Encouragement from the Lord in a Time of Transition

Dear friends,

In this post I am sharing a portion of a personal email I sent out regarding my not seeking another term of service as pastor at JIBC. The original letter was much longer, but the best part is the way the Lord is encouraging us to trust Him for the future! I have included those paragraphs here and invite you to take a look:

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There is great hope, joy, peace, and everlasting encouragement for us in the Word of God! When people, things, opportunities, and even pastors come and go in our lives - the Lord is still in control.

“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).

The faithful statement made by Job came at a time of crisis in his life that makes our separation from the ministry in Jakarta look trivial. And yet he readily recognized the hand of the Lord in those events. The New Testament teaches the same truth with an even more positive emphasis:

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

I have mediated on the verse above many times over the past six months because, frankly, things have simply not gone the way I wanted. But the undeniable, scriptural reality is that God is working all these things for good. He has given us His word! This is such an incredible comfort to me. He has not forgotten our family, our desire for ministry, or the beloved body of Christ there in Jakarta. Nor is he passively looking away. He is actively involved, working in our lives to accomplish exactly what is best for all of us! For this truth I praise and thank Him and I hope it will lift your spirits as well!

The Lord offers lots of encouragement for the future of ministry at JIBC as well. The words of Jesus to his disciple Peter have been a constant blessing to me:

“On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Mt. 16:18b).

We must never overestimate the importance of any one person or group of people in the church. Jesus is doing the building and there is no power in heaven or on earth who can stop Him. The work He began will continue until He comes again! JIBC belongs to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He rules the church, protects the church, nourishes, loves, saves, and continually watches over the church. All is well because He is on the throne! With this in mind, I do not doubt there is a bright future for the Jakarta International Baptist Church. I cannot predict smooth sailing all the time, but I do know that with Jesus all will be well.

Does God have any specifics for the church to meditate on during a time of transition? Of course He does. The scripture gives us all we need to know for Christian living in this world. Perhaps the biggest ministry transition in the Old Testament came when Moses died. Many millions of God’s people must have wondered what would happen next. God, however, already had a man and a plan. Joshua had been chosen by God to be the next leader. God promised to be with him and to help him lead. He also gave very specific instructions on how to be sucessful. As JIBC faces a time of change, I think we would all be very interested in what those instructions were:

“Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:6-8).

God tells the new leadership of His people that if they want to be successful, they need to meditate on and obey the scriptures. Apparently Moses was replaceable and so was Joshua. The leadership of the holy nation was not about the charisma of an individual personality. It was about transparent leaders showing the way to the truth of God’s will and Word!

This is how I know JIBC can be sucsessful. In fact, it is the same idea that has propelled me in ministry for a long time. It has never been about me or even about my wonderful family. The church is about Christ and His Word! All JIBC needs to do is stay focused on the Bible. Teach it, preach it, read it, believe it, obey it! And then all will be well. There is nothing to fear when we remain firmly rooted in the scriptures. The words of our Lord are the strong foundation of the church.

I thank God that my brothers in leadership at JIBC know and cling to this truth. This is the biggest encouragement for me as it becomes clear the Lord is calling me away from Jakarta. If we keep our eyes on Him and listen to His voice, then all will be well!

Lord willing, I will expand on these ideas more when I am back in Jakarta for three Sundays staring on January 29. I am looking forward to seeing you then. May God give us peace and joy through His mighty Spirit!

Your friend,

Stephen