For thus says the high and exalted One
Who lives forever, whose name is Holy,
“I dwell on a high and holy place,
And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit
In order to revive the spirit of the lowly
And to revive the heart of the contrite. Isaiah 57:15
The God who created us is transcendent, worthy of worship, eternal, holy, and living. He is personal, not an impersonal force. Added to the descriptions in the first three lines of this passage, we could say that He is sovereign (Psalm 103:19), majestic (2 Peter 1:16), and self-existent (Exodus 3:14). He is also omnipotent (Job 42:2), omnipresent (as in the current passage), and omniscient (1 John 3:20).
God is, however, also personal, and compassionate. He dwells with His people, and this is His real heart! Being contrite and lowly of spirit means being broken, being humble, and, as the Lord put it, being poor in spirit. These are the people with whom God desires relationship. He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Jesus was talking about this kind of lowliness when He taught concerning children.
But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” Luke 18:17-18
Not surprisingly, most Christians came to Christ as children or teens. George Barna in his survey, “Evangelism Most Effective to Youth” said this. ““Families, churches and parachurch ministries must recognize that primary window of opportunity for effectively reaching people with the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection is during the pre-teen and teen years. It is during those years that people develop their frames of reference for the remainder of their life – especially theologically and morally. Consistently explaining and modeling truth principles for young people is the most critical factor in their spiritual development”. (https://www.christianpost.com/news/barna survey-evangelism-most-effective-to-youth.html)
The goal of Gospel Rocks Ranch is to come along side families and churches to evangelize children. The window of opportunity is small for most people to come to faith in Christ, and we want to charge the forces of darkness to be part of God’s rescue plan.
Praises
• In early March the Internal Revenue Service granted our request for 501c3 “non-profit” status! This was a huge answer to prayer! This means that contributions to Gospel Rocks Ranch can be claimed for income tax purposes.
• Our first Longhorn calf was born in early March. Despite some late frigid weather, she survived! That increases the herd size to six.
• More and more churches in the western Hill Country of Texas are becoming aware of Gospel Rocks Ranch and are enthusiastic about the ministry.
Prayer Needs
• Please pray that God will begin preparing the hearts of children to hear and respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Please pray for workers from local churches to catch the vision for discipleship of children who trust Christ.
• Immediate needs include funds for a new front gate, an updated website, gentle horses, and a general-purpose building on the ranch. Please pray for those funds to come in.
Thank you for your interest in the ministry of Gospel Rocks Ranch. May our gracious Father be pleased with and glorified by those ministries in which you are involved.
Special thanks to our Discipleship Coordinator, Steve Hager, for providing this update!
Gospel Rocks Ranch 