On November 28, 2021, Pastor Jason Luscombe congratulated New Beginning Church on its 12th anniversary and spoke about how our church is a fertile environment.

In the Bible, the number 12 is significant. The number 12 is a combination of the numbers 3 and 4. Number 3 represents the divine – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit – and number 4 represents the earth. In the Old Testament, we read that Jacob had 12 sons, and according to the New Testament, Jesus had 12 disciples. The Lord is active in the world. God’s actions in heaven can influence our lives here on earth.

It is not unusual to pray for the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in our town. But guess what? God will do it through someone. This will be accomplished through the prayers, teaching, pastoring, or hospitality of someone. God works through people. Isn’t it odd that God wants us to do things, but when He calls upon us to do them, we are hesitant?

Read John 9:1-7

Many of us would not even consider asking the question the disciples asked Jesus, but Jewish people had no problem doing so, due to their theology and their beliefs. They believed that the man was blind due to sins committed by him or his parents. Jesus assured them that this man’s blindness was not the result of sin, but rather that God’s power could be demonstrated through him.

Many people will walk through the doors of New Beginning Church messed up and broken. However, they will encounter God regardless of their impairments. What the devil thought he would use to enslave them, God will use to reveal Himself through them. In the same way that Jesus was sent by the Father, He is now sending us. He said we are the light of the world and a city on a hill cannot be hidden. Hence, it is our duty to exhibit this light.

The partnership between God’s work and our work is evident in John 9:4. In this passage Jesus says,

We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned to us by the One who sent us.

Note that He did not say, “I must”. He said, “we must”. God works through us. This is an exciting opportunity because Jesus has entrusted us with His ministry. We have been given the responsibility of healing the sick, cleansing the lepers, and raising the dead. As Christians, we ought to be thrilled that Christ invites us to participate in His Kingdom work.

‘Quickly’ is the third word in this verse. We have lost sight of the urgent need. When the Holy Spirit was poured out in the early 1900s and people began speaking in other tongues, there was an urgent need for Christians to go out and spread the gospel. This occasioned an exponential increase in missions and churches. It is important to note that several Pentecostal churches were founded in the first 30 years of the fellowship. There was a burning desire within the believers, which prevented them from becoming complacent. As soon as the Holy Spirit was poured out, Christians went out and preached the gospel. People were told that they must repent because Jesus is coming back and they may not be ready to meet Him.

New Beginning Church is filled with people who have a passion for Christ. It’s important not to lose sight of this. As well as general responsibilities, God has assigned specific tasks to His people. As part of the church’s general responsibilities, it preaches the gospel, feeds and clothes the poor, and does other good works. God guides us in this endeavour. He desires to use everyone, particularly young people. When you commit your life to Christ and walk closely with Him, you will be blessed in abundance.

The Lord also assigned us specific tasks. We were given specific abilities. You may be a businessman or you may be a teacher. As a teacher, you teach your students more than just an academic subject: You are also sharing your Christian faith with them by how you act and how you speak. The purpose of our lives is to bring glory to God so that others may see His works through us.

Jesus was 12-years-old when His parents lost sight of Him while they were traveling to Jerusalem with a large group of relatives and friends. They didn’t know where He was. They found Him conversing with religious scholars and leaders in the Temple. People were amazed by His understanding and His answers. Upon finding Jesus, Mary asked Him why He had put them in such distress. Jesus replied,

Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be about my Father’s business? (Luke 2:49)

At 12 years of age, Jesus being fully human was also aware of His full divinity – heaven and earth meet. In other words, in order for God to accomplish His plan through the Spirit, it must make its way to earth. New Beginning Church is experiencing the movement of the Holy Spirit, but we must recognize that this movement must occur from earth to heaven. In order to fulfill the mission that was assigned to us, we must move quickly. Jesus was aware that His time on earth was drawing to a close and He would be crucified. His focus was on His task, achieving what He needed to accomplish. This also serves as a warning for us. Jesus is coming back, which means that our time will also come to an end. We must make the most of our time. It is imperative that we focus on the urgency of our mission. We must understand that all of this will not be accomplished by some mysterious individual. Both you and I were called to carry out this mission.

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