Blogs - Plant For the Gospel

Kopp Family May Update

jonkopp@plant4thegospel.com (Jon Kopp) — Sat, 26 May 2012 00:50:32 +0000

Thanks so much for following along with us as we by God’s grace seek to plant for the gospel!

Finishing off at Oak Ridge Baptist Church

Sunday night, May 13th, our family wrapped up eight years serving on the pastoral team at Oak Ridge Baptist Church. Our lives have been so shaped and molded by the relationships and ministry we’ve had there that the adjustment to the new stage of ministry and life has been an odd mix of sadness, excitement, fears and confidence. For our last Sunday, one desire that we had as a finish to our time with Oak Ridge was to enjoy a full day worshipping God and enjoying the relationships He has raised up over the years, and we are so thankful that we enjoyed just that! Our pastor gave Beth and I freedom to lead our favorite songs in both services, lead our choir in a favorite piece, and I was able to preach my last sermon to our teens. What a joy it was to cap off our years of ministry by singing our hearts out to Jesus! The humbling thought that God brought to my mind through the whole weekend was that in all our weaknesses, failures, misses, and sufferings He was working His plan at Oak Ridge Baptist Church. Amazingly, through it all, we are more satisfied and sanctified for His work in and through us.

May Update

jonkopp@plant4thegospel.com (Jon Kopp) — Wed, 23 May 2012 22:29:16 +0000

Let's get caught up from the last few months!

Thanks for following us in our journey to obey our Savior's call on our life to raise up new church-planting churches in Salt Lake City, UT! We have been busy! Our goal over the last few weeks has been to accurately share the mission of God for church planting and to humbly connect with like-minded partners in prayer and support.We have much to share with you! Our hope is to keep you updated once a month or so with new content, happenings and praises.

We are compelled to live out the resurrected implications of the life God has given us. In 1 Corinthians 15:58, Paul concludes, “Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." If we have been given victory over life's greatest, most fearful risk--death, we must face any obstacle for the gospel sake with boldness! Our prayer is that God would fill our hearts with that strength that we might spill out gospel work no matter what the cost. May God use our weakness and foolishness to shine the glory of the cross to the lost and needy in Salt Lake City!

What's been happening?

The Lord is My Shepherd - Part 6

lukeandliesl@gmail.com (Lukus Counterman) — Tue, 22 May 2012 17:23:31 +0000

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

In studying the 23rd Psalm, we have explored the Shepherd’s care for His sheep in the midst of trying circumstances. In order to understand the last two verses of the Psalm, we should identify ourselves as weary travelers while God is the gracious Host. Our Host calls us to rejoice in His grace towards us when we are struggling with anxiety. He offers abundant joy and satisfaction right now, in the middle of our trial.

Biblical Evangelistic Prayer

jonkopp@plant4thegospel.com (Jon Kopp) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 02:15:14 +0000

As we pray evangelistically for our communities and our world, perhaps these few thoughts will guide us to pray Biblically for the advancement of God's mission through the church to the ends of the earth!

1. There is work to be done

Matthew 9:37-38
The harvest truly [is] plenteous, but the labourers [are] few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

February Update

jonkopp@plant4thegospel.com (Jon Kopp) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 23:59:28 +0000

Let's get caught up from February!

Thanks for staying updated on what God is doing in raising up new church-planting churches in Salt Lake City, UT! Our God has revealed His active hand once again to us this month! Our goal over the last few weeks has been to steward well the kindness and generosity our God has shown to us! We want to obey our king! We have much to share with you! We hope to keep you updated once a month with new content, happenings and praises.

We are encouraged by the people God uses to build his church. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus says, “thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” One theologian says of this verse, “What Jesus is actually saying, is ‘you disciples will find it almost impossible to believe but it’s through the likes of Simon Peter that I’m going to build my church.’” Jesus wasn’t exalting Peter. He was exalting himself, because He is the Savior who can build a world-wide church on the stones of disciples like Peter – maybe even on “living stones” like us – as Peter later calls us (1Pet. 2:5) This transformed Peter would be a disciple used by God to build his church. May God use our weakness and foolishness to shine the glory of the cross to the lost and needy in Salt Lake City!

What's been happening?

The Lord is My Shepherd - Part 5

lukeandliesl@gmail.com (Lukus Counterman) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:38:57 +0000

Psalm 23 teaches us to trust the Shepherd during times of anxiety. As we have been walking through the passage, we found we can trust him to provide for us and to guide us. Now we will consider how the Shepherd protects his sheep (v. 4).

In David’s time, a shepherd would often have to herd his sheep through deep, dark ravines where danger from cliffs or lurking animals loomed. In life, we also have to travel through dark and dangerous circumstances. Have you ever been through “the valley of the shadow of death”--to be literally in the midst of “death shadows, distress, or deep shadows”? Eyes that have experienced heavy weeping display these shadows. Though we never desire the valley of the shadow and even shudder to meditate on our past valleys, we do recognize that valleys have their purpose – in green pastures we can get satisfied with grass and forget the Shepherd, but not in the valleys. No, there in the valley, we need the Shepherd, we remember him, and we know his protection.

January Update

jonkopp@plant4thegospel.com (Jon Kopp) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:45:21 +0000

Monthly News & Update

Thanks for staying updated on what God is doing in raising up new church-planting churches in Salt Lake City, UT! Our Savior is on the move, and we have been striving to serve Him well since we first shared God's leading in our lives back in November. We have much to share with you! We hope to keep you updated once a month with new content, happenings and praises.

Amidst all the changes associated with leaving a place of stability and comfort to go to the unknowns of church planting in Utah, we have been reminded of the demands of following the Lord. He said, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it” (Mark 8:34-35). We may experience some measure of loss for the cause of the gospel, but we remember how much Christ sacrificed for us and we gladly embrace this path of discipleship.

What's been happening?

Abraham and going...

jonkopp@plant4thegospel.com (Jon Kopp) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:43:23 +0000

Through the process this summer of discerning God's will for us, God used the story of Abraham to grab Beth and I with His will.

I am really amazed at how our God communicates the life of faith. Over and over again, the emphasis is that walking in faith is most importantly FOR God--FOR His name. God is FOR Himself. The life of faith is FOR God first and most, not me. I don't know about you, but it is very easy to focus my attention on me. When I allow fear and pride to reign in my heart, I drift toward thoughts of what I want, need and think is most important. God has been teaching me through this process (among many other things) that His will is not about me…or our team…His will is about God! That is what He is doing! I want to make this about Him.

Here are a few of the notes that I journalled last fall as God was working in my heart.

The Lord is My Shepherd - Part 4

lukeandliesl@gmail.com (Lukus Counterman) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 04:27:14 +0000

In times of anxiety, not only do we need to trust the Shepherd to provide for us but we also need to trust him to guide us (v. 3b). You know, sheep are funny creatures. They lack a sense of direction. They can easily become lost even in a familiar environment. They stray often. They are prone to wander. They need the shepherd’s guidance.

Christ reminds us that his true sheep are led by his voice. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). He guides his own through the voice of the Word and the Spirit. How many times on our Christian journey do we struggle with where the voice of Jesus is leading us? When he calls, we must follow and we must not turn back. Psalm 23 teaches us two things about the guidance of the Shepherd.

The Lord is My Shepherd - Part 3

lukeandliesl@gmail.com (Lukus Counterman) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 23:28:18 +0000

We have noted that the Shepherd’s provision is personal, complete, and securing. It is also refreshing – (v. 3a) “he restores my soul…” God can refresh your soul when you are dry and lifeless. He can rebuild your heart when it is broken or burdened. He revives the heart that is deflated and flat, limp and wilted, downcast or drooping like a flag/sail without wind (Lam 1:16; Prov. 18:14).

People who live a ministry-lifestyle find themselves in moments of desperation, absolutely in need of renewal. We may spend ourselves in crisis counseling, helping the sick, pursuing knowledge of the Word, serving our family, or practically laboring with church construction or projects. We may be so deplete of human strength that joy is a distant melody. At those times, we go to the Shepherd to restore the soul.

The Lord is My Shepherd - Part 2

lukeandliesl@gmail.com (Lukus Counterman) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:39:02 +0000

This post is part two. Click here to read the first post.

Not only is our Shepherd’s provision personal, it is complete – “I shall not want…” Literally, this phrase means, “I will never be wanting anything” or “I will lack nothing.” At first this catches your attention, because there are some things you may want. You may want a Porsche, you may want a million dollars, you may want a short sermon on Sunday – but you probably don’t have those things. So how can the psalmist say, “Since Yahweh is my Shepherd I won’t be wanting anything”?

The Lord is My Shepherd - Part 1

lukeandliesl@gmail.com (Lukus Counterman) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 04:48:01 +0000

Many commentators think that David penned Psalm 23 during a particularly vulnerable time in his life. King Saul (David’s mentor, leader, and his best friend’s father) became so jealous of him that he tried to kill him. David fled from Saul’s terror confused, threatened, and anxious. How did David respond to worry and anxiety in life? More to the point… How are we supposed to respond to worry and anxiety in our lives? Your anxiety could be related to impending changes, or it might be linked to something else - the holidays, some financial stress, a relationship issue, or some unknown about the future. How are we supposed to respond to worry and anxiety in our lives?

No doubt. God is calling us to plant a church.

jonkopp@plant4thegospel.com (Jon Kopp) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 23:43:59 +0000

Sunday morning, November 13th, Beth and I shared with our church how God has been working and calling us to pursue church planting in Salt Lake City. We praise God for the encouragement and support our church gave us afterward! Here's the letter I read that morning.

I have not been looking forward to this day. Because we are a family, I hurt at the thought of our relationships status’ changing. I hurt at the thought of not serving daily with the best pastoral team I’ve ever seen. And, I hurt at the thought of not sharing some of the incredible moments in ministry with you all anymore.

A little more than a year ago, God began to seriously push on my heart and Beth’s heart in the area of ministry direction. Questions like “what is our ministry going to look like in 10 or 15 years?” And “what did God uniquely wire me for in the ministry of the church?” began popping up when we thought about our family’s future. God was poking at our comfort zone and working on our heart’s about steps of faith. We sought to take some of those steps, and I put off the others for several months with the excuse that things were too good at Oak Ridge! I was too happy and satisfied here to make any kind of a move. It would be foolish to leave! I love it here… God has been answering prayers in the ministry here that we have been asking for since we came. Ministry doors have opened up that had only been dreams before! We have learned so much from the body of Oak Ridge Baptist and the Pastoral team, and we’ve so enjoyed it--a lot of days feel more like a hobby than a job!

The questions got louder and my burden for the cities of America grew. I have had a desire to church plant most of my saved life. Through college, it seemed like God was moving Beth and I to prepare to go into a city and plant a church. In fact, that was the direction we were heading until a year before graduation when God made it very clear that we were to come here. Over the last year, God seemed to be bringing up those passions for city church planting back to the surface in a way that we couldn’t ignore.

It was a taste of heaven...

albright.jonathan@gmail.com (Jonathan Albright) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 02:00:35 +0000

On Sunday, November 13 Sarah and I made it known to our Brookside family the call of God to go to Salt Lake City and join 3 other men and their families to labor in a church planting initiative.

At the end of the message I preached from Hebrews 11 on the Pattern of Abraham's life of faith. I spent a few minutes exposing the great need to take the Gospel to needy cities and specifically to the Salt Lake Valley. We declared our submission to God's call on our lives to go united with this team of disciple makers to see this city and other cities reached for the Gospel through a church planting initiative. Here are some of the words I shared with our church family.

Poem from Psalm 90 - Liesl

lukeandliesl2@gmail.com (Liesl Counterman) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 09:10:08 +0000

During the time God was leading Lukus to make the decision for our missions endeavor to SLC, I was very blessed by meditating on Psalm 90. It is Moses' psalm exposing the longing of man for significance in light of the brevity of life. He speaks of concepts that have become very real to me. We are pilgrims who have one home, God Himself. All of life's meaning is found in the knowledge of God. Life is short, so we must make decisions in light of eternity. God is so good, in that He gives wisdom, shows His power to our children, and establishes the works of our hands. I am excited to get to know my God on deeper and deeper levels as He leads our pilgrim family in the next phase of our earthly journey! I penned this poem as my heart reflected on Psalm 90...

My Sunday Morning Message - Lukus

lukeandliesl@gmail.com (Lukus Counterman) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 09:03:59 +0000

Blogs - Plant For the Gospel

Kopp Family May Update

Finishing off at Oak Ridge Baptist Church

May Update

Let's get caught up from the last few months!

What's been happening?

The Lord is My Shepherd - Part 6

Biblical Evangelistic Prayer

1. There is work to be done

February Update

Let's get caught up from February!

What's been happening?

The Lord is My Shepherd - Part 5

January Update

Monthly News & Update

What's been happening?

Abraham and going...

The Lord is My Shepherd - Part 4

The Lord is My Shepherd - Part 3

The Lord is My Shepherd - Part 2

The Lord is My Shepherd - Part 1

No doubt. God is calling us to plant a church.

Sunday morning, November 13th, Beth and I shared with our church how God has been working and calling us to pursue church planting in Salt Lake City. We praise God for the encouragement and support our church gave us afterward! Here's the letter I read that morning.

It was a taste of heaven...

On Sunday, November 13 Sarah and I made it known to our Brookside family the call of God to go to Salt Lake City and join 3 other men and their families to labor in a church planting initiative.

Poem from Psalm 90 - Liesl

My Sunday Morning Message - Lukus

I preached this message Sunday morning, November 13th and shared with our church what God is doing in our hearts for His will and glory.