“So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.” (Joshua 14:10-12, NIV)

How is our church stepping forward in faith? For the church in Australia, these are tougher times. We are past the days when most people went to church, knew the Christian story, or saw the church as central to community life. For many in our neighbourhood, what we hold to can feel strange, distant, even absurd. Each generation is starting further from the story of Jesus. Given this, we could retreat to what feels safe and familiar. But Caleb shows us a different way.

In Joshua 14, Caleb saw the giant Anakites and stepped forward. These feared people were the ancestors of Goliath. Caleb asked Joshua for the land of the Anakites, “Give me this hill country.” Not because the challenge was easy, but because he trusted in God’s promise.

I see that same spirit here at Unley Park. We are not just “giving things a go”. We are stepping out with trust. Our partnership with FSBC. Our support of the Iranian church. The way Kids COACH and Kids Quest are opening doors for young lives. The responses we are seeing through Alpha. These are not sure bets or small steps. They are acts of faith.

A Caleb “spirit” does not ignore the size of the challenge. In fact, that is why it moves forward. It treats obstacles as opportunities to trust God, grow, and join what he is already doing.

We are a people called to that kind of faith: like Caleb, not shrinking back, but moving forward together.

In Him,
Jason

Photo by Alex Radelich on Unsplash