# A Willing People - Relocating to Rebuild



## TylerRay (Sep 14, 2018)

Gavin Beers is currently preaching a series on Nehemiah, drawing principles for church planting and reformation as he goes. He recently preached an excellent sermon on Christians denying themselves and relocating for the sake of the Kingdom. It's well worth a listen.

https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=98181538403

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## Wayne (Sep 14, 2018)

Dr. Gerard Van Groningen, while teaching on Biblical Theology in a Th.M. class at Covenant Seminary, circa 1999, recounted how one evening at the dinner table he said "Teacher says the Bible stories are not true." (or something like that). 
He said it was not long before his father sold his farm and moved across the state in order to put his children in a Christian school.

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## scottmaciver (Sep 16, 2018)

Someone actually sent me the link to this sermon a few days back. Practically challenging, in relation to our being willing to relocate for the rebuilding of the Lord's cause. I wonder how many of us, aside from ministers & missionaries, would actually be willing to uproot & move to build up the Lord's cause elsewelse?

Yet, it was also interesting what he said about the Nethinim, who descended from the Gibeonites (Joshua 9), those who were under the curse, but now served the Lord.

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## ZackF (Sep 16, 2018)

scottmaciver said:


> Someone actually sent me the link to this sermon a few days back. Practically challenging, in relation to our being willing to relocate for the rebuilding of the Lord's cause. I wonder how many of us, aside from ministers & missionaries, would actually be willing to uproot & move to build up the Lord's cause elsewelse?
> 
> Yet, it was also interesting what he said about the Nethinim, who descended from the Gibeonites (Joshua 9), those who were under the curse, but now served the Lord.



I haven't listened to the sermon yet but I'll assume that the preacher is correct for sake of argument. I am thinking about how the lesson is to be applied. I am assuming the family in this case is a believing one with Reformed convictions. Furthermore I am allowing for a continuum that exists among PB members on what constitutes a acceptable local church. Several scenarios come to mind:

1. A family has no home church within driving range (whatever that is for someone). If planting a church isn't an option, then moving should be prioritized. This seems like a no-brainer. Of course many things might influence the timeline that would vary from finding employment to caring for aged parents or being close to specialized medical care.

2. Within driving range, a family is currently worshipping at an Arminian church in a Pentacostal or Dispensation setting. I know there is a spectrum of reasonably sane to utter wackiness in either of those examples but I'd say looking for work in another area with a solid church would be on my agenda even in a best case scenario.


3. A church plant from your current or other church. This is a beautiful and godly thing to partake in. It would be a logistics challenge for the transplants but not everyone involved would have to move at once.


If some more come to mind I'll post them.


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## Pergamum (Sep 17, 2018)

Two thoughts:

(1). Sometimes I ask myself why I relocated to the Third World for missions when the Western World is intent on bringing the Third World to us and ruining our civilization.

(2). As long as we are talking about relocating for the gospel, why just talk about moving to another US city? Why not find the neediest area overseas and send about a half-dozen families over there at once?

A 2-day journey of 35 miles to the north of south as the pastor talks about doesn't quite cover the final Marching Orders of Jesus to go to the ends of the earth. 

It is a fine sermon. 

Even if Christians are not called officially as missionaries, perhaps we should think about sprinkling our salt throughout the world; there are a number of good expat business opportunities all over the world. Can't get a job in the US? Some foreign positions pay a lot more and allow you to stretch your pay even further.

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## deleteduser99 (Sep 27, 2018)

Pergamum said:


> Two thoughts:
> 
> (1). Sometimes I ask myself why I relocated to the Third World for missions when the Western World is intent on bringing the Third World to us and ruining our civilization.
> 
> ...



Our denomination has a Presbytery in Japan that feels the burden of being such a small minority in a nation steeped in materialism and paganism. I’m certain that any church there in Japan feels the pressure daily. Such moves really ought to be something we should be open to and willing to do if it would advance the kingdom, though certainly prayerfully and carefully.

If we go to a foreign land which we don’t know, we’re only doing like Abraham our father did.


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