God Still Speaks (Part 1)

Sometimes when God speaks to people He uses language we are unfamiliar with or don’t completely understand. Then, one step at a time, He unfolds the idea behind the words and phrases to lead us to a place where we will begin to comprehend what He was talking about in the first place. It’s really just a walk of faith the Holy Spirit directs people to take as He guides us each step of the way.

For us (David and Kandy), it usually involves God using something we do know in order to take us to the place of discovery where what we don’t know will broaden the scope of the vision He is giving us. We learn as the Holy Spirit disciples us through this walk of faith. Step by step the details fill in the picture.

The words spoken to us by God in 2011 and acted upon in 2012 continue to echo in our hearts, and these words have more than once kept us moving forward when everything within us wanted to change course. It is hard work living in “leaps of faith” when those you love do not understand the things God gives you to do. That’s what happens when God speaks something to you. His words guide and shape you as you move forward by faith and not everyone understands until the shape is created.

When you think about it, the Holy Spirit didn’t give us much to go on at the time. One Sunday morning He simply said to us, “I am calling you to be a missionary to the University District Village.” We didn’t understand what it was about or the magnitude of this call. It was one step, that’s it. God often speaks to us this way as He gives parts of the whole picture with each step along the way. The fragments of comprehension were just enough to create movement in our hearts and eventually our feet.

At the beginning we took the words God spoke to us rather literally because it was all we understood at the time. It seemed reasonable in the moment, provided enough information to help others who were to go on the journey with us, and it gave us a starting point.

At that time we figured…

this calling had something to do with universities, educators, and those who work in such an environment. And it did, just not the way we thought it would at the time.

it had something to do with our living as vocational missionaries. It has and we continue to discover more and more what this approach in life means.

it had something to do with starting new churches and helping existing churches to get better at what they do. And it does, although the need for revitalization and realignment seem to outweigh the need of new church startups for us.

it involved training ministers to reach a people group that wasn’t being served well. And once again, it did then, does now, and will continue to do so moving forward.

Today the words “a missionary to the university district village” carry so much more meaning to us. Our depth of understanding has increased along the way with each juncture in the journey. The growth and maturity that has taken place in our hearts and minds has been nothing short of miraculous as the Holy Spirit has discipled us. Our comprehension of what it means to walk, no … “leap” forward in faith has skyrocketed.

We get what it means to have a missional philosophy to guide us along the way and how the missionary approach to life and ministry has changed the way we think, live, and minister. Many of the thoughts and ideas were there at the start and that is comforting to know. But now, we see it so differently than before, so much more fully. We find ourselves looking forward to new nuances in the steps ahead.

There is so much more to share and not enough of an attention span in our readers to endure the rest at this time. Next month we will take you a little bit further into our story to help you with forming your story and how God takes each us on this journey with Him. For now, we hope you will tune your ears to listen with your spirit and see with your eyes as God leads you to life and ministry with a missionary approach.

Until then…