In the movie Kingdom of Heaven, the character Balian (played by Orlando Bloom) is given his father's fuedal estate, Ibelin, by the King of Jerusalem. It is a desolate piece of desert. It is the result of a negligent knight. Negligent to his estate and to his son's life. Awakened to his new identity as a son of nobility, Balian comes to the estate to bring life. The land is in desperate need of water. Knowing this, he pours all of his effort into finding water and then building a system to irrigate the land. The result is prosperity and growth.
Balian knew he needed water, but finding water alone is not enough. Structures must be put in place to distribute it. This is why we need a good vision. Proverbs 29:18 tells us "where there is no vision, the people perish." Vision is seeing beforehand the structures that will be necessary to distribute the life that has been given to us through Jesus.
In the last Post we visited the mission of Rally Point. Our goal is to "restore men to their proper place in the world as image bearers of God." In order to do this, we need to wake men up to a new reality, to the way God wants them to see Himself, the world, and themselves. We are at war. We need to offer men a fellowship. God uses other men to help make a difference in our lives. Proverbs 27:17 says "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Finally, our task includes teaching men how to fight. Show them there are some things in this life worth fighting for, and that we have an enemy who opposes us and the glorious image we've been created to bear. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12).
I want to take a moment and lay out what we believe is the best means to accomplish our mission. How are we going to wake men up, offer him that fellowship, and then teach him how to fight? The first means is by way of web presence. The internet is a great way to network and to get the message out. If you are reading this, then you are obviously aware of the blog. However, you may not know about our presence on Facebook. You can become one of our fans on facebook and receive the opportunity to interact with other fans following this message. The page is called Rally Point Ministries. I regularly post this blog on there as well as movie clips that stir me (in hopes they will stir you as well). It's a great place on the web to share and connect. Eventually, we would like to see our presence expand into its own web site as the Holy Spirit leads and provides.
The second means of accomplishing the mission of Rally Point is through small group ministry. Small groups will open up opportunities for men to grow deeper in their understanding of the message of the heart. Men will discover that their battles are shared and bonds of trust will develop. Brotherhoods will form and a mission will be shared. In essence, we'll have several strategically placed "platoons." Now, small groups have the tendency to enlarge, however, they must remain small in order to keep the doors open for men to voice their struggles and process their thoughts. Being mission minded, we will constantly be on the lookout for developing leaders to establish new "platoons."
Finally, the most exciting and effective expression of Rally Point will be the Boot Camp men's retreat. This allows guys to really unplug and make themselves available to receive whatever God wants to give (usually Himself) over a four day stint. It is an intense weekend where many tenets of the Wild At Heart message are taught (John Eldredge). Our sessions mix teaching along with illustrative movie clips from the films most men connect with and enjoy. The teaching, while important, is not the secret to the success of the retreat. Throughout the weekend (Thurs.-Sun.) we give the guys opportunity to quiet themselves and really listen for God's voice, something that must be cultivated. It is the pinnacle of the ministry, therefore, strongly opposed. Because we are looking for transformation that only the Holy Spirit can accomplish, prayer and intercession are absolutely necessary for the success of Boot Camp. When the Wild Goose shows up, men will be forever transformed!
Our task is huge. That's what makes it so worthwhile. Things are beginning to heat up as we gear into the next level of the ministry. We've been getting worked over, struggling with our enemy, but with God's help we are not about to let it take us out. We need your prayers. If you would like to sign up as one of our intercessors, email "Sign Me Up" to rallypnt@gmail.com. We've added a subscription gadget to this blog if you would like to have new posts sent directly to your homepage. Finances are always a concern as we "gear up" to make this happen. We are prayerfully seeking God on financial support for this ministry concerning needs such as equipment, DVDs, and curriculum. I invite you to join us in prayer by bringing the Kingdom of God over the Rally Point Ministry; that He would "supply all [our] needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)
Again, I want to thank you for reading. As always, please leave a comment below, we'd love to hear from you and how these posts are impacting you. It keeps us encouraged and motivated. May God bless you as you earnestly seek him.
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