Praise God!

When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers received us warmly… Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. When they heard this, they praised God! Acts 21: 17-20

Reporting in detail about the ministry was the practice of Paul and the early church. The focus of all the praise was God! Therefore, let us praise God for the last 15 days! On Sunday June 1, 2008 at the City of Angels Church was the moving appointment of Kyle Bartholomew as an Evangelist. The service concluded with many of us in tears, as the Honolulu Mission Team and Melina Zepeda of Santiago, Chile, were sent off with the prayers of our shepherds Nick Bordieri and Lance Underhill, as well as our new shepherd, Tony Untalan. The team was torn away by the Spirit, when they flew to Hawaii the next day. On that Monday evening the Mission Team, lead by Kyle and Joan Bartholomew and accompanied by Josh Aguirre, Joy Axelson, Naveh Pilate, Lorenzo Pruiett, David Rydstedt, CL Salamanca and Albert Wagers, were “received warmly” with a welcoming luau by the fourteen member remnant group in Honolulu! Also on Monday, Matt and Helen Sullivan arrived in Los Angeles after being sent out the previous day from our sister church in Phoenix. Their purpose in coming was simply to spend a few days strengthening our bonds of unity, further preparing them for their mission journey. On Thursday June 5, the Sullivans with their three children flew to Santiago with Melina, who will be a full-time intern.

Elena and I arrived on Wednesday June 4 in Honolulu, to call – individually and collectively – each disciple in the remnant group to return to “their first love.” This was accomplished over the next few days with Bible studies with each of the remnant disciples. For most of them, the two key challenges were placing the Kingdom as their first priority over family and finances. (Matthew 6:33) In our day, too many falsely teach that the priorities of a Christian are first – God, second – family, third – church, fourth – job and then their list of activities. Yet to have the local church be God’s Kingdom requires that God and that congregation are each disciple’s first priority, then family, job, church leadership and other concerns. Let us not forget the incident when Jesus was confronted by His physical mother and brothers as being “out of his mind”. He responded to them by saying, “‘Who are my mother and brothers?’ Then He looked at those seated in a circle around Him and said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.’” (Mark 3:21, 33-35) Clearly, Jesus prioritized His spiritual family above His physical family, not neglecting them but striving to save them. By Acts 1, Jesus’ strategy of non-compromise had worked, and His mother and brothers are all listed among the disciples!

Secondly, Elena and I studied with each remnant disciple the synoptic accounts of the Parable of the Sower, noting particularly the seed that fell among the thorns in the third soil. Matthew 13:22 records, “The seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the Word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” Mark 4: 18-19 is quite similar as Mark adds, “…the desire for other things come and choke the Word.” Then Luke 8:14 records Jesus as saying, “The seed that fell among thorns stands for those… [who] are choked by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures and they do not mature.” Jesus continues, “The seed of the good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart… [who] by persevering produces a crop.” Elena and I pointed out that to be “mature”, means to be fruitful in the making of disciples, as Hebrews 5:11-14 also teaches. If one is not actively making disciples, then being a Christian for 10 or 20 years only makes you an “old disciple”, not “mature” and not one with a “noble and good heart.”

Praise God, all the remnant disciples repented! After a group meeting at the Santos’ house on Friday night, a new-comer would have found it difficult to distinguish between the Mission Team and the remnant disciples! Sunday, June 8 was the Inaugural Service, rent-free at a local mortuary chapel! With the 23 disciples of the Honolulu International Christian Church, Kyle and I estimated around 80 at the service! Also faith-building, a goal of $10,000 had been set for that day’s Mission Contribution. Further demonstrating that everyone’s heart was sold-out, $24,000 was collected!

Afterwards, Elena and I returned to Los Angeles. On Saturday June 14, the City of Angels Church held our first “Trash-a-thon,” where we raised money from individuals outside our congregation for the New York Mission Team and to support our sister church in Santiago. We not only filled scores of trash bags, while having so much fun, but over $16,000 will be put towards our Missions Contribution goal of $120,000, which will take place on Sunday June 29, 2008!

 

Sunday church on June 15 was absolutely incredible! Although, as a congregation we are going through the refining fires of transition through graduations, summer vacations, the Honolulu Mission Team’s departure and the New York Mission Team leaving in less than two months, as well as raising money during a time of recession, our God is moving! Though we “sacrificed” in sending off the nine beloved Christians on the Honolulu Mission Team, God has blessed us here at the City of Angels Church in the last 15 days with three baptisms: Emily Kolberg, Mike De Ville and Maria Tripp; three restorations: Stephanie Keyes,Violet Swann and Geoff Watson; and seven placing memberships: Margarita Astanin, Launa Bogartz, Keisha Lathan, Lavina Pop, Nate Reid, Sarah Travis (soon leaving on the New York Team) and Tesoni Untalan. That afternoon, I learned that on Sunday June 8, which was the Sullivans’ and Melina’s first Sunday in Santiago, our sister church had two baptisms! Then with the Sullivans taking the lead in Santiago on June 15, the last Sunday for Raul and Lynda Moreno, the Santiago Church had two more baptisms! Amazingly, the Spirit working through the Morenos’ leadership has increased the Santiago International Christian Church from 29 disciples at its fiery inauguration in September 2007, to now exactly 50! Praise God!

Elena and I are personally so excited that Raul, Lynda, Fillipe and Bella will fly into Los Angeles at midnight on Thursday June 19. As with Paul’s coming to Jerusalem, many disciples will “greet” them “warmly”, though they arrive late that weekday night. With the Bartholomew’s now preaching in the Hawaiian Islands, the Moreno’s will lead the Orange County Region. They will be ably assisted by Ron and Tracy Harding, as well as Lance and Connie Underhill, who are inspiring the rapidly growing San Diego House Church. Though the prospect of sending off the Comisfords and the twenty member New York Mission Team after the Jubilee is beginning to sadden our hearts, God will be sending Tony and Therese Untalan to strengthen our shepherding, and Michael and Michele Williamson will be stepping into the Comisfords’ role, co-leading the Hollywood Region with the Mejias. Transitions are painful to our hearts. However, in building a movement of God, where our Biblical vision is the evangelization of the world in a generation, then by faith we will witness the multiplication of disciples through the multiplication of churches. So, like our first century brothers, who heard similar “details of what God had done”, in awe we too proclaim, “Praise God!”

Kip McKean