Please insert Dragon title picture here
Wesley and the Blacksmith, Prologue.
Epilogue
Church elders watched in surprise as Professor Jensen sketched a
creepy, writhing, serpentine dragon on a white board.
The youngest elder, Kevin, laughed, until the professor turned to
face them. He looked serious. He stepped beside two nervous young
women at the far end of their long table, and said: “Suzy and Briana,
I asked you to meet with our elders to clarify, for all concerned, the
deadly reality that you will face. You must hone your swords well,
to drive back this menace as you plant home churches. Are you and
your roommate ready, Suzy?”
“We are ready, if you elders are ready. This church body also has
to be ready, because it is the church will be birthing new daughter
churches, not just Briana and I.”
Head elder Cahn grumbled, “I’m a bit bewildered. What did you
mean, ‘This church will be birthing new daughter churches,’ Suzy?”
“Well, Briana and I are merely God’s midwives. It is our mother
church’s DNA that will multiply, as Jesus’ parables show.”
Elder Cahn asked, “And what do you expect the church body to
do, in order to birth daughter churches, as you say, Suzy?”
“Commission us as the Antioch Church commissioned and sent
out Paul and Barnabas. Then, let every member hear our weekly
reports, standing with us in our victories and our setbacks.”
Suzy’s roommate Briana added, “Prayer is our shield. Prayer is
also our Dragon Repellent.”
Professor Jensen chuckled. “Yes, Briana. However, God does
allow some of the devil’s flaming arrows to get through our
defenses. You will experience both joys and pain, when the old
dragon counterattacks. He will do so; he always does.”
Kevin asked, “Are you asking for financial support, Suzy?”
“No. We will pay for our own gasoline, Kevin.”
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Kevin noted, “We planted a church five years ago, after paying
thousands to demographic experts to gauge population trends and
such, Suzy.”
“We did all that yesterday. We noted the ethnic makeup at school
grounds, and studied Chamber of Commerce survey charts.”
Kevin asked, “So in what neighborhood will you work?”
“Lost Pearl neighborhood.”
Head elder Cahn gasped “Lost Pearl! That is the riskiest, vilest
minefield in town, Suzy!”
“Yes, it is. We will touch the leper as Jesus did, elder Cahn.”
He replied, “Are you not frightened?”
“Of course we are. Nevertheless, we will multiply tiny flocks
whatever the cost. We will do as Paul and Barnabas did, when they
entered a new area.”
Kevin, the younger elder, “You are new to this kind of work,
Suzy. Can you deal with all the details of running a church?”
Professor Jensen intervened. “They will not need to do so at first,
Kevin. They will deal only with Jesus’ basic commands, as His
Great Commission requires. Obedience ensures a church’s healthy
birth. Later, new leaders will follow a training course that covers
details.”
A white-haired elder rasped, “Are these young women proposing
to teach men during worship? That would go against our
denominational policy. No, this is going too fast.”
Brianna smiled coyly as she replied, “Women plant more home
churches than men. We will coach men informally just as Susanna
Wesley did, as well as Priscilla in Acts 18, by chatting exactly as
you and I are doing now, sir.”
“I see. But it takes months or years to plant a church, Briana.”
“Not to launch New Testament type home churches, sir.”
Head elder Cahn sighed. “Frankly, I am confused. This is all new
to me. We need a better grasp of it, Professor Jensen.”
“That is why I would like for all of us to view an on-line video,
titled “Wesley and the Blacksmith.” This short story shows how
home churches can multiply, despite the usual challenges.”
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As the elders murmured among themselves, elder Cahn asked the
two girls, “Please step outside of the room for a brief moment.”
It was a long moment. Too long! Suzy felt her adrenalin flowing
while Briana wiped away her tears.
Elder Cahn stepped out the door and said tersely, “We need more
time. We’ll view the video and will see you two before next
Sunday’s worship service.”
End of Prologue.
The main blacksmith story goes between the prolog & epilog.
Epilogue
The following Sunday morning, Suzy and Brianna gathered with
the elders to hear their verdict. The youngest elder, Keven, arrived
with his wife, Ashley. She embraced Suzy and Briana, and
exclaimed, “What a marvelous opportunity that you have to serve
our Lord! Kevin and I want to multiply home churches, too!”
Head elder Cahn began and closed their brief meeting with two
sentences. “You rascals have forced us to agree! So we will
commission you before the entire church body.”
The next day, while prayer walking in Broken Pearl, Brianna
mused dreamily, “Our young people’s leader, Alex, told me this
week he really likes me. What do you think of him, Suzy?”
“I think you should keep your mind on the ministry we are
doing.”
As Brianna and Suzy were passing by a porn shop, two men
came out speaking filthy language. Suzy covered her ears, and
Brianna held her breath until she gasped, “Those horrible men!
They looked us over with lust!”
Suzy frowned. “Remember our instructions, Briana. We are not
to focus on folk’s sin, but on God’s image in them.”
Walking on, the girls met a proud poodle leading her pet
human by her leash, a smartly dressed lady. Brianna leaned down
and petted the poodle, saying to the lady, “Hi. We pray for people
who have any kind of concern. Would you like us to pray for
something?”
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The girls prayed for a sick sister, and the lady suggested, “May I
join you in your project? When we find interested folk, I’ll invite
them to my church’s marvelous class for newcomers.”
Briana explained, “Suzy and I gather those who receive Jesus in
home churches. But do pray for us.”
The girls walked into a park where an old man sat on a park
bench, smoking a cigarette. Briana spoke to him, and he held up a
hand gesturing to her to stop talking.
Briana sighed, and urged Suzy, “Let’s go back to the elementary
school. It’s recess time.”
A blonde boy of about eight or nine, hair disheveled, dirty shirt
half out, and face smudged, came to inspect the girls through a
chain-link fence. He lingered, soaking in their smiles. Briana started
to speak, but Suzy wiggled her fingers at Briana, signaling her to
stop. Such bonding moments need only a smile.
The boy took a step closer and muttered shyly, “My name’s
Rowdy. Promise not to squeal, if I show you my sling shot?”
Suzy assured him, “Yes, we promise, Rowdy. What do you shoot
with your slingshot?”
“Promise not to tell nobody?” Both girls promised, and he told
them, “I gonna kill my mom’s boyfriend next time he kicks her.”
Suzy stammered, “Have you told your teacher or the police about
his violence?”
“No. He will kill my mom, and me too, if I do. He kicks me, too.”
Suzy asked him, “Lift up a pant leg.” He did so, revealing ugly
bruises. Suzy told him, “Go bring your teacher, Rowdy”
He burst into tears and ran away crying, “You broke your
promise!”
Suzy shouted, “I’m sorry! Come back! We will keep our
promise. Have you a relative you could go stay with, Rowdy?”
“Yeah. Aunt Carrie takes me when Mom is spaced out on drugs.”
Later, the girls visited Carrie, and Rowdy showed her his bruises.
She exclaimed, “I never suspected such abuse! Well, Rowdy’s
unmarried mother has urged me to raise him for her.”
Carrie’s husband, Eric, advised, “Let’s all go find him, right
now!”
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Suzy and Briana quickly became acquainted with Eric and
Carrie, who agreed to meet with the girls again.
Their next meeting began with a bump, when Carrie asked “You
girls both dress exactly alike. Does your church control the details
of your lives?”
“Oh, no!” Briana exclaimed. “Suzy and I sometimes like to
honor our church’s heritage from back when all women dressed in
this way.”
Meanwhile, a few blocks away in the Broken Pearl district,
Kevin and Ashley came upon a gaunt man who was mowing his
lawn. He paused, panting. A parrot on his shoulder squawked as
Kevin neared it, and spread its wings to attack. Kevin leaped back.
Ashley shouted over the noise, “You look tired. My lazy husband
Kevin needs the exercise. Why don’t you let him mow your grass
while you catch your breath.”
Kevin added, “We are out walking and praying for folk. May we
pray for you or your family?”
The man shut off the engine and laughed. “Why not? I am Milo.
Come meet my wife Lily.”
Lily hurried to bring tea, and Milo confessed, “I do need prayer. I
have a PhD, but the university sacked me for drinking too much
booze!”
They talked a long while, and Kevin challenged Milo, “Pour that
booze down the sink, and I will meet with you daily until Jesus sees
you through this.”
There was a long silence. Then, Lily brought two bottles, and
Milo told Kevin, “You and Ashley have listened to us and shown
interest, you are not like the last religious scalpers who came! All
they did was Talk, talk, talk! I see Christ in you; you bring hope.
Well, here goes!”
Whiskey gurgled down the sink drain.
Next, Milo and Lily prayed to receive Jesus, and she sighed,
“That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it was also the
easiest! What are we supposed to do now?”
Ashley explained, “Jesus’ apostles always baptized new
believers at once. New believers need this assurance, and the
warmth of a church body with its pastoral care.”
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When Kevin and Ashley returned there the following day, they
met another man who was wearing white shoes. He boasted loudly
to Milo and Lily, “Yes, my brethren, I pastor the most exciting
church in the city! You should know, those little home churches you
talked about lack God’s power. Come to my marvelous church and
see the Holy Spirit at work. Hallelujah!”
Kevin confronted him: “Sir, you are a wolf. Jesus warned that
your type would sneak in, clad in sheep’s clothing. Because you
lack the Holy Spirit’s power to win others to Jesus, you have to rob
them from other flocks.”
The man cried, “Lies!”
Kevin asked him, “Why deny it? We just caught you with your
hands in the hash.”
The man commanded Satan to come out of Kevin, and then
hurried out. Milo’s two small boys followed him briefly, howling
like wolves.
Milo and Lily later hosted a party similar to what Levi the tax
collector did, so his friends could meet Jesus. During the party,
Kevin and Ashley felt that they had totally lost control. Bad
language, liquor, and marihuana fumes filled the air. However, the
Holy Spirit stayed in control. Milo’s friends laughed, wept, and
shared pains for which Kevin prayed in Jesus’ name. To Kevin’s
surprise, several trusted in Jesus.
As Kevin and Ashley were leaving, he reminded her,
“1 Corinthians 14 says what to expect when believers dialogue
together in their intimate gatherings. Everyone senses Jesus’
presence, and the Holy Spirit convicts visitors of sin.”
When a week had passed, Broken Pearl was receiving blessing
from two new home churches. Another week passed, and Professor
Jensen helped rearrange the two church-planting teams into four:
One: Milo, the recovering alcoholic, paired off with elder Kevin.
Two: Lily, Milo’s wife, joined up with Suzy.
Three: Rowdy’s aunt Carie went with Kevin’s wife Ashley.
Four: Briana went out with Carie, while Eric stayed home and
happily taught their new son, Rowdy, about Jesus.
These new church-planting teams rejoiced, until the Old Dragon
counter-attacked, as professor Jenson had warned. Here is what
happened.
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Some of their closest friends in their mother church, believed that
home churches were a disastrous error. The church planters tried to
clarify their aims, which only widened a painful gap. Because those
friends’ background had no room for another kind of church.
Nevertheless, Jesus had breathed His life into several new home
churches. The mother church’s DNA was multiplying daughter and
grand-daughter churches, forming the nucleus of what would
become a prolific movement.
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