“May the Lord
make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just
as ours does for you. May he strengthen
your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God
and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.” - 1 Thessalonians
3:12-13
Well
personally, as I sit here and write this, I haven’t felt this healthy for
several years now; healthy but sort of beleaguered. In my mind I feel like I
could compete on America Ninja Warrior, but of course my body, with the wrecked
shoulders, aching back, and knees that give out, feels like it’s been thrown
off the bull in the rodeo. I think the pains have been there quite a while, I
just didn’t notice them so much because I just hadn’t been too active. I’m not
complaining though, and I know, there are many in the same boat, or even far
worse. So I say; “let’s enjoy what’s left of the mission together.”
Over
the last little while, feeling as well as I do, I had been dreaming of all that
I could do for God and His Church. But right now I’m just trying to get used to
a reversal of roles of sorts. I’ve always joked that I’m getting to the age
where people start to look at going into Assisted Living homes, and I’ve said,
that it seems like I’ve been in Assisted Living for the past 30 years because
Bonnie has been right there beside me. She has spent countless hours over the
years, waiting in doctor’s offices, waiting for tests, and sitting beside
hospital beds, not only nursing me back
to health after many a serious illness, but she has been ministering to my
heart all along. She has definitely been the most important prescription the
Great Physician has ordered for me, but for my salvation. And now that she’s
going through some pretty debilitating heart issues, I’m trying to figure out
how to care for, and minister to, her and her heart; and I will say, I’m not
doing very well. Pray for me in this.
What
I do see though, is that it’s all part of God continuing to qualify me for this
“call” of pastoring. The learning never ends. But I absolutely do need to learn
this because a pastor who can’t minister to his wife’s heart isn’t going to be
much use to The Chief Shepherd’s Flock.
And
about the Flock, I love the Flock: I’ve repeatedly said that we’re not a bad
church, we’re doing pretty good. We have a church family that ranges from wee little
ones to, well… to some who have seen some things in “all their years”. We have
a great core of young adults who are moving into leadership positions. We have
young men who have stepped up and filled the pulpit in my absence because they love
God’s Word and His people. We had a few baptised this past year. We’ve seen
some new faces and said good bye to some long-time friends; we have a little
church that some pastors I know envy.
But,
is that it? No, because we’re not there yet, are we? To simply be content, and
comfortable with where we are, both spiritually and physically, would not be
healthy. We want more, I want more! More of Him, I want to know Him, I know
Him, but I want to “know Him and
the power of His resurrection”, to quote the Apostle Paul. I want more
people to know Him and to know the joy of the indwelling Holy Spirit, living
and moving in them, and moving them to greater things for Christ. I want more
people to share Him with, and more people to share lives together with here in this
church family; don’t you?
There
are many people we know and love who don’t know the love of God in Christ Jesus.
And, there are many who do know Him who are hurting and in need of the family
of Believers gathering around them for love and support. People, all people,
everywhere, need the Gospel; we need to be reminded of the grace of God in
sending His Son to this sin-filled, spiritually blind and dead world to live
the life we could never live, die the death we were destined, in our sin, to
die, guaranteeing for us all the spiritual blessings of the heavenlies for all
eternity.
I
started 2018 off with a little series on God’s Design for His Church talking
about what The Church really is and how we should view the Bride of Christ and
function as His Body and His Temple. What it should mean to us, and what It
should be for one another. God didn’t just round up some people and stick them
together in little holy huddle groups all over the place to try and get by in
this life until heaven; we aren’t meant to just survive, we’re meant to thrive
in the grace of God.
Nothing
in this world will satisfy our soul like the Lord Jesus Christ. God sent His
Son to die that we might truly live. Jesus sent the Comforter, the Holy Spirit
of God, that we might be comforted as He guides us into all Truth and empowers
us to live our life with purpose. And God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit sends
us, the Church, that the world may know of His great love, amazing grace, and
compassionate mercy for sinners.
And
that’s what’s been shaping my thinking lately in respect for a vision for 2019,
still not knowing all the pieces, but enough to see that it’s simply a
continuation of God’s design for His Church and part of what we saw in the
Church’s role in the eternal plan of redemption.
He
is raising up pastors and teachers and evangelists and missionaries and yes,
even ordinary, “insignificant”, people, to go out and show His glory for the
sake of His Name by sharing the Good News of salvation among the nations, and
the neighbourhoods; that the whole world will know there is a great God in
heaven who satisfies the longing heart. How many might be raised up from right
here among us that will one day be those sent ones? The answer is actually
pretty easy, but I’ll save it for the New Year.
“So the church
throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and
going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it
continued to increase.” – Acts 9:31