God called Nancy Alcorn to step out in faith and start a home for young women who were hurting. As a result, countless women have come to stay at Mercy Multiplied.
Nancy’s Work Is a Memorial
Some who come do not know Jesus; others have been in church all their lives. All the young women are immersed in unconditional love, bathed in the Word of God, and taught who they are in Christ.
- Unwed mothers with no place to turn find peace and provision at the doors of Mercy.
- Girls captured in the prison of alcoholism and drugs find freedom from their addictions.
- Young ladies arrive at Mercy’s doors suffering from eating disorders, depression, or self-harm; they leave healed by Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit to make a difference in this world.
I first heard about Mercy Multiplied years ago when founder Nancy Alcorn was featured on television. Testimonies from two young women delivered from depression, drug addiction, and eating disorders touched my heart.
Since that day, my husband and I have supported Mercy. At the time, I had no idea how God would use Mercy to change me. I loved the ministry so much that one summer I visited a Mercy home in Nashville. A resident in the program began to share how Mercy had changed her life.
She said to me. “Aliene, you don’t understand. I have been to six different hospitals, and no one could fix me but this place.” I realized in that moment I was looking at a miracle. I knew beyond any doubt that all of God’s promises are true. The same God who made a covenant with that young lady made a covenant with me. Christ is still the Healer. The power of sin has been broken. There is no addiction, no lifestyle, and no destructive emotion he cannot help us overcome.
Nancy’s life work is a memorial to the power of the cross and the promises of the new covenant. I have never met a woman who followed God so intently. No matter how impossible things looked, Nancy took the Mountain Mover at his Word. Nancy Alcorn too is a brave heart.
The Purpose of Memorials
In biblical times, after covenants were established, memorials were made to remind future generations of the covenant.
After the Israelites crossed over the Jordan, God instructed Joshua to make a memorial out of stones. Joshua appointed twelve men, one from each tribe, to retrieve a stone from the middle of the Jordan where the priests held the Ark of the covenant. Each man took up a stone and carried it on his shoulder to Gilgal, where Joshua set up the stones. The memorial was built to remind the Israelites of God’s mighty power and so that they might always follow him (Joshua 4:24).
We Are Called to Set up Memorials
Romans 12:1–8 tells us that in view of God’s mercy, we should offer our lives as a living sacrifice by using the gifts the Holy Spirit has given us.
We are blessed so that we can bring blessings to others.
- God loves you unconditionally so you can love others unconditionally.
- God gives to you so you can give to others.
- God fills you with the Holy Spirit so you can bring others a drink of living water.
- Christ has reconciled you to God, and now you have a ministry of reconciliation.
- God comforts you so you can comfort others.
- God has forgiven you so you can give grace and mercy to others.
- God has lifted you out of your pit so you can lift others out of their pits.
God has called us to set up memorials to serve as a sign that Christ is still the answer for future generations. There is a hurting world out there that is looking for unconditional love and help that can be found only in Jesus.
What do you want to change?
Empowered by the Holy Spirit, you have the influence to leave a legacy.
Will you lay down your life to make a memorial to the Lord Jesus Christ? What stone has the Lord asked you to pick up in service for his glory? Where has he asked you to build a memorial?
Go for it, brave heart, and leave a legacy to amazing grace! When we let our lights shine, we build memorials to point others to Christ. That is the new covenant ministry.
Nourish Scripture: Joshua 4
Blog written by Aliene Thompson. Aliene Thompson is the founder of Treasured Ministries and the Author of the Nourish Bible Study Series. © 2019 Treasured Ministries.
