Transcript
Leslie and I have had a burden for a long time. Even before Ellerslie started, we prayed for 17 years for this to start. In other words, Ellerslie has been around for a long time. Now that we’ve been going over 10 years, we realize that it’s actually been a long time since we started praying for this. And to see this ministry mature into what it is, is a beautiful thing that has established a great deal of confidence in our God and in how He leads life over a long period of time. But our vision has always been to bring something back to the Church. We desire to see a resuscitation of the Church — sticking those paddles on, giving it an electrical jolt, and seeing it breathe again; seeing the heartbeat start to beat within the chest of the Church.
“Strengthen that which remains before it dies.” This is the message I would say that Leslie and I have carried. We see a waning Church, and we see what God intends it to be. Sometimes a Church is not very lovely. I think all of us could compare notes and go, “Yeah, that’s for sure.” Inexplicably, I love the Church. I say that because I’ve received far more pangs and pains from the Church of Jesus Christ than anywhere else — far more than secular society than from the Church. I think a lot of us understand that, but I love the Church. I care deeply about the Church.
The ministry of Ellerslie and our entire staff, has been constructed out of a very similar blob of clay. We’re all very similar in how we function. We all come from different heritages, different backgrounds, and yet we all care about the centrality of Jesus Christ’ that He will be seen, and that the majesty of Jesus Christ would be brought back to the Church. And that we would rise up with a steel of spine and begin to function the way the Church was intended to function. And the world would take note that God once again lives within that Body; that it strides onto the scene of time with a muscular, manly deportment to bring the Gospel to bear upon the nations. It stirs me!
I remember standing outside of the Chapel building. It was raining out and we were praying for the campus. This is years before we ended up getting the campus. I was looking at the Chapel and I prayed, “God, in that building, I pray that You would raise up the next generation of Hudson Taylors and Amy Carmichaels.” That’s still my prayer. It’s for that return of the epic, the return of the grand, the return of majesty to this hour, to this generation. We need it. We need it now. If you’d like to take these truths deeper, join us here at Ellerslie for one of our upcoming discipleship programs.
Resources
If you are eager for life-changing discipleship, register for one of our weeklong or 5-week programs in 2021. It would be our privilege to invest into your spiritual life and build you strong in Christ. Learn more about our 2021 programs here.