It has been becoming more and more obvious to me that we are currently standing at a crossroads. We are living in very turbulent times and how we react right now is probably more important than we might think. When I read my Bible, and particularly some of the New Testament bits, I am so aware that God has always been prepared for these days and that He wants us to be prepared too.
There is a verse in the book of Jeremiah which says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is…” There really is nothing new under the sun, but for us; this is new! We have never been here before, and we are having to learn real quick just how to make the most of what is now in front of us.
It is a little bit like the words of Rudyard Kipling, in that we may even be having to look at “…the things [we] gave [our lives] to, broken, and now stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools.”
That said, the tools that God is giving to us are anything but worn-out! They are powerful and effective and beyond anything we can imagine.
Each week, at CVM, we have a meeting to share everything that is going on, it helps us keep our focus on what we are really all about as a ministry and we get to pray over the work God has given us. At yesterday’s meeting I had such a powerful picture, I am not one to get pictures generally, but this really did speak deeply to my soul. In this picture I saw us all, as a collective, committed to the ruck. The ruck is a set-piece in a rugby match. It is when the team in possession of the ball uses its full weight against the opposition to gain yards and positional advantage. Essentially a ruck, at its best, is used to push toward the try-line and eventually to score.
A ruck is only ever as good as the organisation of the team and the commitment of each player to push in the same direction.
At CVM we are in the ruck position right now. We are pushing against the enemy, Satan, and we are taking ground, gaining the advantage in the name of Jesus Christ. We will be honest with you, this is hard, we are pushing very hard and the season is tough. But the strength comes from Christ and from the knowledge that we are on mission with you to reach the hearts of men right across the UK.
But may I speak a word of challenge to all you guys out there who follow Jesus and watch what CVM is doing because you want to see men introduced to Jesus. We love your support, we couldn’t do this without it, but it really is time to get solidly stuck into the ruck. It’s time to put all your weight into the collective push against the enemy and into gaining the advantage in this mission to reach men across the UK.
If we become an even stronger movement of men, if we are united in this mission, if we push collectively in the same direction, we will see the ground swell with many men giving their lives to Jesus.
But practically, how can you do this? Well may I suggest that a good place to start would be in your own men’s groups. Let’s get these groups firing on all cylinders, let’s get going again, hosting the type of events that your mates would be up for coming to.
But also, let’s put our collective weight behind this year’s Gathering, let’s all get booked on and let’s get our mates to book on too. There are many festivals that will not happen this year, but we have plans to host a great weekend and proclaim the Gospel to those who desperately need to hear it. We need you guys to push in the same direction with us if we are going to make the most of this opportunity.
This is what it looks like to be in the ruck, to push collectively in the same direction and make a massive difference in this season.
“This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.” Matthew 16:18
Image credit: Olga Guryanova via Unsplash
