May 30, 2023

A Jar and a Jug

A recap of day one of Council 2023

Council 2023 has officially begun. On Monday morning, the Spokane Convention Center was already filled—international workers were meeting at the Alliance Missions Pre-Council, and hundreds of Alliance family members attended committee meetings, ministry trainings, and more. At an Alliance Women gathering, Jen Vogel passed off leadership to Ana Cuevas as the incoming national director for Alliance Women

A sense of expectancy is in the air.

In the evening service, U.S. Alliance President John Stumbo shared out of 1 Kings 17. This passage tells the story of how, during a time of drought, God invited a woman into a step of faith, to believe in His provision and then to give generously. 

“For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’” 

1 Kings 17:14

“The jar and the jug have become a metaphor for me of a life lived in faith,” Stumbo shared. When God calls us to make a move of faith, how will we respond? Will we be expectant of the fulfillment of His promises? Or will we choose to self-protect? May God give us the grace to move forward in faith.

To watch the replay of the Monday evening service, click here.

Seen and Heard

“There are times when steps of faith are called out of us. And fear slithers into the path of every step of faith. Will we be reluctant or expectant? Apprehensive or anticipating?”

“When He calls us to take a step of faith, we’re prone to protect ourselves—at times when we should be entrusting ourselves to our Protector.” —John Stumbo

To watch this video with English CC or Spanish and Chinese captions, as well as more videos from Council 2023, click here!

Don’t miss out on tomorrow’s sessions! The morning service, business session, and evening worship service will be streamed for those who can’t make it to Council 2023. The services can be found here or on our C&MA Facebook page.


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