Come on in! The water's fine!

I've said it before: you can look at Vancouver's Downtown East Side the way many activists do, as "Canada's Worst Postal Code," or you can look at it as the "whitest fields for harvest." But as Jesus said in that context, the laborers are few; and while we are to pray that the Lord of the Harvest brings in those laborers, we need to let the potential laborers know about the job. And to be crystal clear, the changes I've seen in people who have come to the Gospel Mission services or the times when The Lord's Rain is open are proof that the harvest is coming in and it's going to keep growing.

One of the really encouraging things is to see people coming to Gospel Mission services after making a "first contact" with us through The Lord's Rain: it's been a way that, as one prophecy stated years ago, Gospel Mission's reach is extending further into the DTES.


Jesus' last words to us on earth -- just before ascending to Heaven -- were: "you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in Judaea, and in Samaria and to the uttermost ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8) It's important to note that Jesus singled out Samaria -- land of the outcasts, where people worshipped strange gods and which was shunned by the people of Jerusalem and Judaea. The DTES is very much like Samaria, and Jesus is telling us that that's exactly where His Gospel needs to be preached. He's also telling us that, as His followers, it's not really an option -- it's our assignment.


Putting it another way, these are God's children, and we can't leave them at the mercy of the "prince of the air". That prince would rather enable them to stay in their current state and convince them that that's all they deserve. That is not God's will for His people: that's why He sent Jesus -- and that's why He sends us to tell them about Jesus.


Through Gospel Mission and The Lord's Rain, we do see this tremendous move of God: a gradual, steady revival, as people overcome their demons and addictions and pull out of that miry clay they've landed in. They find hope in the teachings at the Mission and in the sense at The Lord's Rain that people do care. From the way God has blessed Gospel Mission since 1929 and continued to keep His hand for blessing and support on The Lord's Rain since He planted the idea nearly four years ago, it's evident that this "Word-first" approach is His will.


But it takes laborers, and we have seen recently how much we need more people in this effort. For one thing, because we are all volunteers, discipling people and helping them as they make their breakthrough requires a "tag-team" with other disciples. We have work and family commitments, and sometimes all it takes is a change in those areas to affect the ministry. (Right now, illness, work hours and family crises like dealing with aging parents are all taking a toll.) So a service has to be cancelled; facilities have to stay closed.


Praise God, He has told us that other people are out there, willing to share the burden. We just have to let them know and encourage them to consider this opportunity.


We need teams at Gospel Mission and The Lord's Rain. It would be ideal to have teams serving once a week on a regular basis, but even having teams serving once or twice a month in rotation can ensure more "time slots" are covered. Here are the available times:

GOSPEL MISSION

Monday and Friday nights - services start at 7pm (door opens at 6:30, Worship at 7, door locked at 7:15 out of respect for those who came to hear the Word, message at 7:30 and meal around 8. A team consists of Worship leader, preacher, kitchen staff and cleanup crew. You could do it with 4 people. All we ask is that the teams provide the food and that at least one person in the kitchen either have FoodSafe certification or take a mini-course we put together to give the basics.


LORD'S RAIN

Thursday and Friday early mornings - 7-8:30am, or later if you can. At least two people are needed for this service, which involves making and serving coffee and handing out towels and soap and any clothing we might have. If food is available (or if the team brings some), we provide that, but that's not the primary reason for The Lord's Rain.


Let me offer some encouragement. God consistently calls His people out of their comfort zone. The best example is Abraham, having to pack up and move from the place where he'd been phenomenally successful to a place filled with definitely hostile people. I promise you, the Downtown East Side was NOT my comfort zone when the Lord called me there in 2004; but I soon learned that people there are no more or less fallen than the rest of us (take that any way you like!) and need to know that they are loved and that God has not given up on them. We are called to love the unlovely, and while the initial reaction some of you might have is, "I dunno, it looks pretty dangerous and there's a lot of sketchy-looking people there," I can tell you from personal experience that the water's fine. I've experienced first-hand the way God protects and strengthens His servants.


Here's some more encouragement. The Apostle Paul, who probably didn't see a "comfort zone" since he saddled up to ride into Damascus, got a Word from God while in Corinth. "Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city." (Acts 18:9-10).

In other words, all you need to do is agree to wade into the water wearing the full armour of God and prepared to speak the Gospel and He will be with you every step of the way. Moreover, you'd be surprised how many other Believers you'll find, just waiting to hear it confirmed from someone else's lips.


So I hope you'll consider this and of course, feel free to call me to find out more. Let your congregation know this opportunity is there for the taking; ask around; post this message; see if there are people who want to serve God in some way and may not even have thought of this. It may be exactly what God has in mind.

If you are interested - either as an individual or can pull a team together - please contact me through the Gospel Mission website -- http://www.gospelmission.net/.