Kicking out the box - By Jus Simpson

Justin and Debbie are dear friends who are planting a Church here in Melbourne... In fact they dream of a church planting movement. I have the privilege of walking this through with them... Below is a devotional that Jus wrote recently.

Kicking out the box
'...the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen's death travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria.  They preached the word of God, but only to Jews.  However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus.' (Acts 11.19-20)

For a while now, our community hasn't grown with people becoming followers of Jesus.  Its had me worried, but I haven't known how to lead us out.  Last week, my mentor Dave asked me some questions which really helped.  He asked how much of my 'church' day, I spent preparing for our Sunday get-togethers and how much I spent getting out and fostering relationships with people.  He suggested I spend no time preparing our meeting, and the bulk of my time out connecting with new people.  So this week I did something I've never done before.  I caught the train to Boronia and walked around the shops and prayed.  I went into a few shops and asked the owners if I could pray for their business.  At times I felt incredibly awkward, but when one shop owner accepted my offer, it made my day! 

Sometimes we get boxed in.  We want something more than we currently experience, but we don't know what to do about it.  Sometimes, our thinking limits us from experiencing more of God - our thinking has boxed us in.  Sometimes, we have got so used to what we have become, that we don't expect anything more or anything different - our low expectations box us in.  Sometimes, we have routines which we follow, day after day, week after week, and we don't venture out from these - our routines have boxed us in. 

Dave's questions kicked out the side of my box - he challenged my thinking and routine.  Me trying something new ripped the side of the box off.  I won't being going back to my usual routine.

The believers who travelled to Antioch and preached to the Gentiles are my heroes.  Prior to this, the early Christians had seen the Jesus movement as being essentially within Judaism.  But these believers changed their thinking and did something very different.  They reconsidered God's Good News and how Jesus wanted to save Gentiles as well as Jews.  (This thinking was very different from how some Jewish people regarded the Gentiles; cf. Acts 22.21-22).  They also changed what they were doing, connecting socially with the Gentiles, so they could share this Good News.  (This change of routine was very radical, even within the Jesus movement cf. Acts 10-11; Gal 2.11-13).  These believers kicked out the side of their box!

There is a song lyric, 'There must be more than this.'  What do you long for more of?  Do you sense God wants to do more or different within or through you, but you have no idea how to get out into it?
Do you have any patterns of thinking which box you in, and limit what God wants to do in you? 
Do you have any routines which box you in, and limit what God wants to do through you?
Do you have someone who is helping you get out of your box?

A prayer.
'Now to him who is able to do immeasureably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus thoughout all generations...' (Eph 3.20-21).  Jesus, please help me recognize any box I have put myself in.  Please help me see out of it.  Please give me the courage to kick out the side of the box.  I want to move out of my self-imposed limits and live in all that you can do.  Please connect me with wise friends who will help me kick.  Amen.

Jus