This year, 2017 marks the beginning of our second decade as a church. What does God have for us? I believe it is something bigger and better. But rather than a destination, a building or a new program, it is a person. It's more of God in our lives. This is what the Israelites didn't see in the story of Joshua. God asked Joshua to lead the people to the promised land, the land of Canaan that was to become the nation of Israel. They focused on the land itself. But it wasn't just about the land. It's what the land signified that mattered. It was supposed to be a place where they would be able to meet with God and see God work in and through their lives. That's the point of Joshua. Go to the land because that's where God is and will work.
We'll be studying this great narrative over the next 7 weeks. It's a compelling story that involves risk, danger, the need for absolute trust, conquests, failures, and eventual success. It's the story of the River. It's every person's personal story. God is inviting us to come with Him to the promised land, a land of blessing, a land of rest, a land that represents His greater presence in our lives so HE can be seen even more clearly in and through us. It's an invitation to something more of what God wants to do in our lives.
Come with us is the theme of 2017. It does involve moving forward. Sorry, we cannot stay where we are. We must move forward to receive more of Him, more of what he has for us. This weekend I plan to introduce the story of Joshua in chapter 1 by describing what it takes to move forward to God's promised land, his rest that he promises us.
Todd
