I’ve been thinking about saying farewell…

A Farewell to Scottsdale Bible Church
June 3, 2007
farewell n. 1: a wish of well-being at parting

In Acts 20:24, the Apostle Paul said, “I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and my ministry that I have received from the Lord Jesus.”

The course of our active, full-time ministry with Scottsdale Bible Church is ending here tonight. This evening is a celebration of finishing the course with our integrity intact and our love for the body here preserved for all time. There is an expression I remember reading years ago. “It’s gone to the publisher,” meaning that the end has been written and it cannot be altered in any way. This is truly something to rejoice about!

A few months ago I was sitting in the service here at SBC and God interjected His thoughts into mine. As I looked around the auditorium that morning, He said to me, “Holly, you have been faithful with the task I gave you. Well done, good and faithful servant!” My heart flooded with joy that closure had finally come to me after months of agonizing over our decision.

My most important priority is to obey the mission that God gives me in my “holy ground” moments with Him. I will stand accountable before Him one day for the choices I made in this life.

Oswald Chambers understood the “holy ground” of God’s calling. He said, “It is easier to serve God without a vision, easier to work for God without a call, because then you are not bothered by what God requires… It is even possible to be more prosperous and successful, more leisure-hearted, if you never realize the call of God. But if once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God wants will always come like a goad.”

It is my intention to attempt to value and respect “holy ground” missions in the lives of the people I love. I may not understand or even appreciate the choices being made because God’s calling is specific – and often demanding.

But, by respecting the movement of God in each other’s lives we are all free to obey Him. What that means to me, practically speaking, is that I can pursue the calling of God with the wholehearted approval of the people I love and who love me. Thank you for being those people, tonight. I will never forget you. I will hold you in my heart forever!

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May 2007