The Unfolding Story of NCC A new time of Jubilee

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1 The Unfolding Story of NCC A new time of Jubilee By Pastor Lee Bennett Vol. One JUBILEE Part One: A Gift From a Friend Lev 25: NIV 8 "'Count off seven sabbaths of years seven times seven years so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years. 9 Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. 10 Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. 11 The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. 12 For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields. May 11, 2016 I had lunch with a longtime friend and past staff member of our church Scott Burnett. Scott had had a near death experience back in September and that crisis had motivated us to pursue getting together more regularly. During our lunch he said in preparation for our visit he wanted to bring me a gift so he had prayed to that end and he felt the Lord had said that Sue and I were in a time of Jubilee that began May 1, 2015 and would last 7 years until November 8, We celebrated our 50 th anniversary on May 1, 2015 and it would be 50 years since my ordination by Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa November 8,

2 When Scott spoke the word JUBILEE I was impacted physically and emotionally. I had to close my eyes to absorb the impact and I breathed deeply so I wouldn t begin sobbing. I knew these experiences to be God s way of confirming the authenticity of a word/message from Him. In short Scott was delivering mail that had originated in the heart of God. That word has since grown in its depth and scope. When I got home I did a brief review of JUBILEE. It was to be a part of the Jewish calendar and would be celebrated every fiftieth year. It was to begin on the Day of Atonement with the blowing of the Ram s Horn lasting for one year. And it would follow the same rules as a Sabbath year; God would provide an overabundance of food on the sixth year to carry the nation through year seven and the next year, the JUBILEE year as well as the following year until the rhythm of sowing and reaping could be reestablished. Since God would provide over and above during these years it was also seen as a time of abundance and God s sovereign provision. Emancipation, restoration, abundance and a new beginning would characterize the next seven years It was a powerful year as slaves were to be emancipated and property restored to its original owners. The value of a slave or property was calculated on the number of years until JUBILEE. Also by its nature it signaled a new beginning for the nation and a reminder of the inheritance God had given them. Emancipation, restoration, abundance and a new beginning would characterize the next seven years for Sue and I and for our church family at NCC. This gift has brought an awareness of God s over-and-above blessings in our lives and that of NCC. 1 Cor 14:3 - NIV 3 But everyone who prophesies (delivers a message from God) speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. (to be comforted means to be given hope and confidence) 2

3 I sought out Scott for a second lunch to see if there was more direction to the message. This is his summary of the word he received: From Scott: Lee I had been thinking about Jubilee prior to our lunch for a couple of reasons. For one, it is the theme for the Grunewald Guild this year, so it s infused into classes and worship services. For Sacred Arts Week at the Guild, which happened during the first week of May, we leaned into the idea of second chances not simply a second chance, as in a single do-over but rather an ongoing approach to life, faith, art In addition, the concept of Jubilee leaped to mind when I started praying for you in advance of our get-together. As I thought about you and your ministry and marriage, it occurred to me that you ve been enjoying and continue to anticipate a number of important 50-year anniversaries. Some of them are obvious, like your wedding anniversary. Others might tend to fly under the radar, like your initial ordination or the start of your mentorship at Costa Mesa, etc. And a lot of those things entailed promises, whether made by you or to you, whether explicit or implicit, public or private Promises that would shape your life, fill your dreams, energize you; infuse your theology Of course, life being what it is, not all of those promises were fulfilled at least not according to the script as you understood it! It s fair to say that part of maturity is learning to reinterpret promises; another aspect of maturity is bringing a blend of patience and tenacity to an expectation that the best promises will eventually blossom and bear fruit. During our lunch, you talked about your marriage and how you & Sue are enjoying one another more deeply than ever. I m paraphrasing, but it was clear to me as you talked that you were describing Jubilee. The word I heard was simply, Lee is entering a season of Jubilee. (By the way, the voice had the sound of a smile in it.) I encourage you to bravely recall (unearth?) the 50-year markers of watershed-type moments between 3

4 65 and 72. (It was that seven year chapter from marrying Sue to being ordained at Calvary Chapel that flashed in my mind.) Some of these things might not occur to you until you find yourself waking up to a day that is the anniversary of something you d forgotten. That s all for now but I m always happy to talk more about it, and I ll be very interested to hear how the story unfolds for you and for the people you bless, because that s most likely the very essence of the best promises. Scott As we have followed his suggestion to go back 50 years and remember the things God has said to us we have been greatly blessed by God s faithfulness, and are full of hope for the coming years. As we say here at NCC The best is yet to be. What can we expect in these next six years until Nov 8, 2022? My interpretation is we can anticipate new levels of freedom/emancipation from things that have captured or imprisoned us and God will be restoring to us what we have lost or has been taken from us (like Job s restoration). Also we can expect the answers to prayers prayed decades ago and the realization of promises made in the distant past. In short, a time of exceptional favor and blessing. Pastor Lee 4

5 The Unfolding Story of NCC A new time of Jubilee By Pastor Lee Bennett Volume 1: JUBILEE Part Two: The Gift Unwrapped In Part One of this series I explained the significant gift I had received from the Lord. In this letter I will cover how I set out to discover what it meant and what I was to do about it. I had learned that there are four parts to messages or words that we receive: revelation, interpretation, application and timing. Revelation is the word itself. Interpretation answers the question what does it mean. Application directs us to what we should do and Timing when we would act. To flesh out the revelation and interpretation I turned to Scripture and various Bible helps to understand Jubilee. In Part One I summarized my findings. Then I was given a gift that would prove critical in the process of discerning application and timing: a day of prayer and fasting. Two of our grandchildren from Alaska were here for three weeks this summer which is always the highlight of our year. This year Greg s work (their father) took him to Lopez and Meagan, his wife, and Ona and Oliver were invited to hang out on the Island for a week while Greg took care of business. Nana Sue was invited to join them for part of the week so she went up to Lopez Tuesday through Thursday. It was that Tuesday June 28 th that I spent the day fasting and praying with a focus on NCC and Jubilee. I say it 5

6 was a gift as I am not naturally drawn to fasting. I have enjoyed success when it was obviously God directed and frustration when it was just my idea. It was the encouragement I had asked for but in a manner far above anything I could have imagined. It was a very rich time and I am still unpacking the blessings I received. One thing that was high on my list was provision and direction for our church. I asked the Lord for encouragement as the good fight of faith had been very intense. Part of the challenge was financial and I was feeling the weight of our dwindling resources. Two weeks later at a staff meeting when Ray was updating our finances he shared about a very unexpected gift that had been given to the church by one of our families in the amount of $50, In response to this news I felt myself exhale. It was the encouragement I had asked for but in a manner far above anything I could have imagined. Back around the first of the year when I was praying for the church I had a distinct impression that something very important was to happen in summer and most likely in July. I shared my impression with only a couple of people but kept it before the Lord. When the gift of 50k was given I assumed it was what I had seen in my spirit. I was wrong. There was something much more impactful that was yet to happen. The coming weekend of our annual All Church Retreat (ACR) would prove to be an over and above answer to my prayers. Michael Moody had searched out and found a speaker he felt would be a great fit for our camp: Melvin Douglas, an ex-harlem Globe Trotter and motivational speaker who had a gift of humor. He brought along a friend, Gifted, who is a Hip Hop artist. I thought we would just have a good time with a lot of laughs and some inspiring messages. I sure missed it. What God had sent us was a gifted evangelist who imparted vision, faith and a challenge all the while making 6

7 us laugh. Gifted used his music, lyrics and heart to open our hearts. We fell in love with these guys. They hung out with us for the whole retreat and Melvin committed to return and use his reputation to open doors for us in the Northshore School District and be a catalyst in our going out and serving our community. God had initiated a new Season for NCC that weekend. I sought God s direction as to the gift that had been given and what I was to do about it. The answer was Prepare the House for the people of NCC, those the Lord is sending to us and those He is sending us to. My next editions will review the steps we have been taking to get busy and Prepare the House. I am so excited about what God had given us. The Best Is Yet To Be. Pastor Lee 7

8 The Unfolding Story of NCC A new time of Jubilee By Pastor Lee Bennett Volume Two: JUBILEE: PREPARING THE HOUSE Part One: A Game Changer When I returned home from our All Church Retreat (ACR) I was excited about what we had received and challenged by what to do about it. I had heard clearly it was time to get busy and I concluded the future we had prayed for was upon us. I asked God to give me direction remembering the following verses. Proverbs 3:5-6 - NIV Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. As I prayed I felt my role was to Prepare the House for ourselves, those the Lord would be sending to us and those He would send us to. The house is made up of each of us as the following verses picture. 1 Peter 2:4-5 - NIV 4 As you come to him, the living Stone rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Also the Father s House where the Father s Heart was lived out is pictured in Jesus s parable of the return of the prodigal: 8

9 Luke 15: NIV 20 "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate. We also needed a foundational passage from scripture to guide us through this season and the Lord directed me to the following verses: Ephesians 4: NIV As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit just as you were called to one hope when you were called 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, He led captives in his train and gave gifts to men." 9 (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 9

10 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. We began our new season Sunday July 31 st by telling the stories covered in the two previous Jubilee letters and I brought forward two verses from our text for this season as they are critical to our success: Ephesians 4 7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. To get the job done we all would need to acknowledge the grace given to each of us for the assignment God has for us and get busy doing it. We all have a contribution to make. On that Sunday I asked the whole church to begin this journey/adventure by praying for one minute at either 9:00 AM or 9:00 PM or both. Our prayers would be for NCC and for our nation. I noted the following scripture as an encouragement to believe God as we prayed. 2 Chronicles 7:14 - NIV if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. I asked that we would pray every day until November 13 th, the end of this season. 10

11 God has given us a fresh excitement in His work and many are being stirred to step out in new ways. I am particularly grateful for these recent gifts and direction. As a pastor and leader I have often visited Joshua 1:1-9 and contemplated the call, instruction and promises to Joshua and what, if any, application there was for me. When we visited this passage earlier this year it was very alive with promise. I have since narrowed it down to one verse that captures well for me my heart s desire for NCC. Joshua 1:6 - NIV 6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. The promised land of the Old Testament is the Promised One, Jesus, our eternal inheritance of the New Testament. I see this as a promise that we will fulfill the following verses: Ephesians 4:13 - NIV 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:15 - NIV 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. Everything God has for us and everything He wants for us is in His Son Jesus. To be given faith and hope that we will one day together experience the fullness of Christ here and now is a gift beyond measure. May it be so. He is faithful. Ephesians 4:7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. Pastor Lee 11