Digging Ditches

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Good Morning and Welcome to Freedom Chapel. My name is Pastor Terry, my wife Michelle and I serve as the lead pastors here at Freedom Chapel. This Church exists to bring hope to our community, by being a Place to Belong, Church for the Whole Family.

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Digging Ditches

This week several of us went on an adventure to Missouri for the Freedom Chapel Family Canoe Trip. When we arrived Tuesday evening I noticed a Sheriff Boat leaving our campsite. The next morning a search and rescue team arrived. Being a curious person I ask the owner what was going on.

Everyday we are rowing through a river of people who as Chaplain Jeff said last week are living but not living. We are surrounded by dead people yet most of us choose to keep on playing and rowing.

This is the story of the American Church.

This is not the Story of the Assemblies of God but we are quickly getting there.

Turn with me to 2 Kings 3:1-19

2 Kings 3:1–19 NKJV

1 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel at Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not like his father and mother; for he put away the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless he persisted in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin; he did not depart from them. 4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheepbreeder, and he regularly paid the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams. 5 But it happened, when Ahab died, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 So King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel. 7 Then he went and sent to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” And he said, “I will go up; I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 8 Then he said, “Which way shall we go up?” And he answered, “By way of the Wilderness of Edom.” 9 So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and they marched on that roundabout route seven days; and there was no water for the army, nor for the animals that followed them. 10 And the king of Israel said, “Alas! For the Lord has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.” 11 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?” So one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.” 12 And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. 13 Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No, for the Lord has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.” 14 And Elisha said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you, nor see you. 15 But now bring me a musician.” Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him. 16 And he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Make this valley full of ditches.’ 17 For thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink.’ 18 And this is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord; He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand. 19 Also you shall attack every fortified city and every choice city, and shall cut down every good tree, and stop up every spring of water, and ruin every good piece of land with stones.”

This weekend marks 6 years that The Turner family has served this church with a mission to grow this church and reach McPherson. I started my ministry here by reading this very Bible Story and telling the church we need to dig ditches.

6 years later I look around full of Joy at what God has done through the obedience and faith of the people of this church.

In six years we have seen consistent growth in every area that this church has dug ditches.

We now have:

40 to 50 Kids Every Week.

15 to 20 Teenagers in our Youth Ministry

90 to 100 Adults in Sunday Service

A Vibrant Wednesday Night Ministry

I believe all this happened because we as a church began digging spiritual ditches to make room for God to work in these last six years.

I believe God is calling us to to begin to dig again because He is preparing to fill the valley.

There are three areas I believe God is asking us to dig ditches.

Personally

As Households

As a Church Community

This matters because there are still dead people all around us in need of a place to find life.

Would you stand with me this morning.

Holy Spirit what is it you want me to take away from this message this morning.