russian Embassy where he un-defected.

The world watched in amazement a few days later as this man boarded a Russian Aeroflot jet, stopping briefly on the boarding steps to wave good-bye to freedom.  He then returned to the confines of communism.  Why would anybody who had enjoyed freedom return to communism?  Yet that which amazes us in the political arena is met with the same acceptance in the spiritual arena.  Why would anyone who has tasted the freedom stemming from the grace of God return to the confines of legalism regulating that relationship?  What kind of relationship do you have with the God of grace?  Have you came close to defecting?

Prayer Focus: Pray we will continue to live our Christian lives in the Spirit and not by our own human effort.  Ask the God of grace to help you deepen your relationship with Him by you submitting daily to His Holy Spirit.  Open your eyes to what you have in Christ… don’t even consider going back to your pre-Christ days!

Today’s passage finds Jacob running from the consequences of his actions and falling asleep at a place called Bethel.  While he was asleep, God revealed Himself to him in a personal way.  It was then the God of his fathers became his personal God too.

Before we see how this destiny moment changed his perspective about giving, let’s look at the point where God showed up in Jacob’s life.

God reveals Himself when we are at the end of ourselves.  Jacob’s scheming and trickery had brought him nothing but failure and rejection.  When he stopped running and fell asleep at Bethel, he had nothing.  It is when you are at the end of your rope God reveals Himself to you in a personal way.

God also reveals Himself when we are alone.  God came to Moses when he was alone with his flocks in Midian.  God came to Isaiah while he was alone in the temple praying.  God uses our alone time to reveal Himself to us because that’s when He has our undivided attention.

Jacob was forever changed at Bethel.  When God became personal to him, he immediately vowed to give God a tenth of everything.  This personal encounter with God changed Jacob from a taker in life to a tither.  Personal encounters with God result in changed lives.

Prayer Focus: Pray everyone touched by Impact will experience a personal relationship with God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Ask the Father how the giving of your time, talent, and treasures can reveal your personal faith in Him.  Don’t wait to get to the end of your rope before you realize God is in control.  Surrender now.  Your life, your heart, your finances, your family, your church… It’s all His!  100%!  Maybe you’re already at “Bethel.”  When you wake up – look for God.  He’ll meet you there!