Casting Crowns, one of my favorite singing groups, has a song with this title, “Crazy People.” The song mentions several people in Scripture that did some crazy things for Jesus.
First, there was Noah who built an ark when there was not a cloud in the sky. Then there was David who picked a fight, as a boy, with a giant. Daniel turned a lion’s den into a petting zoo. The three Hebrew boys had a prayer meeting in a fiery furnace. In all these circumstances people thought they were crazy.
I want to add one more to the list. The story of Jesus walking on the water and Peter asking Jesus if he could walk on the water and come to him. In this story 11 of the disciples stayed in the boat. One of my biggest takeaways from this story was that Peter got to experience the miracle.
The other disciples just sat and watched it happen. Sadly, many Christians today do the same. They hear the stories of God using others but never experience these things for themselves.
Jesus gives all His believers opportunities just like He gave those disciples. Sometimes it is leading you to talk to a stranger and share Jesus’s love, and you get to experience God transform a life. Sometimes it is handing a stranger a $20 bill just because God laid it on your heart, and you get to hear why they needed it at just that moment.
For me it all started with a short 10-minute conversation with a pastor who I had only met once before and had never had a conversation with. God used this brief encounter to begin stirring up in my heart a burden for a church I had never attended, pastored by a preacher I had never heard preach, an hour and a half away from my home, and one that I knew nothing about.
I began to sense that God was asking my wife, Ellen, and I to do something most people think is crazy, including myself. As I mentioned, the church is an hour and a half from where I live, and moving is not a good option. So, I went home and did what any Godly husband would do. I sat down with my wife to share what I was hearing Jesus say to me and her response shocked me. She said, “I have been praying and God has been leading me that we should go to another church.” This was our confirmation that God was really the voice I was hearing. It was not indigestion. It made no sense. Why pass a hundred churches along the way to go to a small church that was going through revitalization?
Soon after we loaded up and headed to Tiptonville in southwest Tennessee to attend Lakeview Baptist Church. Ellen prayed all the way over that pastor Nick would not be a boring preacher. It has turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences of our life.
Well, the preaching did not disappoint. This young preacher preaches the Word of God with a zeal not seen in many churches today.
We must pinch ourselves to make sure this is not just a great dream that we will wake up from. Soon after, the preacher and I began praying together before services and soon became prayer partners. I hate to admit it, but I never had a prayer partner before, and it is a blessing to share each other’s burdens, and blessings. Through this God began to knit our hearts together and he has become one of my best friends.
I can honestly say that through this experience I have fallen deeper in love with Jesus, love His Word more and pray more than I ever have. We just can’t wait to get to church.
When Jesus calls us to do what we think is crazy, buckle up and take the drive because it may just be the biggest blessing of your life.
This may be your chance to experience God in ways you never thought possible.
There are many more small churches out there that need a little encouragement. Could God be calling you today? If so, don’t give God an excuse, simply jump in with both feet. B&R