I have asked Ryan Blackwell, the Pastor of Youth and Discipleship at Abiding Way Church in San Anselmo, CA, to be my guest blogger today. I’ve asked the guest bloggers for this week to write about what is on their hearts.

Stretched for the Gospel

“Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.” When Jesus spoke these words to Paul as he prayed in Acts 22, it must have been a shocking and uncomfortable experience. Paul had just argued his case that his desire was to minister to the Jews. Surely THEY would notice the incredible transformation that had happened in his life. He had grown up in Jerusalem, been educated by a respected Jewish teacher, and knew everything that anyone would ever need to know about the law and customs of Judaism. Paul had a ministry plan and was ready to get started! It was at this point that Jesus revealed to Paul that he had a different plan for his life. No calling would have been as uncomfortable for a person raised in Judaism than the one given to Paul that day, yet it was exactly what Jesus wanted him to do. Paul needed to be stretched in order for the gospel to advance.

In my own prayer life over the last two years, I have had many similar conversations with God. As my wife and I prayed about what seminary to attend, we heard God’s voice clearly call us to Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, which is located outside of San Francisco, CA. At that point, my prayers looked something like this. “San Francisco?? I’ve been raised in Arkansas. This is where my family and friends are. There are other great seminaries in the South. What about Razorback football??” Yet, God called us to go and we did. For the last two years, we have ministered in an area where only 2% of the population goes to a church of any denomination. I have met and ministered to numerous “spiritual” people who live their lives for money, power, and the environment, but see no need for Jesus Christ. It has been draining as the spiritual warfare is constant and the advance of the gospel slow. With that said, it has been the most spiritually rewarding two years of my life as I have been stretched further than I ever thought possible. My belief in the gospel to change lives and the church as God’s plan to change the world is stronger than ever. I’ve realized that God’s plan is greater than my own.

My challenge for you today is to be willing to set your desires, your background, and your plan at the feet of Christ. It may not be comfortable. It may even require a terrifying leap of faith. Allow yourself to be stretched for His purposes. Thankfully, we serve a God who is faithful and he will use these moments to change you and the world around you more than you ever thought possible. As you do so, remember God’s word in Jeremiah 29:11 when he says, “ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”