Introduction
Transitions in the bible

• Jacob Joseph – family to a nation
• Saul David – nation in trouble, nation established
• Barnabas – Paul – local church – church planting team
• Paul Apollos – church plant – established church
• Jesus Holy Spirit – group of disciples – nations discipled

SCC transitions - Beachhead to Base

Most major growth periods in the bible came as a result of transitions
Some transitions in detail
Paul Apollos
1 Cor 3

There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New
England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying
a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were
raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak. . ..

"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming
toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were
three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright.

I stopped the lad and asked, "What do you have there, son?"

"Just some old birds," came the reply.

Jesus said "And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force as a precious prize--a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion."

When we advance God's kingdom and encounter resistance, we sometimes are suprised or confused and back down. We need to understand that it is a war we are in. And God has a clear strategy for this war. A simple but extremely effective strategy.

Early this morning (as in just after midnight) I was trying to get my 7 month old boy to sleep and I had a revelation.

As we saw on Sunday, many great people in the bible had a significant encounter with God (Job, Isaiah, Jacob, Paul and many more). God wants to encounter his people. He wants to meet with us. Jesus said "I am the way to the Father". Jesus himself came to earth to interact with people.

As we pray that the kingdom of heaven comes, we must pray that we would have more encounter's with God himself. Christianity is not a religion where we have to do good things, it is a moving from a place of being separated from God to a place of God being accessible to us.

Joshua 14

The response during this current series has been great. I'm really looking forward to reading the before and after stories. Just a reminder, you can send them to peter@scc.org.za

We'll be posting some stories of what's happened on this site - so keep checking back

Thank you to everyone who helped us move to Bryanston Primary School. The move was great and the new venue is fantastic. We are loving the extra space and the school has been unbelievable in accomodating us.

If you would like to come and visit us on Sunday, you can do so at Bryanston Primary School. Have a look at the contact page for a map of how to find us.