1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing: 2 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:
” ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.

My devotional reading from this morning begins with these words from chapter 1 of the book of Ezra. Ezra declares that God had given him a vision and calling. In church planting the vision and the call to go and build something for God is often given to the lead church planter. Having spent time with Paul the lead planter of Velocity, it clear that in the same way that Ezra received his call to build something, Paul received a similar call.

Ezra goes on the cast the vision for this new work to others and notice how they respond.

Anyone of his people among you—may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 And the people of any place where survivors may now be living are to provide him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’ ” 5 Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.

God moved in the heart of his people and they caught the vision! I pray that God will continue to move in the hearts of people in Douglas and Paulding County and that they would see the vision of Velocity and would move boldly as the people of Ezra’s time did.