Friday, 16 October 2009
-
Faith
Right now the world is filled with news; good, bad, wanted, and unwanted. Lives are changing every second of every day. Some people are getting married to the love of their life, some are mourning the loss of their love. Some are starting their very first job after graduating from years and years of study; others are back to square one looking for a new means to bring home the bacon.
Revelife is filled with stories about perseverance, dismay, pessimism, and optimism.
It’s not only not uncommon, but it is rather common to hear even Christians ourselves vocalizing the dismal state of the Church. Equally common are the affairs that go on day by day that spur these concerns over the Church; pastors caught in adultery, Elders, deacons and other members lie, steal, cheat, and envy one another on a regular basis. Add to this the decaying level of Godly knowledge and a seemingly disappearing presence of the Holy Spirit and it’s no wonder that so much news is negative, even among the Christians.
However, this post is not one of those.
Yesterday I was truly humbled and amazed by a man’s faith; it is not an every day event that one is truly amazed by someone’s faith—but this was one of those days.
Our congregation has been struck with an attack. Ray (one of our elders) was electrocuted and fell 13 feet off his roof while trying to fix an electrical attachment of some kind—unfortunately, being 80+ years old, he forgot to turn off the circuit breaker.
David (his son) within the past 5 years lost his wife and has been blaming God since then. He has only now returned to Church. Being 56 years of age himself this is a key time for him to remain in the Church. And his return is being threatened by the intensive care of his Father, who sustained electrical burns, broken hip, pelvic bone, 2 lower-back vertebras, and 2 vertebras in the neck.
Paul Wayne (also his son) has been hospitalized because his left ventricle in his heart has a hole. For the first time in many, many years a couple Sundays ago he returned to Church with his two sons and a friend of his sons who has never been in Church before.
Rob (which happens to be David’s best friend, and also another elder of our Church) just got diagnosed with prostate cancer and they’re checking the lymph nodes to see if it has spread.
It is with Rob that I am amazed.
After praying with Rob yesterday he began to talk to me about his visit to the Houston Cancer hospital. He said that the prevailing thought there that many of the patients had was “why me?”
Rob opened up and he confessed that his only thought was “why not me?”
He said that he has done many things in his 65 years of life that were wrong; he’s lived a happy life and been blessed with all that he has needed. This man began to tear as he thought about the children at that hospital (completely bald from treatments) that were facing trials greater than his. “Do they know the Lord?”
“Has anyone told them of the salvation offered by God to take them into imperishable bodies?”I’ve seen God overcome a great deal of “insurmountable” obstacles at this Church; years and years of division, envy, and hatred.
Now this Church faces perhaps its greatest challenge and, in a way, how it responds to this trial period will determine the entire course of the Church.
As I met with Hillary (our other Elder) and John (the preacher at Amite) I laid out some plans for them; both regarding these men, and also a few efforts I have cooking to try and unite the Churches in the area through Christ with our youth and teen groups. I have to admit, I felt a little bit like “the new Quarter Back” that’s about to face the Leagues #1 defense; they just looked as if nothing could make a difference.
This Sunday is going to be an extended service; we’re going to move from the worship hall to the fellowship hall. We’ll ask Rob, his family, and the Little Family to gather in the middle and surround them and pray over them. Up to this point, every effort at bringing the Church together on a regular basis in prayer has been overcome by Satan—but those efforts were early on (the first thing I did when I got here). I pray that the conviction of the Spirit will be over the Church; that all will be able to come and pray over them.
I share this story for two reasons: as I have been in prayer over this Church, the evidence of Satans attacks have increased. I am increasingly aware of the battle that we’re in—and this is perhaps the next biggest battle. I have prayed boldly that God would both unite us and purge/purify us; as such I know the consequences of losing this battle. So I am writing to petition prayers.
Equally I am writing that your faith may be increased by Robs demonstration of faith.
A man with a wife, grandchildren, and great grandchildren (all of which he dearly loves—and his grandchildren cause great worry to him because of their souls), he has a lot to live for. He’s going to face a challenging and very painful cancer. One that can be beaten, but one that can change your life forever; yet he remains firmly assured that his life will never end. His life continues on into eternity in an imperishable, incorruptible form; his humble recognition that he does not deserve to ask “why me” but that he is still thankful for what he has had and embraces what he now has.
This is a reminder that all people need. It is a very real, modern day example of Job.
-
recommend
- recs 1
-
share
-
email
- sent 0
Post a Comment
- Back to deepestrecesses's Revelife Site!
- Note: your comment will appear in deepestrecesses's local time zone: GMT -05:00 (Eastern Standard - US, Canada)
Comments (6)
Praying for Rob and for the church at your location.
@blonde_apocalypse@xanga - Thank you for your prayers regarding Rob and our Church!
Not an example of Job, but an example of what's on the line if we do not unite as a body in Christ, with CHRIST as the head, and ACT as His physical body on earth to stand against the forces of darknesss that threaten not only our physical life but our spiritual life as well.
Jesus now stands as our High Priest and advocate who sits upon the Mercy Seat in the holy of Holies, constantly standing in the gap for us who believe and obey, so that whenever the devil presents our sin as a reason for Gods anger to be spilled out against us, all the the Father sees is Christ in us.
However, the enemy releases his great anger, especially towards the new born and annointed of God, because in these lies the greatest threat to his deception and corruption of the church (Body of Christ).
Your story reminds me of why I am where I am today. Only by the grace of God and the power and authority that I have seen in His annointed body, working in unity through the fervent effectual prayers of His saints to not only withstand the attacks of the enemy, or to counter attack his powers of darkness, but to storm the very gates of hell in unity and oneness of mind.
Father, I thank you for your annointing upon my brother, and for giving him a desire to do your will, I thank you for his boldness and courage in our struggle against the forces of darkness. In Jesus' name I stand against and pull down all forms of spiritual wickedness that have been set up over the body of Christ in my brothers area, I pull down all powers, principalities, rulers and authorities established to hinder the growth and movement of the Body of Christ in his area, I bind all of these in the name of Jesus; I bind all hindrences, affliction, infirmity, error and disunity in the name of Jesus, and I cast them all into dry places far away for this Body of Christ in my brothers area. I loose upon them the spirits of unity, community, love and compassion, wisdom and discernment, and ever increasing faith in you Lord, that your light and you glory might be reflected in them in all that they do in accordance with your will. I apply the blood of Jesus to Rob, David, Paul and Ray, that that blood might be as an annointing oil unto all of their flesh; that that Blood might permeate their every fiber bringing complete healing and perfect health in the name of Jesus. May that Blood course through their body purging out every impure and unclean thing, dissolving all hindrences, that every passageway in their body might be free and clear of every obstruction. May that Blood cause their body to function to the perfection that God has designed them to function, in the name of Jesus I pray, and expect, as per the Blood Covenant "signed" with Jesus, our redeemer, the results of these combined prayers of intercession to produce positive results, in accordance with your will and to your glory. Amen
Amen. God continues to have His hand on all of you there for sure.
Psalm 133.
A friend and I were talking this morning about how Satan continues to mount opposition to those basic things: time w/ God in prayer, time in the Word and meeting w/ other believers. How we so need to get back to those basic things so we might fix our eyes on Jesus.
I know I've quoted this passage to you before but want to once more:
I Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Obey in what you know to do and then trust your Father with the rest (yes, easier said than done, I know). The battle is the Lord's. He loves the flock even more than you do.
Co-laboring in Christ,
Karen
I was so touched by your love for your church and bringing them all together. I don't find that in our church. I don't know whether it is because its a big congegration.
My prayers are with you,
@mpwarren@xanga - Thank you so much for your bold prayer; I'm strengthened by your prayer and emboldened by your faith. We must fight for unity with the brethren using the spiritual weapons that we have been given. A great many souls will be lost if a time of disunity continues.
@naphtali_deer@xanga - I'm always blessed by your encouragements and the scriptures you give as reminders to me.
@proudmomof_two - Thank you. Larger congregations are sometimes difficult to see the evidence of Christian love for one another because it can be hidden within all the vast numbers and many diverse people. Keep seeking to find the core members within your Church. Working hard to show yourself approved of Christ. Remember, any Church blessed and approved of by Him will show the evidences of the Spirit (ref Gal 5:22) as will the lives of the members of Christs living body.