Jeff Adams

Some years ago we began saying that KCBT is a church for all peoples. Occasionally, people will say “church for all people,” not peoples. Or, they might ask if it is not more correct to say a church for all people, thinking that means that all are  welcome.

The plural form “peoples” is most intentional and is meant to reflect that not only is anyone welcome, but that we purposely desire to reach out to every ethnic group – all peoples.

Matthew 28:18-20 is probably the most recognizable expression of what we often call the Great Commission. The command is to make disciples of  ”all nations (KJV).” When we hear “all nations” today, we commonly think of geo-political nations. The Greek phrase is panta ta ethne, or literally all ethnic groups.

Sunday we continue in our series The Mission. This week the idea is to understand what we really mean by saying that KCBT is a church for all peoples. And, what is the biblical basis for that? What’s a people? Who are the peoples? 8:00, 9:30 and 11:00am

I truly look forward to our Tuesday night prayer ministry as much as anything, but last night was special to be able to sit in our new lobby, enjoy some great brew from Portico that now opens at 6:00pm on Tuesdays, and just chat with people. I’m thinking this is going to radically change our church culture for the better.

Del has been a member of our church for a long time and has a fascinating story. In 1982 he was involved in a near fatal car/train accident that left him in a coma for weeks. If he recovered, no one expected him to be able to walk again. God and Del had an encounter, along with a great support team of family and church. It wasn’t long before Del was walking and talking. To this day, his walk and speech are greatly labored, but he has been able to live better than many people who function fully. God provided a loving wife, great kids and they are now even grandparents.

Some months ago Del began losing strength on his right side, a condition diagnosed as Brachial Plexopathy with no known cause. As you might imagine, he was very concerned. Del is a big man and very powerful. His grip can normally crack cast iron pipes. I’m not a particularly small guy myself, but Del has always loved to give me a hug by squeezing the senses out of me while lifting my up off of the floor and resulting in a full chiropractic adjustment.

Some months ago he asked the pastoral team to pray for him, which we gladly did. It’s not perfect, but over time he is gaining more strength on his right side. Last night he asked to give glory to God for this progress. He did a fine job and everyone was thoroughly blessed. Afterward, in another segment of prayer, he asked me to pray once again for his right arm.

As we prayed, a phrase we commonly use flashed through my mind. We often say, “I’d give my right arm for ___.” Such a statement reflects the value we place upon the right arm (apologies to all the lefties out there, but you get the idea). That thought brought real compassion to my heart as I thought of my friend Del struggling to think of moving forward in life with a right arm diminishing in power.

This morning I was doing my daily Bible reading in Psalm 118 when the following phrase leaped off the page three times in verses 15 and 16 – the right hand of the Lord. I can’t ever remember that phrase hitting me with the same impact, not because of the context of Psalm 118, but the context of having just prayed with Del. The exact phrase  right hand appears 161 times in the Bible, most of them referring to God’s right hand.

Look it up. You might be surprised. God’s right hand is filled with righteousness and eternal pleasures. By his right hand he saves us, sustains us, rescues us and teaches us among other things.

Whether we are afflicted like Del, or have full use of our right hands, the psalmist has some good advice. With or without strength, we should make him our strength. Or, as the psalmist says, to put him at our right hand.

I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Psalms 16:8

I woke up about 3:30 this morning wanting it to be time for the church to assemble together. Were little kids this excited? From what I saw this morning, I think so. I heard several fun stories from parents about how thrilled their kids were.

My favorite story, and one that I told to begin each service: It’s early before the first service, and a mother and her little girl are coming into the new building. Seeing the little girls wide eyes, the mother says, “Now, just remember that this is NOT Heaven.”

The little girl looks up at her mother and says, “But Mom, this IS Heaven for kids!”

My list of favorite things from this morning:

• Watching the reactions of people as they came in and looked around. Listening to them as they tried to explain what they were feeling and yet were at loss for words.
• Seeing the line at the coffee shop.
• Seeing people just mill around, converse and interact, just like this was really the living room of the church – that was the plan!
• The same little kids who broke ground with me over a year ago turn in their hard hats and shovels and lead us in prayer.
• Singing the Revelation Song in the middle of the “sermon” to the accompaniment of smoke and banners.
• God’s own personal visit this morning with a torrential storm, lightning, thunder, a brief power outage and what seemed like a foot of rain.

Here’s my list of the most important take aways from this morning:

• Don’t forget the connection to The Mission.
• This is not the end; it’s the beginning of the next phase of The Mission. This is not time to relax; it’s time to focus on ministering to the people that God brings across our paths. This is not the time to coast; this is the time to push forward.
• If God has done all of this for us, he must have quite a plan for us in The Mission. He has give to us; now it’s time for us to give back to him.

How about you? Any stories, pictures or observations to share?

I am very encouraged. This has been a special week. We shut down the normal office functions this week to be able to make the move to the new facility and get ready for the dedication this Sunday. We have been blessed by wonderful people who have worked very hard this week helping out staff get ready. Our staff has worked like Trojans! There seems to a great sense of awe and gratitude as it begins to sink in what God has given us. Even those of us who work in the office are not immune to the sense of awe. We are seeing a dream become reality before our eyes.

This Sunday will be special. Rather than preaching a sermon, we are going to live one together. I am taking 1Kings 8 that tells of Solomon’s dedication of the Temple and using that as a template for everything we do Sunday morning. Together, we are going to dedicate this new campus addition to the glory of God.

There will be no adult or youth classes Sunday, but all three services will be at their normal times – 8:00, 9:30 and 11:00am. Each service will be led by their normal praise team, but the rest of the service will be the same in all three services.

My normal rhythm has been totally interrupted this week. Every so often I feel the urge to get up, go out into the new area and just see what is happening. I have been amazed how things change after just a few hours. People are rushing around like ants, and each time I poke my head in, more and more things are falling into place. I can’t wait for Sunday!

Lobby about a month ago

Surely you have heard of  or participated in prayer walks that have become very popular over the past years. Tonight was absolutely wonderful as we did a prayer walk through KCBT’s new campus expansion as part of our Tuesday night prayer ministry.

Executive Pastor Jeff Cox shared some of the lessons that God has been teaching him through this process. Jeff has led the team that God has used to make this dream a reality. This evening he shared how God has been teaching him faith. He showed us one of the Bible’s dynamic paradoxes in Philippians.

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)

We are to work out our salvation, but it is God who is working in us. It is fascinating that God never really explains this tension. He just presents it and expects us to accept its truth.

Jeff went on to share the hard work of his team and complemented that with the many evidences of God’s miraculous provision through this whole process. I’ll share some of those Sunday in the dedication.

Following that, we moved into the new lobby to begin our prayer walk. I sneaked out and went ahead so I could be standing just past the door as people entered. What fun! Their expressions and comments were priceless!

The crowd divided up into small teams and went room to room as they prayed. I stayed alone so as to be available to help, answer questions, and, most importantly, to be able to go around and watch their reactions and listen to their comments.

Here’s the evidence of a great design and mission accomplished – no one wanted to leave! Everyone just stood around and talked. I am SO excited and can’t wait for Sunday!!! You don’t want to miss this.