Update on theBridge

Dear Family and Friends of theBridge,

 

I’m writing to update each of you on the incredible opportunities currently before for theBridge Community Church.  Some of what I will write was the content of a prophetic exhortation that I felt led to give at our worship gatherings this past Sunday, March 1, 2009.  Other parts of what I write here are things that the Lord has placed upon my heart that I want to pass on to you for your partnership in prayer, in giving, and in engaging.

 

The season that we find ourselves in right now is both exciting and daunting.  After seeking the Lord in prayer with many from theBridge family over the last two years, the Lord has led us to a place where faith must be stretched and trust must be deepened in order for us to move forward.  Inside a six month period beginning in November 2008, theBridge has already or will be…
 
- …hiring our second full-time employee,
- …planting our first church,
- …sending out our first full-time, vocational missionary,
- …and purchasing our own building.

 

These component parts of our church’s expanding destiny are all happening at roughly the same time and will require a level of financial outpouring that we’ve heretofore not experienced.   Ironically, as a backdrop to these events within theBridge, the U.S. is experiencing what may be the worse economic meltdown since the Great Depression!

 

As a conservative and cautious individual, my natural way of viewing this situation would lead me to choose a more unadventurous course of action for our church family at present.  We could wait a while, postpone some of the plans presently on the table, and stay put until, as Annie sang “the sun comes out tomorrow.” 

 

Yet.

 

Yet in my heart I do not feel we are supposed to sit still and wait.  I sense that now is still the time we are to act with fresh faith and boldness despite the circumstances that surround us.  I perceive the Lord is pushing both me and theBridge beyond our abilities to envision how everything will turn out.  In the natural, I’m a bit on edge; but, at a deeper level, I have a peace and confidence in my heart that encourages me to keep pressing forward while not knowing exactly what the future will hold.

 

Last week while reading my Bible, I came across a passage of Scripture that spoke directly to our circumstance.   It’s found in the book of 2 Kings 4:1 – 7.  This is the account of the Elisha and the widow’s oil.  In brief, the woman in the story was the wife of one of the prophets.  She’s in a bad place financially; the “creditor has come.”  In her desperation, she comes to Elisha for help.  Learning that she has only a little oil in a jug, he has her gather as many empty pots as possible.  The widow goes into her house, closes the door, and with the help of her two children, begins to pour oil into the empty pots.  One after another, the oil continues to flow until there are no more vessels to fill.

 

The “word” (and I don’t use that word loosely or often) that the Lord spoke to my heart for theBridge is this: as long as the widow kept pouring, the oil kept flowing.  In other words, as long as she was obedient to pour out what she already had, God kept multiplying and doing the miraculous.  If she had held back, if she had doubted, if she had only gathered a few extra pots, the miracle would have been less abundant or even non-existent.  The account in Kings gives a picture of a woman who was dependent on God, mighty in faith, and fully obedient.  She is a beautiful illustration of how theBridge family must live in this exciting time.

The “system,” culture, and economy around us – these are not our Source and they are not our Master.  As canned or clichéd as it might sound, the truth is this: God is our Provider and He frees us from living under the rules and even the realities of these days in which we live.  As the popular worship chorus proclaims, “Savior! He can move the mountains, my God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save!”

 

I’ve written these words to each of you for two reasons.  First, I want you to be aware of what is happening at theBridge.  You have been a friend either intimately or at a distance to this Body of believers.  Second, I’m asking you to both pray for us and be sensitive to the leading the Holy Spirit regarding your partnership with us in this season.

 

Without doubt, I know the Lord is stirring theBridge family.  Some are being led to fast and intercede for spiritual and financial breakthroughs.  Others are being challenged by the Spirit to live again by faith where fear over finances has taken hold.  I believe that God is calling some to sell possessions or make sacrificial offerings in support of the assignments the Lord has given this Body.

 

The “whats” are not my business; rather, I am seeking that each of us would pray and then move with the same faith and obedience as the widow.  I’m praying that we would not think, act, or live in fear, but rather would be bold and confident – liberally pouring out of that which is in our jug.

 

Only the Lord knows what miracles await!  Thank you in advance for praying for us.  Thank you for being sensitive and obedient to the whisper of God’s Spirit.

 

Sincerely,

Tim

 

Comments

[Sandy]

Tim,

At a time when I'm feeling as if I'm about to pour myself empty I truly appreciate the reminder that our God is "mighty to save". I know He is bigger than any challenge I now face and I trust that He will replenish me again and again.

[Nlt]

God is good all the time! What could be better than having him in control? Will keep the Bridge in our prayers.

[Brian Manville]

Tim -
It is amazing to see how God is working at tB. Our church up here in Clarion, PA is working on establishing a second off-site location. They look at it as one church in multiple locations.

As our pastor has said, God's economy functions in all circumstances. You are right that these are exciting times for believers. Where the rest of the world is shrinking back, afraid of what will happen next, believers can stand in the gap and stand out from the world and make a difference.

Stand fast, my friends; I can see you are going through some exciting times. Peace.