When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor…” Matthew 11:2-6
When John the Baptist was put in prison for his powerful and oft confrontatinal preaching, some doubts and fears slipped into his heart. He began to doubt whether or not Jesus was truly the Christ, even though he had prepared the way for Him. Jesus then sent John’s disciples back to simply share what they had heard and seen. After listing all the miracles- Jesus finished the encouragement to John by simply stating, “…and good news is preached to the poor.” It was all John needed to know- Jesus was proven to be the Messiah he had preached about so powerfully, but he had to be reminded of the miracles. Today, we will be reminded of some of the miracles of Jesus here in the Southern US and once again be reinvigorated to PREACH THE WORD in our region of the world!
Three of the fastest and most amazing years of our lives have come and gone…what could be next? Where will the Spirit of the Lord lead us? These may be the questions you are asking yourself today. Be encouraged and inspired to keep asking those questions and then hold on tightly for the adventure of your life! When our Father allows us to be “born again”, totally starting over with HIM as the LORD rather than us, His Spirit is “activated” in us and ramps us up to get to all nations with the gospel John 3:1-8. Are you ready?
Only three years ago the Lord brought together our mission team of 14 disciples from Charlotte, DC and Los Angeles to come and officially plant the Orlando International Christian Church. The 29 amazing disciples of the Orlando remnant group then joined us and began the phenomenal journey you are witnessing today as we celebrate our 3rd Anniversary Service. Beginning with these 43 “would-be” disciples, the Lord has grown our one congregation of 43 to over 320 disciples in seven congregations scattered all over the South!
Our first year more than 90 souls were added to the church in Orlando and we had the privelege, after only six months, of sending out the “Orlando Five” to LA and Phoenix. Within our first 18 months the Spirit sent out our first church planting to Gainesville, Florida focusing on the campus ministry at UF (Go Gators!) with 12 more young leaders. This young congregation, zealously led by Mike and Chenelle Patterson has grown from 17 to 60 sold-out disciples in under two years! So special to me personally in 2013 was the appointment of Mike, my true son in the faith, as evangelist and Chenelle, our daughter in the faith, as Women’s Ministry Leader. What a memory as we sent them out with “a sword for Mike and for the Lord” being yelled out by their mission team!
Then, just a few months later and due to a “financial drought” in Orlando and the need to get to the next city, the Spirit spearheaded the planting of the Houston International Christian Church. This planting was pulled together in short order and God did miracles financially to allow us to send these 17 valiant disciples to Houston. The planting was couragesly led by our own Anthony and Elizabeth Eckels…the original planters of the Orlando remnant group! What a victory as just the two of them began the church here and then were able to get to Houston with literally almost no money! Excitingly, within just a few weeks each member of the Houston planting had amazing jobs and the financial drought stopped! The job market in Texas is booming, thus providing the finances needed to plant the Lord’s church! In miraculous format, the Houston church was literally self-supporting within a few months and has now grown to 40 sold-out disciples, bringing the gospel to this rapidly growing part of Texas.
Right after this at the 2014 GLC, the Spirit powerfully sent out the Dallas/Ft. Worth International Christian Church from LA! This planting was humbly led by Tyler and Shay Sears. Quickly they are becoming a son and daughter in the faith to us and the Orlando church is so fired up to have this amazing group “added to their number”! We cannot wait to see what this young yet poweful group of disciples will do for God this year as we also had the honor of sending another “Orlando Five” as a fortifying team to Dallas just a few weeks ago. I have heard nothing but good news as Lobis, Keyanna, Bobby, Jenny and Jelani were sent out by the Spirit to bring a bit more fire to this amazing group!
Amazingly, while all these plantings were taking place the Lord was reorganizing the USA and the nations into world sectors. At the 2014 GLC the World Sector Leaders were announced, including Helen and myself for the USA South Quadrant. What a humbling and daunting call to get to all the 120,000,000 (120 million) souls of the Southern US in our lifetime! Yet as if on cue, the Lord added Washington, DC led by Richie and Elizabeth McDonnell and the Charlotte, NC remnant group led by Bill and Lisa Hamilton to our rapidly expanding family of churches, simply giving us a hug and a powerful nudge in order to believe the job must and therefore CAN be done Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-16, Luke 24:45-49, John 21:15-19 and Acts 1:3-8. Of course if you add in the miracles from South Florida just two weeks ago as six were baptized from a Haitian church there…you have to ask, “Where will the Spirit lead us next”?
This I believe is just the beginning of so many amazing miracles our God will do in the US South Quadrant…yet as Winston Churchill so eloquently said, “Now this is not the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning”. As we recount some of these things we have seen and heard let us recommit to our God and the millions of souls in the South to get as many as possible ready to celebrate anniversary after anniversary in heaven together, forever!
He stoops down to make us great,
Matt Sullivan
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