Stretched with Purpose

Serving in Scotland, Europe

by Rick Demastus

Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes (Isaiah 54:2).

Throughout Scripture, there are those who had to enlarge their faith in God’s Word, be willing to stretch themselves in ministry according to God’s will, and stand resolved on God’s promises. Sarah and I have been serving in Aberdeen, Scotland, since August 2017. The dream throughout deputation was to reach the field, hit the ground running, and turn the world upside-down for the cause of Christ. Yet, church planting has done more to change me for the sake of the Gospel. I have been stretched, I have grown, and I have been strengthened by God’s grace.

Meeting for Church
From day one of church planting in Aberdeen, I tried to find a permanent facility for services. Unable to find something permanent, we began meeting in a community center. For a couple years, God faithfully grew His church both spiritually and physically. When COVID-19 happened, the church wanted to continue to meet but the community center denied the request. We began meeting in our back garden for outdoor services. After a few months, the community center allowed us to start meeting again under COVID-19 regulations. Open Door Baptist Church was then said to be breaking the community center COVID rules by baptizing by immersion (having to touch the participants) and our agreement was terminated. A hall in another village allowed us to use their facility without restrictions. After a year, the lady in charge accused our church kids of hanging off the bathroom pipes and breaking them. She went before their board and they unanimously agreed to not allow us to use the facility. Before we were kicked out, a local Church of Scotland minister asked if we were interested in purchasing their facility after the success of our Holiday Bible Club in 2022. We were, so they allowed us to start using the facility until the sale date. This past summer (2024) we raised £160,000 towards the purchase of the facility only to find out that the city council believed they owned a piece of the property. Because the closing date was already being finalized, our church was required to vacate the building until after the date when the church building would be sold. A lady in Sarah’s ladies group contacted her local church and they allowed us to use their facility for our annual Holiday Bible Club and for services each week. We were put through the wringer over the years, but each place gave us the opportunity to reach new people. We just needed to be willing to be stretched.

Reaching the Lost
Soul winning was my life during Bible college and while preparing for mission work in Scotland. Leading a soul to Christ became second nature and we saw God grow His church exponentially. I carried that same zeal to Scotland but found the people unresponsive. It was not that the Gospel had no effect, but rather my approach was not immediately accepted like it had been in the States. I once spent an entire afternoon with a man who needed more than just three points on a tract to be born again. Since that moment, I realized that those in Scotland needed to know the following facts before they would ever consider the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

• Creation—Everything was originally perfect and good. We are fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image.
• Curse—A transgression was committed by Adam and Eve and sin passed upon all creation causing all to fall short of God’s glory.
• Christ—God made a way to reconcile mankind back to Himself in Genesis 3:15 and fulfilled it in the person of Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son Who died for us, was buried, rose again the third day, and ascended to heaven sitting at the right hand throne of the Father providing intercession for us.
• Consummation—God will save us from our sin and will one day receive us unto Himself into eternal glory. What began as good will be completed as good. Each person must decide if he will live unto sin and find eternal damnation or live unto Christ and find eternal life.

The Gospel message did not change but my approach to reaching the Scots did. There is still the challenge of reaching the lost but they no longer stop listening to me after a couple minutes. I have grown.

There are plenty of experiences over the years that have shaped us into who we are today. God knew what was best for us in ministry even though we could not wrap our minds around the details. We have found strength and resolve in Christ because only He could have made this possible. Romans 8:28 is a great reminder: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. We look forward to what God has next for us!