In October of 2020, I began serving as the Lead Church Planting Catalyst for the state of Montana. When I received the call, there was no doubt in my mind that God had opened doors, and that He had prepared me and my family to lead the way in helping start new churches across the state of Montana. I was equally as confident that the task was too big for me, and that it was too big for any other one person for that matter. Planting churches across Montana for Montana is truly a God-sized task that requires the faith of Christ followers, unity and cooperation among God’s churches, and persistence in prayer. I knew that we had to pray more than we had been praying, and that we had to pray together. I knew that Montana Southern Baptists were going to have to pray intentionally for evangelism and church planting. I knew that we were going to have to ask God to move among us. God is the one who plants churches, and so it is in God that we must seek first for direction and provision. It is by talking to God and listening to God that we engage in true spiritual work. Prayer secures victory for gospel advancement across Montana. Prayer is not simply a preparatory activity, nor is it the last thing we do before we put our hands to work for the Lord. There is no more important place for us to be than with the Lord. There is not a more important person to speak with throughout the day than the Lord. There is no greater activity in which to participate than the activity of seeking the Lord in prayer. Oswald Chambers wrote, “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work. Prayer is the greater work.”
Did you get that? “Prayer is the greater work!” Seeking the Lord in prayer will take us well beyond our finite limitations and allow us to see clearly what we cannot see when we come to the end of ourselves. I once read a story of a place in Switzerland called Ender Welt, which means the end of the world. The author described the place as being “surrounded by high mountains and the road into the town suddenly stopped on the farther side of town before an impassable rocky cliff.” He wrote, “when one gets there, he feels he can go no further. But hidden away in that rocky cliff is a narrow path that leads up the mountain to the heights above. If one searches diligently, he can find that path and go on.” Montana Southern Baptists, why don’t we find that path and go on? Why don’t we unite our hearts and prayers together for the sake of God’s Kingdom in Montana?
If we want to plant more churches across Montana for Montana, we are going to have to pray across Montana for Montana. I hope that you have already engaged in PRAY52 and the
Go->Montana prayer movement. If you are not yet involved, or have not yet led your church to be involved, check out the Montana Church Planting Facebook page, or you can find the prayers on the MTSBC website. Look for the PRAY52 document. For more information on planting churches in Montana, contact me at [email protected], or 406-210-8677.
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