The word for today is READY. It has been over 9 years since the Grace Church family has owned its own property and ministry space. The question for our church this morning is about God’s timing and about our readiness to accept what God has called us to do. In other words: Is the time NOW? Also, are we READY to accomplish whatever it will take to possess what God has provided?
Remember when Israel was not READY to enter the Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb believed the people were well capable to enter, but the rest of the spies sent in to scout out the land disagreed. The Bible says, “So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, ‘The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size’” (Numbers 13:32).
Rather than listen to Joshua and Caleb who believed the people were ready, the people listened to the bad report and declared they were not READY to do what God had led them so far to accomplish. We all know that the result of their reluctance resulted in 40 more years of wandering aimlessly in the wilderness.
Paul challenged the church at Corinth, “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14).
We are to be a church that is READY to stand. We are to be people who are READY to stand strong in the strength of the Lord. We are to be READY to love one another just like Christ loved us and gave Himself for us. Our church, like the one at Corinth is to stand READY to accomplish that which God has equipped us to do.
Ronald Reagan said, “We will always remember, we will always be proud. We will always be prepared, we will always be free.”
Grace Baptist Church is today all of these things which President Reagan marked as attributes of people who are READY. I am READY to complete what God has started. If it takes two years, or five years—I am READY. If our church must move to the new location before it is finished—I am READY. If our church family gives less than what we have been challenged to give, or if we give above the challenge—I am READY. Today, we say together through our attendance, our prayers and the agreement of our hearts in one accord--WE ARE READY.