Training Our Eyes On A Two-Track Emphasis
Filming for Breaking Sin's Grasp, Your Temptation Doesn't Define You, 9-video series to address the healing of hearts and minds. Available summer 2024.
In today’s click-to-send texting world, it’s difficult to imagine that the first- at the time considered rapid- means of communicating in the western United States was the 1860 advent of the Pony Express, followed a year later by the inaugural transcontinental telegraph in 1861.
While both of these communication systems were marvels, it was the initiation of the transcontinental railway in 1869 that finally opened up the western frontier to pioneering families. The two-track system that housed the steam engines provided speed and safety that horses and buggies couldn’t.
Centuries later, the two-track delivery system is a model for Church United, which—until now—has focused its ministry attention on the single track of helping educate and equip pastors to transform culture.
It has been a fruitful endeavor.
Since our founding in 2016, Church United has realized a series of successes that can only be attributed to God’s rich blessing. For me, the first seed He planted was when, at age 16, I brought my high school pastor to an Operation Rescue event at a Pacoima abortion clinic. Together, we stood for life, trying to protect babies from murder. My pastor had never done anything like that before. Now that I’m 50, I see how that event, more than three decades ago, was a prophetic action that cultivated a desire to lead more than 2,500 pastors through Church United.
Even with numerous setbacks, including the censoring of Church United videos by the Vimeo platform, our ministry has celebrated these significant victories:
Leading my California Assemblyman to Christ
Partnering with David Daleiden, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn, and the Orange County District Attorney’s office to shut down an aborted baby parts facility in Orange County
Stopping California’s Assembly Bill 2943, which would have outlawed the Bible and anything to do with counseling choice for same-sex attracted individuals under the guise of business fraud
Helping birth the Changed Movement out of Bethel Church in Redding, California and Protect Our Kids out of Calvary Chapel East Anaheim
Working to elect Christian pastors and lay leaders for public office
Putting godly people in office is great, but if we don't change the hearts of people, we're doomed. We're toast. Consider:
Defensive moves don’t change the heart of a nation.
But the Church can.Millionaires and mega-donors don’t change the heart of a state. But the Church can.
Protesting outside of an abortion clinic may help on the local level, but it doesn’t stop the wholesale practice of aborting babies.
But the Church can.
I'm talking about the Church as it operates in the power of the Holy Spirit.
How can the Church change the heart of a city, the heart of the state, or the heart of the nation? It starts within the Church. It starts with the men of the Church. (I’ll get into the role of men in our next update. It’s a pivotal conversation you don’t want to miss!!)
Over the past few months, God has revealed deep-seated obstacles in transforming culture: Our government impact work is, indeed, vital, but so many times our entanglement in these essential battles often leads to such protracted distractions and blindness that we fail to see where the battle needs to start — within us — within our hearts. That’s why our second track of ministry will be addressing the healing of hearts and minds.
At home.
Then the Church.
Then the culture.
Are you with me?
Jim
P.S. Keep an eye out for our next communication, which will reveal how we will implement our second track, designed to bring greater stability and foundational work to help the church prepare for the spiritual development to build God’s kingdom on earth.