Feeding The Hungry: Redemption City Church, Cul2vate, & Jesus

by Jed CoppengerUncategorizedPosted on No Comments

Around 1 out of 6 Tennesseans are hungry. 1 out of 6! That means over 1 million of our fellow Tennesseans have stomachs that are growling each week and can’t make it stop the way many of us can. And hunger, of course, doesn’t just impact your stomach, it impacts your ability to focus, listen, relate, your inner sense of well-being, and more. These problems are particularly felt developmentally by the 1 out of 4 children that make up Tennessee’s hungry population. If we reduce hunger, we reduce so many other problems that plague our neighbors.

That’s why, starting this year, Redemption City Church will be using a portion of our 30.9 acres to grow thousands of pounds of food that we’re going to give away in the name of Jesus. No, we’re not growing food because we want to be farmers. We’re farming because we want to be like Jesus who both SHARED God’s love verbally and SHOWED God’s love practically.

We know this is true because Matthew summarized Jesus’ ministry by saying, “23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people” (Matt. 4:23).

Jesus drove this point home when he said that at the end of time we will answer for how we treated the most vulnerable around us. He said, “35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,[f] you did it to me’ (Matt. 25:35-40).

Later, Jesus’ brother, James, emphasized that saving faith is a working faith or it’s a dead faith. He wrote, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17).

There are, of course, many other passages in the Bible that tell us that Christians who have a saving belief in the gospel should make a practical difference in the lives of those around them. Christianity is compassionate or it’s counterfeit.

From the very beginning of Redemption City Church in 2013, we have sought to be a people that SHARE God’s love verbally and SHOW God’s love practically. We’ve seen God do amazing things as we’ve built houses for people in need, fed the hungry, provided clothing and education to those who desperately needed it, and supported missionaries who do the same.

But we feel like God is calling us to something more, something unusual.

That sense of leading started in 2018, when God gave Redemption City Church over 23 acres of Williamson County farmland through the generosity of Frank and Francis Ingraham. Immediately, we started asking God to make clear how we could best use this gift—farmland that I grew up working on—to advance his kingdom purposes. About 8 months later God led us into conversations with a local non-profit doing amazing work called Cul2vate.

Over the past 5 years, Cul2vate has been growing food to feed the hungry and using the chronically employed to do it, helping equip them to get back to the life God created them for. Cul2vate was founded by and is led by a childhood friend of mine, Joey Lankford, who also worked on the Ingraham farm with me.

Just when we were praying for a partner that could help provide the needed expertise to grow food on this kind of scale and help people along the way, Cul2vate was looking for an opportunity to multiply what they’re doing somewhere else. The timing was perfect!

After agreeing to work together, this past December we launched our “Hope for the Hungry” initiative, asking you to give $15,000 to get it started. This money would cover costs like putting in a small gravel parking pad, purchasing needed tools, seeds, and more. And you responded by giving over $27,000!!! Yes!

Then, this past Sunday, I spent half of my normal preaching time to interviewing Joey at Redemption City Church. I thought it was so important for everyone to hear his powerful story of walking away from everything the world could offer to give his life away through this ministry. You can listen to it here.

This past Sunday we also began asking for 250 people to commit to work 1 hour a month for 7 months, starting mid-March, to provide hope for the hungry. You don’t, of course, have to be a farmer, just willing to provide hope for the hungry in practical ways. You’ll plant seeds, pull weeds, harvest food, and deliver food, just to name a few of the key jobs. Families, groups, and anyone else, can do this together. It’s going to be something you’ll never forget.

Will you pray that God would use our efforts to provide physical and spiritual hope to the hungry this year? We believe that we need God’s help to advance God’s purposes, so we pray.

Will you be one of the 250 people who sign up to help 1 hour a month for 7 months? If so, let us know here. Signing up in this way will enable us to get the needed information to you as easy as possible.

God is going to do amazing things through this new ministry effort. I’d love for you to be a part of it. Check out the Cul2vate’s video below to learn more about this awesome ministry (btw, Dr. Coffey, who you will meet in this video, will be volunteering full-time at RCC’s property!).

4 Ways Every Christian Can Join Jesus’ Evangelistic Mission

by Jed CoppengerChristian living, Church, Evangelism, PrayerPosted on No Comments

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I know a lot of Christians who wish they were more evangelistic. They long for the day when they’ll experience the great joy of leading someone to Christ. They hunger to be like the Apostles and the early church who saw unbelievers from all walks of life give their lives to Christ.

The desire to be evangelistic isn’t near as rare as actually being evangelistic. I don’t know a lot of Christians who share the gospel regularly. Fewer are those who have actually led someone to Christ. And every study that I’m aware of says that my experience isn’t unique. Most Christians never share the gospel with lost people.

So what’s at the heart of our evangelism problem? Why don’t we share the gospel? Most Christians know that Jesus came to “seek and to save the lost” (Lk 19:10). Most know that we’re called to make disciples of all nations, a command that requires evangelism (Matt. 28-18-20). So if we don’t have a problem understanding that we should be evangelistic, what is our problem?

The reasons, no doubt, are many. Some people are probably scared of the responses they’ll get, whether that’s a fear of being made fun of, having tough questions thrown at them, or something else. Perhaps others find that they just forget to make it a priority because they’re so busy. I’ve come across a lot of Christians that simply don’t know where to start. For this last group, I’d like to offer 4 ways that every Christian can join Jesus’ mission to save the world.

Pray For The Lost Regularly – Only God is powerful enough to change our hearts. He alone is able to give life to dead hearts. That’s why evangelism starts with prayer. Ask God to save the lost people you encounter throughout your day. Ask him to show you a few lost people whose lives you should invest in. Evangelism starts with prayer because our confidence is in God not our evangelistic efforts.

Invest In The Lost Consistently – Most people need to belong in some way before they believe. They often need to get to know who you are before they’ll follow the God you worship. While it’s true that many people become Christians as a result of a gospel presentation from a stranger, most conversion stories I’m aware of include a part where a Christian has invested relationally in their lives. Together they hung out, worked out, shared meals, coached, or something else like this. Invest in the lost people in your life so that there’s a relational bridge strong enough to invite them to take a step towards Christ.

Invite The Lost Repeatedly – Christians are called by God to be an inviting people. No, that doesn’t mean we’re supposed to be “nice” when unbelievers come. It means we are called actually to invite people to come toward or to Christ. When you invite an unbeliever to a meal, a worship gathering, a group, or something like this, you’re inviting them toward Christ. You’re inviting them to take a step toward Christ that isn’t exactly the same as inviting them to Christ. When you share the gospel with someone and invite him or her to trust Christ, you’re inviting him or her to Christ. Both types of invitations are significant kingdom advancement actions. The Enemy hates both types of invitations and will try to discourage every believer that attempts them. Satan wants to take one of the greatest kingdom advancing actions, a believer inviting an unbeliever towards or to Christ, and use it to discourage you. Negative responses to your invitations don’t change the fact that God loves you and celebrates every imperfect invitation you extend in his name. Keep praying, investing, and inviting.

Connect The Lost Strategically – Christians are called to be connectors. We’re called to be a part of connecting unbelievers to the family of God, the body of Christ, and the temple for the Spirit. When unbelievers respond to your invitation, whether that’s towards or to Christ, do your best to connect them relationally. If they respond to an invitation to come towards Christ and show up at your house, worship gathering, or group, connect them with those they’ll have the most in common. If they come to Christ and surrender their lives to him, connect them to potential disciplers. Every born-again Christian needs to be parented again. Don’t just worry about how you’re connecting, help others connect to Christ, his body, and his mission too.

I’ve had the privilege of leading people toward and to Christ. Without question, these moments have been some of the most exhilarating moments of my life. Even as I write this, many of their faces are running through my mind, causing tears of joy and gratitude to run down my face. I’m praying that every believer would experience the unique joy that is available to those who follow Jesus as he “seeks and saves” the lost in their city, country, and world.