As a ministry leader, Jeff Struss knows when Jesus wants you do something, you don’t hesitate. You just do it.
So, when Jesus called Struss and his family away from a 10-year pastorate in Lynchburg, Virginia, to come to Orlando, Florida, to begin a new ministry, they didn’t blink an eye but began a new chapter in their calling for Christ.
Not that it wasn’t a difficult decision, but Struss knows that for a kingdom leader, obedience and surrender are two nonnegotiable virtues.
“Following Jesus is such an adventure. When He went to the disciples, He did say, ‘Come and follow Me,’ not, ‘Let’s camp; let’s just hang out,'” Struss told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “My wife and I ended up transitioning out of the church community that we started, founded, grew and pastored for 10 years. It was a big transition for us, a big change.
“We got to Lynchburg on the word of the Lord. And it was the word of the Lord that led us on, that led us here. It’s definitely a process, hearing the whispers of the Lord—a sense, a feeling that something is changing. Perhaps it’s a sense of, ‘Did I accomplish what God sent me here to do? Was I successful in heaven’s eyes for what I was called to do?’
“In the Bible, when God speaks to them and tells them what He’s about to do with them, it’s only because something crazy is about to break open. And you’ve got to go back to that word to know that you know, that you were there for a reason, a purpose. And that word actually sustains us through difficulty so we don’t give up.
“Knowing that our church community was in the hands of anointed people called shepherds, that it made it easier for us to keep moving forward and do what God has called us to do. … The passage that comes to mind is in Philippians Chapter 3. You have the apostle Paul, who is a missionary and a church planter, and he wrote the majority of the New Testament. But his highest aim was to know Christ. His chief goal is to know Jesus more. … It’s a difficult time for many people, lot of transition, lots of movement, lots of shaking going on. But whatever season you’re in, there’s a doorway called ‘knowing Jesus better,’ and God is inviting us into it. Wherever we are, if we can see that opportunity to know Jesus more, then we’re going to grow, and we’re going to come out stronger and be thrust into God’s purposes.”
For more about Jeff Struss’ journey and his wisdom for those in transition, listen to the entire podcast. And be sure to listen to Struss’ podcast, Presence, Power and Glory, on the Charisma Podcast Network.
