The Path to Building God's Kingdom on Earth Starts with Obeying God... No Matter the Cost
By Jeff Keaton
Almost 21 years ago, my brother Troy and his family moved to Roanoke, Virginia, to plant a new church out of the church I was then pastoring, Parkway House of Prayer. Troy served on our church staff for about 6 months, preaching often. I then encouraged the members of our congregation to pray about leaving our church and going with him to plant a new church about thirty-five minutes away at Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia.
On Sunday morning, February 6, 2006, sixty-three members of our congregation, along with Pastors Troy and Mark Dubbeld, officially launched Eastlake Community Church. When God led us to plant a new church, we were only averaging about 350 in Sunday morning attendance. We were not flush with cash. Giving away sixty-three members and about $150,000 in cash was a serious risk. By November of 2006, nine months after planting Eastlake, we were feeling the financial loss of giving away those members in a very tangible way. I remember going to our monthly church board meeting in November of that year with fear and trepidation.
Our cash balance had been dropping about $10-15,000 each month for several months. I was wondering when the board would panic and start doubting our decision to give away so many people and so much money. As I started the board meeting, I said something like, “Well, as you can see, we’re getting into a pretty tough situation financially.” I was stumbling around waiting for the board members to express their negative thoughts when one of our board members stopped me in my tracks.
Dale Brink, a Roanoke city police detective, spoke these bold words: “Pastor Jeff, did not God tell us to plant that church?” I said, “Without a doubt, He did.” Dale then said, “Then God will pay our bills!” From that moment forward, God began to replenish our resources, and we never looked back. As a matter of fact, the next year, 2007, we gave away another forty-plus members to plant Living Well Church in Salem, Virginia, and that church is thriving today as well.
This past Sunday, I was privileged to join our church family in celebrating the 20th anniversary of Eastlake Community Church. I have now been attending Eastlake for the last fifteen years, and it’s been a joy to witness the amazing work God has done through this church plant. Over the years, scores of men and women have been saved. Today, 2,000-plus people make up this wonderful body of believers. They have a Christian school with 660 students enrolled whose lives are being molded into the image of Jesus and whose minds are being filled with the truth of God’s words. They are planting other churches and have even taken leadership of their mother church, Parkway House of Prayer.
All of us who were involved in planting Eastlake are so grateful we listened to the leadership of the Holy Spirit all those years ago. But it took radical faith to plant this church, and it has taken continuous trust in God and a willingness to follow His plan, no matter what it cost, to see the fruit we now see. Satan has attacked in every way to try and stop this work of God, but God has given the leadership of Eastlake a heart to obey him every step of the way. Perhaps many of you are in the early or middle stages of building something God has called you to build. No doubt Satan is attacking and trying to stop the work God wants to do in and through your life.
The fear of failure you feel right now might be making it hard for you to sleep some nights. I’ve had overwhelming fear at times, not just with planting Eastlake but while planting RenewaNation and with the other endeavors God has called me to be a part of. Here’s what I have learned over the last thirty-plus years of working to advance God’s work on earth. Just keep obeying God one moment at a time. If God wants you to quit, He will make that happen, but until then, keep putting one foot in front of the other. God never promised that it would be easy. God never promised that we would understand the whole plan from day one. Most of the time, I have known just enough to make the next decision. I’ve been doing this long enough now to see serious lasting fruit from obeying God, and I’m so grateful that God kept me going in the darkest and hardest moments. I truly didn’t keep myself going.
He gave me just what I needed when I needed it, and He will do the same for you. Reject the negative thoughts Satan is trying to overwhelm you with. Satan is nothing but negativity, and if you’re dwelling in negativity, you can be assured that you are giving into Satan’s attempts to stop you. Remember what the Lord has called you to. Remember that the Lord loves His children, and you are one of his. He knows you. He cares about you, and He wants you to have the privilege of partnering with Him to fulfill His purposes on earth. How exciting is that? I’m praying for you today.
Let’s obey Jesus and watch Him do His beautiful work on earth through our frail and humble vessels.
Biblical Parenting Conference at Immanuel Baptist Church
Dr. Josh Mulvihill had the privilege of leading a full-day Biblical Parenting Conference for approximately 200 parents at Immanuel Bible Church in the Washington, DC area. Pastor J.J. Englebrecht is doing an incredible job shepherding parents, and it is a joy for RenewaNation to partner with churches and schools in this strategic and impactful way.
Grace Baptist Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Jeff Keaton was privileged to come alongside Grace Baptist to celebrate their parents and help them better understand the value of giving their children a biblical worldview education. Grace Baptist did an excellent job of providing a meal, music, and fantastic tuition scholarships, which resulted in a great group of parents coming out for the evening.
At RenewaNation, we believe that parents are the most important element in giving children a biblical worldview. It was also a privilege for Jeff to have his seven-year-old grandson with him for this event. Marshall loves to sit on the platform while his papaw is speaking, and we’re glad to report that Marshall handled it like a pro. If you have been thinking about bringing Jeff to your church or school, now is the time to reach out. Contact Beth Blair at: bblair@renewanation.org for more info.
Biblical Grandparenting Conference at Prestonwood Christian Academy
Dan Panetti, the Director of Ministry to Parents at Prestonwood Christian Academy in Dallas, Texas, has a strong heart for helping families raise their children with a biblical worldview. Recently, he captured a vision to expand his ministry to families to include grandparents. He invited Dr. Josh Mulvihill to speak to the grandparents of Prestonwood Christian Academy to help grandparents capture a biblical vision to disciple their children and grandchildren.
Preaching at Harvest City Church
Neil and Bri Eukel planted a church in 2025 in Carver, Minnesota, near the western edge of the Twin Cities suburbs. One of pastor Neil's priorities at Harvest is family discipleship, and he recently connected with Dr. Josh Mulvihill to discuss family ministry. Dr. Mulvihill recently preached at Harvest about the Disciple-Making Family, and his son Jay led the congregation in worship. If you would like to learn more about equipping parents and grandparents, check out Dr. Mulvihill's book, Family Ministry.
The New Biblical Grandparenting Seminar Kit
We are excited to offer the Biblical Grandparenting Seminar Kit—a comprehensive resource designed to help the grandparents in your church capture a biblical vision for grandparenting and create a practical discipleship plan for their family. Whether you host a one-day conference, a multi-week Sunday school class, or a small group study, this kit provides everything you need to:
Plan: Step-by-step guidance for a successful event.
Promote: Ready-to-use materials to get your congregation excited.
Present: Clear, biblical teaching that moves grandparents from the sidelines to the front lines of the family.