On a number of occasions I have heard Todd talk about this church as having gone around the mountain for some time and how we have now left that mountain and we are not going back.

Often we sing “we’re not going back to the place we used to be”. But I wonder, as we are heading in this new direction, how many of us are longingly looking back over our shoulder at the good ol’ mount that we have come to know and love so much?

Isn’t it going around that mountain what first attracted us to COF? Probably! But, if “we are the church”, how can the church grow if we don’t grow? How can the church expand its vision if we don’t expand our vision?

10As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD.

11Then they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt?

12”Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

13But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.

23When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah.

24So people grumbled at Moses saying, “What shall we drink?” 25Then he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet…”

“we’re not going back, to the way we used to be”

2The whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3The sons of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full’ for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” 4Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.”

“we’re not backing down to place we used to be”

Let me be very honest here. Standing on a sidewalk on a Saturday morning for two hours holding pro-life sign and singing “Jesus loves the little babies” is not my idea of a good time. But doing so has changed me and has had a great impact on my family.

Doing what He asks you to do is never without its reward, and His rewards are eternal. Since I have been back at COF the Lord has asked me to do a number of things that have been uncomfortable and not really very high on my list of things to do.

But as I have done them, I have inched just a little closer to Him and my faith in Him has risen just a bit. When I have kindly thanked Him and said, “no thanks”, I have first felt guilt. Then when I have gotten over the guilt, I have just felt a sense of loss. A lost opportunity to get a little closer to Him and a lost opportunity to have my faith grow a bit more.

11”For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” We know this scripture from Jeremiah 29 so well.

It is a great ‘feel good’ scripture. But it is so true. And if He knows the plans He has for us and they are good plans that give us hope and a future, there is really no reason for us to look over our shoulder at the ‘good ol’ mount’ that we have left because He is leading us to a better place.

This is a place that is in His plan for us, a place that affords us a better future. We feel like we are in uncharted territory with some of the things that He has called us to do and that can make us uncomfortable, causing us to look back. The truth is we are in well charted territory. The Creator is our guide!

He knows exactly where He is taking us. He knows that if we will just entrust Him with our questions, doubts and fears, doing what He is leading us to do, we will have that prosperous hope and future that He has promised. He isn’t asking us to do these things to harm us but to draw us closer to Him.

God has done something in our Pastor and the result is that we have a fearless leader! Fearless leaders don’t look back! In fact, they rarely count the cost or consider the sacrifice. They simply go and do what must be done. We men like to talk about being ‘warriors’ and ‘going into battle’. That is all great, but if we just head out into ‘the war zone’, we will be massacred. That’s why the Lord has given us a Commanding General - his name is Todd Greiner.

It is his job to keep order and structure our ranks. Of course God is the ultimate authority in our lives, but does anyone really believe that we can ignore Todd’s authority in our lives and expect our families to follow our authority in the home? It just doesn’t work that way!

There is an old hymn that says, trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey”. That goes against our nature but it is exactly what God is calling all of us to do.

He is using Todd to lead us into ‘deeper water’. As we step out our faith will grow. I can’t wait until we have stepped out enough that we have a church full of people with faith the size of a mustard seed. What will we see God do then? You know, blind obedience to God is the safest way you can possibly live .