Suffering -> Perseverance -> Character -> Hope

So this blog post signifies the end of our first full week in LA. Wow. We all started off thinking that 8 weeks was a long time, and now we only have 7 left... the urgency of the gospel now has a new meaning to us all.

We were told before we got here that the expectations were low. "This is a pilot project. We don't know how well this will work. It may not work. It might work really well. We don't know." And when told about the areas we were given it was said "These are the darkest areas in LA. We haven't been able to get a church started in any of them. Several experienced church planters have come and spent lots of time and money into these areas with no success. A few salvations would be considered a huge success. A church plant...miraculous." They were right.

I read Ephesians 3:20 a week or two before we got here and it reads "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us..." hmm.... might we be having low expectations here?

The first time we walked through the Venice Beach area, Thomas asked me "So what do you think?" I believe my initial response still stands true, "I see a collage of paths, all of which lead to hell." I've been in some spiritually dark situations and places, but Venice takes the cake. Muslim mosques, Hindu temples, Pagan rituals, Satanists.... Venice still takes it. There is a half to 3/4 of a mile stretch that is only about fifty feet wide, and it is owned by Satan. I mean owned. Darkness abounds there. Drugs are openly sold, tarot card and palm readers everywhere, cosmic humanists, jews, muslims, hindus, crystal ball readers, sex addicts, drunks, disfigured, mentally insane, homeless, artists, dancers, poets, drummers, atheists, taoist, buddhist, native americans, shop keepers, wiccans.... need I go on? It's not that some of those couldn't be Believers, it's that none of them are. The other day Storm, Thomas and I started walking after a quick group prayer and within fifty steps I said "Should we prayer walk this area first? I feel some serious oppression right now." Both Storm and Thomas exhaled, almost gasp-like, saying "Yes, please!" It wasn't because we just really wanted to pray, we HAD to.

Josh, Kelsey and Bruce have targeted Santa Monica. Though they don't have the same number of crazy religions or druggies and stuff, their area is harder to get conversations going because people aren't open to talking with anyone. Both areas have serious amounts of very blatant spiritual activity going on. Both teams have had to adapt, attempt and re-adapt their strategies in order to see what works best, with who, and where when it comes to evangelism there.

So I guess now the question running through your mind is "Luke started this blog hinting at optimism. Why, then, did he start talking about darkness and difficulties? How is a church, or even a new believer, going to come out of those situations?" And the answer is simple: Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. You know the cliche bible verse "If God is for us, who can stand against us?" (It's the one people say all the time but they never genuinely believe or live out) Well this group genuinely believes it. Thomas read a verse to me the other day (it was the one particular day that Satan was just ticked off at us and didn't want anything we did to work or give us hope). The verse comes from Romans 5:3-5. It says "...we also rejoice in our sufferings, because suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

Now for your part. I've been reading in 1 Samuel lately. Lots of battle scenes there. I've read about people fighting with swords, spears, battle-axes, pitch forks, hoes, and even ox goads. Well, we don't really do that anymore, as believers. Instead, we pray. Yup, spiritual weapon numero uno is prayer. When people pray for us, we can tell. We people pray for those that we're going to encounter, we notice even more. God is going to work wonders in LA. Sick nasty awesomeness is coming, we just have to be faithful to pray.

Thank you all so much for your prayers. I encourage you to continue to be faithful warriors for Christ.

The three things that are most needed to be prayed for are:
1) Protection
2) Opportunities
3) Guidance

(Jonathan Stocksill suggested it all start with the same letter, to prove that I'm Baptist. So if you prefer, it can also be stated as Protection, Possibilities, and Providence)

May there be great victory in the name of the King,
Luke =)