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
5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Barnabas Paul
Acts 11
22 News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

Acts 12
25 When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from[a] Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.

Acts 13
1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

Ministry in Cyprus – a transition happens. Saul changes his name to Paul and from here on, Paul is clearly the leader of the team.

13 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia
Jesus Holy Spirit
John 16
7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate/Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

I will build my church
Jesus – shortly before he handed over to the Holy Spirit

Transition for Sandton City Church
For several months now, God has been speaking to me about handing over the leadership of Sandton City Church. One of the clearest scriptures was 1 Cor 3 where Paul speak about himself an Apollos. Each had a specific task. I felt me task was complete and God was going to bring in an Apollos.

In the meanwhile, God was preparing Paul and Minda for a new season. They just new that they had to get ready and that God would open the door. When we met, it was so obvious that God was putting all the pieces together.

What are the timelines?
Today, the announcement is being made that Paul and Minda will be coming across to Sandton City Church – ultimately to lead the church.

The hand over will only take place end Jan/beg Feb 2011. Date depends on availability of a few key people.

For the next 2 and a half months, nothing changes. I’ll still be leading the church and it gives the church some time to meet Paul and Minda and it gives Paul and Minda some time to meet the church.

Paul will probably preach a few times in that period and you’ll see them around. You are welcome to invite them around for a meal or a coffee. They are still working out their previous jobs.

Once the hand over happens, Paul will be leading, but no significant changes will happen in the church. Leadership team will still be in place, church will still be moving forward, Jesus will still be on the throne.
If you are leading a homegroup, you’ll continue doing that, if you are leading a ministry, you’ll continue doing that.

I anticipate that as the focus is on Sandton City Church – the hand over is big news – there will be a number of visitors. People will come to “check out” who this new couple is, and probably a lot of those people will stay.

Having got to know Paul and Minda a little, I anticipate that they will also attract people to the church – they’re a very charismatic couple – so you can expect growth.

With the growth will come new leaders, new opportunities, new ministries. Expect changes – not overnight, but in time.

Minda is already and will continue to be involved in ladies meetings in the city – the focus of that will obviously shift to Sandton City Church. This is an area we have had very little focus on over the years, so expect some changes in that area.

Both Paul and Minda have a real heart and passion for the poor. They have been working for an organization that feeds 700000 people in Africa every day. Paul is a donor funding co-ordinator and has lots off connections with international people who have a real heart for Africa and put their money where their mouth is. Although he will be moving out of that role, he still has the same heart and the same friendships. I expect that God will open some doors into the future to see some significant victories happing amongst the poor on our doorstep – here in Alex.

What will it mean for you?

• New leaders
• Bigger eldership team
• A new season
• More deacons
• More visitors
• New fruit

Can the church afford them?
Who knows? The real question is, can God afford them? Their source is and always will be God. They have complete faith in God for their provision. That being said

1 Tim 5
17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. 18 For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.”

We have never made money the focus of this church and we never should. Keep Jesus the focus, trust that he will provide and be faithful and generous with your own finances – that’s all the bible requires of you.

What about Pete and Nicola
With every transition, there is a new leader and an old leader. In the case of Apollos and Paul, Paul was gone when Apollos got there. In the case of Paul and Barnabas, Barnabas stayed on the team. We have chosen to stay on the team. We’ll still be very much part of Sandton City Church. This is our home, we love the church and I have great faith for the future of this church because of what God has spoken over this church.

So what will we be doing?
Initially we’ll probably have a bit of a break ie – we may not be at church for a while, although we’ll be going to other churches around us. There are a few reasons for this:
We want to give Paul and Minda a chance to become the leaders
Leading this church for the last 8 years has been a very intense time for us. We have loved it, we would never trade the time for anything, we would do it all again, and may well do one day, but we’d like a couple of weeks off just to get a bit of focus for this next season.

Then what?
We’ll be back in full force – getting behind the leadership of the church – involved wherever we can, just not leading.

There are some amazing doors of opportunity that are opening around training, breaking the cycle of poverty, linking the money that government and corporates want to spend on helping the poor to actually helping the poor. God has put me in an amazing position, where I have contacts with the poorest of the poor (yesterday spending time with orphans in Alex) and the richest of the rich in this nation.

Isaiah 61 “He has sent me to preach good news to the poor.” Good news to the poor is not just “believe in Jesus” and then suffer the rest of your life until you die. That is not the kingdom of God coming.

I would like to focus on those opportunities – I’d like to do it through the local church, and specifically through Sandton City Church because I see this vision – the whole of Isaiah 61 – written into the DNA of the church – and I see a couple coming to lead this church whose hearts beat with establishing God’s kingdom in this city.

I want to conclude this blog with an email that Stuart Morgan (one of the elders in the church) sent me as we entered this time of transition:
I've reflected much of this year on Operation Overlord (the WWII Battle of Normandy) and specifically Operation Neptune (the D-Day beach landings) and the different roles that the various commanders presided over. Having watched a pile of footage of this period of history, I've seen that without the beach offensive to secure the entry into France, there was no way of getting the heavy artillery onto the Continent to combat the German fire-power. There was no such thing as an air-drop of artillery in those days, and the one time that Easy Company tried to land a Jeep in France, the glider crashed and killed a general.

But, God spoke about tanks, so we needed to get tanks into Sandton, and that demanded a beach-landing.

The Commandants/Colonels didn't do it ... they enlisted some Captains with courage and broad shoulders ... and they rose to the task. Admirably.

Captains Munnings led a beach landing, took out the pill-boxes, opened the door for the landing of the tanks on the beach, and regrouped the troops ready for the next assignment - the surge on Sandton.

Operation Neptune: Mission accomplished.

So now as the higher-ranking officers move in and launch the next strategic wave, know in your hearts that they do so standing on the shoulders of giants.

As we enter this bitter-sweet period, involving a hand-over of authority and changes of allegiance in the battalion continue to keep your eyes on Him ... He has good things yet in store for us.

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,” Hebrews 12:28