by: Kip Mckean
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer… And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47
On Sunday May 6, 2007, God moved in our inaugural service for the City of Angels International Christian Church as 324 were in attendance! “The Lord added to our number” five restorations ” Jack and Jeannie McGee, Tommy and Sandra Gaines, and Jill Swann; four placing membership ” Yolanda Perez, Luis Janumis, Coleen Untalan and Kaitlin Clements; and a UCLA student Anjali was baptized! Amazingly with a mission team of 42 from Portland arriving at the beginning of April, after just one month our membership of sold-out disciples has almost doubled to 81! And to God be the glory!
Response cards were handed in at the end of the service. Here are just a few of the comments: “This is the church I was baptized in!” “Loved the fellowship, singing and vision conveyed in the sermon!” “I appreciated the vulnerability of the disciples who were restored today.” “It was awesome to hear in the Joshua sermon how Rahab was a prostitute but crucial to God’s plan.” “The song service moved my soul as nothing else has in years! Thank you Luis and all the singers!” “A miracle! God has truly re-established His church.” ” I really sensed God moving…I want to place membership.” “It is so great to see God working through this new movement…I’ll be back!” “We traveled six hours with no air conditioning to be here. It was more than worth it! Please pray we can move to Los Angeles to be a part of the City of Angels Church.” “DJ, Kacie and the band rocked!” “Today Israel was restored to its former glory!” “This service was a glimpse of heaven! At one point when we were singing the Glory Song’ there was a sunbeam shining through the skylight onto my face. I truly felt God’s presence in a powerful way.” “On a scale of one to ten, I give this service a 25!” “The service was amazing! God is truly working through His people to evangelize the world!”
At our inaugural service, we began our study of the historical books of Joshua, Judges and Ruth. The title of the sermon was “Be Strong and Courageous.” We studied Joshua 1-4. While I was preparing the sermon, the thought crossed my mind, “How old was Joshua when God called him to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land?” At the end of the book, Joshua dies following the conquest and the dividing of the Promised Land. It is recorded that he died at 110 years old. (Joshua 24:29) Since the conquering of the Promised Land took seven years, Joshua was 103 years old when he inspired the Israelites to cross the Jordan!
When God commanded Joshua to get the people ready to cross the Jordan in Joshua 1:6-18, the charge to Joshua was “be strong and courageous.” This is given four times; three times by God (Joshua 1:6, 7, 9) and the last time by all the Israelites to Joshua! (Joshua 1:18) This admonition takes on an even greater significance when we understand the Hebrew word for “courageous” is perhaps better translated “vigorous.” The word in Hebrew denotes not so much vigorous as a character quality, but as an unwavering, aggressive action. What a needed challenge to the 103 year-old general. Afterall, he had witnessed all his fellow soldiers die in the desert because of disobedience and he himself perhaps was slowed by age. So God commanded Joshua “be strong and vigorous.” In essence, God expected Joshua to be aggressive and unwavering in conquering the Promised Land this second time around!
When Moses sent the twelve spies into the Promised Land, only two ” Joshua and Caleb ” returned with the conviction that the Israelites could by the power of God be victorious. (Numbers 13) Sadly the majority, though lacking faith, were the ones to whom the people listened. Humorous to me, perhaps Joshua wanted to avoid the “bad report of the ten spies,” so he sent only two spies into the Promised Land! (Joshua 2:1) They both returned full of faith that the Israelites could conquer the land. Interestingly at our service were several “older disciples,” at least 17 had been in the full time ministry. In a daring move, most came to spy out the City of Angels Church. Praise God, they did not listen to the majority report, but came to see it themselves!
For some of us who did not die in the spiritual desert these last few years, this is the “second time around” to evangelize the world. Some genuinely ask, “What will be different this time?” First of all, the book of Joshua teaches us it can be different the second time around! Like Joshua, who saw all the sins and mistakes in the 40 years of wandering in the desert, we have learned from our own sins and mistakes. Therefore, we of the City of Angels Church are vigorous and unwavering in preaching “Jesus and Him crucified.”
We are vigorously calling every person baptized, restored, or placing membership to the same “sold-out” commitment that Jesus called his disciples. (Luke 14:25-33) We do not idolize our leaders for only Jesus is to be worshiped, but we will be loyal as we help them to be “strong and courageous.” As the Portland Discipling Movement, we are vigorously striving to be family locally and internationally. This heart allows God to build a modern day movement where all congregations of our fellowship in every nation have the same spirit and commitment. Finally, we are unwavering in our love, respect and mercy as we disciple one another, exerting an extra effort to help the weak. (Acts 20:35) Therefore we believe as God told Joshua, “No one will be able to stand against you all days of your life.” (Joshua 1:5)
Joshua 4:23-24 reads, “For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over… He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.” Notice God parted the Jordan “so that all the peoples of the earth might know…the Lord is powerful.” God, through the Israelites, evangelized the world in their generation! Though the world has not been evangelized since the first century, God’s desire is for every generation to honor and glorify him by evangelizing their world. We worship and walk with the same God as Joshua and the apostles. City of Angels Church let us be “strong and very courageous” and evangelize all of Los Angeles, the United States and the world in this generation!
And to God be the glory!
Kip McKean
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