The Word tells us in John 16:24; ” Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full.”

And in James 4:2, although he is speaking to issues of worldliness in this passage, I think I can apply the scripture; “You do not have because you do not ask” to this discussion.

I often have people ask me how I get the connections with folks to help them start simple/missional/organic life. My response; I ask God to send them to me, and I ask Him constantly for that privilege.

A few years ago, I tried to meet with, activate, gather people I knew had leadership gifts, or had been seeking simple church life into action. Very little fruit resulted from that. They were very frustrating years and I struggled with the desire within me to get people moving and functioning in the Kingdom.

However, I was seeing God use me in this motivation in other countries, where I was constantly in contact with people who were “ready” to go and it was just a matter of having enough time on my part to get to all of them.

I realized that in this “mission midset”, I continually asked God to lead me to the right people, or to bring them to me when I was on one of these “mission trips” that I did to extend the Kingdom and release the Body into their places within. Since I knew very few people in these countries, I was dependent upon God to bring these divine appointments to me.

When I was home in the States, I prayed similar prayers but in reality, relied more upon my knowledge and preconceived beliefs that God would of course use this or that person that looked to me like someone who was ready to serve.

I began to ask, and seriously ask…..beg, if you really want to know, for God to send to me “workers of the harvest” and especially those who didn’t require a long “detoxification”, a lot of personal healing, or paradigm shifting.

I can only say; God is faithful and has answered those prayers with “more than I could ask or imagine” Him doing.

Last night, for example, we met with a couple who contacted me a few weeks ago with interest in simple church. They are just an average, ordinary couple who when after listening to them discuss what they were desiring in living “church”, I said; “you can do that here, in your home with those elements you desire,”. They lit up with excitement and replied; “We can?”

“Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened.” Mt 7:7