CM26 | FRI12PM| Camp Meeting | 80 Years Old, Now What?

Devotional

Day 1: Eighty Years in the Mud: Preparation for Liberation

The cry of the oppressed echoes through generations, just as God heard Israel’s groans under Egypt. Moses spent forty years in palace luxury and forty in desert isolation, learning dependence on God through shepherding’s grit. South Atlantic’s first eighty years mirror this: surviving segregation, building ministries in tents, enduring heat that taught patience. Every season of obscurity or struggle trains hands for holy work. What looks like delay is divine curriculum. [34:39]

“And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:9-10, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you see God’s fingerprints on your past seasons of waiting or struggle? How might your current challenges be preparing you for liberation work?

Day 2: Flies, Wolves, and Backward Sheep: Training Grounds of Isolation

Shepherding is not for the faint-hearted. Moses faced maggots eating living flesh, predators mauling flocks, and sheep dying upside down—all while alone in the desert. South Atlantic’s leaders know this isolation: counseling the spiritually mauled, cleaning others’ messes, bearing silent burdens. Yet these very trials forge resilience. Loneliness becomes the classroom where self-reliance dies and God-dependence rises. [35:54]

“Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three, when they spoke to Pharaoh.” (Exodus 7:7, ESV)

Reflection: What “flies” or “wolves” in your current ministry make you feel isolated? How might God be using this loneliness to deepen your trust in Him?

Day 3: From “Send Someone Else” to “Send Me”: Excuses vs. Anointing

Mousetraps of doubt still snap: “I’m too small…unqualified…busy.” Moses’ fifth excuse—“Send someone else”—angered God, yet grace still provided Aaron. South Atlantic’s “little church that could” proves God multiplies mustard-seed faithfulness. When we fixate on our lack, we forget the I AM who owns cattle on a thousand hills. Excuses build monuments to nothing; obedience builds altars of fire. [42:53]

“But Moses said to the Lord, ‘Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent… I am slow of speech and of tongue.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth?… Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth.’” (Exodus 4:10-12, ESV)

Reflection: What “Aaron” has God placed beside you to compensate for your weaknesses? What excuse have you weaponized against your calling?

Day 4: The Alabaster Box of Eighty Years: Breaking Open Legacy

Like the costly oil poured on Jesus, South Atlantic’s eighty-year journey—segregation survival, COVID perseverance, silent sacrifices—is sacred preparation. Raven’s song echoes: “No one knows the cost…” Yet the box must break to anoint others. This anniversary isn’t a trophy but a trumpet, sounding urgency for awakening. Our stories of deliverance—from poverty, sickness, despair—are fuel for others’ freedom. [48:55]

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” (1 Peter 4:10, ESV)

Reflection: What “alabaster box” of hard-won wisdom or survival do you hesitate to break open? Who needs your story’s fragrance today?

Day 5: “Now What?”: Fire Shut Up in Bones

Eighty years culminate at the burning bush. Moses’ desert becomes a commissioning ground. South Atlantic’s campground heat, tent revivals, and lay-led Operation Advancement were drills for this hour. The question isn’t “What have we done?” but “Who remains enslaved?” God seeks those who’ll shout, “Here I am—send me!” into addiction’s Egypt, racism’s Pharaohs, and despair’s wilderness. [52:05]

“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me.’” (Isaiah 6:8, ESV)

Reflection: What “Egypt” is God asking you to confront with deliverance news? Where does His “now what?” question burn in your bones?

Sermon Summary

Exodus speaks with God’s own urgency. “Behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me… I have seen the oppression,” and God says, “Come now therefore, and I will send thee” to bring a people out of bondage. At eighty, Moses stands in that call, and at eighty, the South Atlantic Conference stands in it too. The text ties yesteryear to this year in readiness for the years to come. God knows the plans He has. He wastes no seasons.

Moses’ first forty years live in palace privilege. He gains skill, standing, and schooling. His second forty descend into Midian’s quiet fields. Shepherding becomes God’s training ground for a greater mission. Mud, manure, and dust cling to a rescuer just trying to save sheep. Maggots eat living flesh and break a shepherd’s heart. Wolves maul the flock and sometimes the shepherd too. Cast sheep lie on their backs, minutes from death, needing a timely turn. The work gets lonely. None of it is wasted. God designs every grueling lesson for what is ahead.

That pattern mirrors South Atlantic’s story. In the first forty, God steadies fragile beginnings through segregation and scarcity and teaches the craft of building churches, schools, campgrounds, and capacity. Foundations set. In the second forty, God makes shepherds through heat, tents, patience, technology shifts, COVID, and crowded needs. The flock grows, the mess grows, and grace grows. Cleaning up bickering, tending bodies ravaged by disease and drugs, restoring the persecuted in the pews, turning souls before they bloat and die, and carrying the isolation of leadership all become God’s training ground for a greater mission.

God then answers excuses with Himself. Moses says, I am not enough. God answers, I will be with you. Moses says, I lack a name. God answers, I Am that I Am. Moses says, they will not believe. God answers with signs. Moses says, I cannot speak. God answers, Who made man’s mouth. And when Moses pleads for someone else, God kindles anger yet gives Aaron. The same God confronts every modern excuse. Too small, He says little becomes much. Not enough money, He owns the cattle. Not qualified, He qualifies the called. Afraid, He gives power, love, and a sound mind. Masterpieces are created for purpose, not for hiding.

The cry still rises, and God still sends. “Go down, Moses,” becomes “Go down, South Atlantic.” The task is not to fix people but to deliver the news of a risen Savior. Testimony becomes fuel. Provision, deliverance from poverty, sins buried, surgeries survived, nights held by God all press one question. Now what. If Jesus is lifted up, He will draw. The Spirit says wake up, step out of slumber, stand up under assignment. Eighty years are beautiful. But if the call is not answered, the eighty are for naught. God readied a people for this hour.

Key Takeaways

1. Eighty years are preparation time God does not rush holy work. Palace seasons and pasture seasons shape a vessel for deliverance. The text makes timing a testimony that God knows the plans He has, and no delay is wasted. Preparation demands a response, which is why the question keeps pressing, now what. [29:08]
2. Shepherding forms cruciform leaders Mud, maggots, wolves, and cast sheep are not random sorrows, they are a curriculum in mercy, courage, and timely care. The grit of tending the flock trains hands to move fast and hearts to hold pain without hardening. Isolation pushes a shepherd nearer to the Chief Shepherd. [35:22]
3. God answers every excuse with Himself Human lack is not the end of the call, it is the place where God speaks His Name, gives His signs, and lends His mouth. Excuses die where divine presence, power, and provision stand up. The mission does not shrink to fit weakness, it expands to showcase grace. [42:23]
4. The cry of the oppressed sends the church God hears, sees, and comes down by sending. Exodus frames deliverance as God’s move into suffering through a called servant, and that pattern holds. The assignment is to go down into hard places and say with courage, let God’s people go, carrying good news rather than control. [28:25]
5. Testimony clarifies the now what Personal rescue is not an endpoint, it is an ordination into witness. Provision, forgiveness, and healing become a fire in the bones that refuses silence. Naming God’s faithfulness helps the called person name the next obedience. [50:18]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[22:41] - Call to mercy for children
[23:29] - Names lifted in prayer
[28:08] - Exodus call read aloud
[29:08] - Eighty years, now what
[32:54] - Moses’ first forty
[33:28] - Shepherd training in Midian
[35:22] - God’s training ground explained
[37:40] - South Atlantic’s first forty
[38:57] - Shepherding through change
[42:23] - Moses’ excuses answered
[43:38] - Excuses the church makes
[46:50] - Operation Advancement and laity
[48:55] - Testimony and the now what
[59:52] - Commissioning prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Exodus 3:9-10 (ESV)
“And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

Exodus 7:7 (ESV)
“Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.”

Observation Questions

What two specific phases of Moses’ life (each 40 years) prepared him for his mission, and what did he learn in each? [32:54]
According to the passage, how does God respond when Moses says, “I am not enough” (Exodus 3:11-12)?
What examples of “shepherding challenges” (e.g., mud, wolves, cast sheep) are described as part of God’s training ground? [35:22]
How does the sermon connect the South Atlantic Conference’s first 40 years to Moses’ palace phase? [37:40]

Interpretation Questions

Why might God use eighty years of preparation for Moses’ mission? What does this reveal about His view of timing and purpose? [29:08]
How do experiences like “cleaning up messes” or “tending to disease” in ministry shape leaders’ hearts and skills, according to the sermon? [40:44]
The sermon says, “Human lack is not the end of the call, it is the place where God speaks His Name.” How does Exodus 3:12-14 illustrate this truth?
What does it mean that “testimony clarifies the now what”? How does personal rescue lead to action? [50:18]

Application Questions

Reflect on a season of your life that felt like “preparation” (education, hardship, waiting). How might God be using that season for a purpose you can’t yet see? [29:08]
What “mud, maggots, or wolves” are you facing in your current responsibilities (work, family, ministry)? How could these challenges be training you for a greater mission? [35:22]
What excuse do you most often make to avoid stepping into God’s call (e.g., “I’m not qualified,” “I’m too busy”)? How does Exodus 3:12 confront that excuse?
The sermon asks, “Has God delivered you from death’s door? Now what?” [51:01] Share a time God rescued you. How could that story fuel someone else’s faith today?
What practical step could you take this week to “go down into hard places” (e.g., a relationship, a community need) and share hope instead of trying to control outcomes? [28:25]
How can your small group support one another in moving from “celebration” of God’s past faithfulness to “action” in His current mission? [52:05]

Sermon Clips

42s

#GodEquipsLeaders

“took Moses eighty years of the good, bad, and ugly to bring him to a place where he was ready to take God's children to the promised land. But when God called him to the mission at hand, he made excuses. says, I'm not good enough. God says, I'll be with you. He says, I don't have the answers. What do I say when they ask me what who sends me? He says, I am that I am. He says, they won't believe me. God says, I will empower you with supernatural signs. He says, I am not an eloquent speaker. And God's response was, I will help you speak. But then he said, who has made man's mouth?”

73s

#NowWhatAction

“Has God delivered you from death's door? Now what? Has God dragged you out of the mud, cleaned you up, and turned you around? Now what? Has God delivered your children? Now what? Has God refreed you from a toxic relationship? Now what? Has God made a way out of no way your life? Now what? Has God seen you through school? Now what? Has God comforted you in the middle of the night? Now what? Have you had any Red Sea experiences in your life? Now what? God does not spend time preparing you for a greater mission if he doesn't think you can do it. Now what? South Atlantic Conference? Eighty years. Now what? This has to be more than a celebration. It is a call to action.”

53s

#EveryMemberMission

“But the one I hear the most that drives me insane is this. Excuse. It's the pastor's job. That's what they're getting paid to do. I'm not gonna do the pastor's job. But let me tell you something. The pen of inspiration says the work of God in this earth can never be finished until the men and women comprising our church membership rally to the work and unite with those ministers and church officers. Now I'm gonna be con I'm gonna be I'm a have confessions good for the soul. But I'm gonna tell you this. I love what the conference is doing with operation advancement. laypeople are taking full responsibility for the work of evangelism.”

49s

#ShepherdingMatters

“a sheep in your church on your on their backs about to die. Ask a shepherding friend how short the restoration time is to prevent the death of a soul. It's God's training ground for a greater mission. But here's one. Perhaps one of the greatest challenges is how isolating being a shepherd can be. Just ask any leader in the church. Don't miss it. It's God's training training ground. But listen, South Atlantic, it's been eighty years of preparation. Now what?”

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CM26 | FRI12PM| Camp Meeting | 80 Years Old, Now What? | Dr. Deborah Harris