the beginning?

I had the wonderful privilege of sharing God's Word on Sunday morning. Four LCMI staff, our driver, and myself left at 7:30AM for a three plus hour journey to a small church. The congregation used to be pushing one hundred, but decreased to only fifty in recent years (I will be posting on that tomorrow). Regardless of the numbers, I was grateful to the congregation for inviting me to open God's Word to them and humbled by God's choosing of me.

The service started roughly at 12PM (they were waiting for us) with worship through singing and prayer. Two groups (four men and five youth-aged girls) ended the time of worship with songs they had prepared. It was a blessing to listen and sing along (when I could) with this group of believers. At the conclusion of the singing, I was asked to share God's Word. I preached from Zephaniah 3:14-17 about the present and future blessings all believers have through Jesus Christ. I have no idea how long I preached for, but God was gracious in the people's attentiveness and my ability to teach His truths. My prayer is that His Word will confront and challenge hearts as it did my own while preparing.

After I finished, we took part in communion and gave of our offerings. The men came to sing one last song before Sanjay closed the service in prayer. As people began shuffling out, handfuls stayed to thank all the LCMI staff for coming. Others also asked for prayer regarding various needs they had. I had the wonderful privilege of praying for three individuals each dealing with physical ailments of all sorts. I encouraged them with God's promises of strength (all the time) and healing (when His will deems). God showed me through those two individuals that the passages He placed upon my heart leading up to the day were exactly what these people needed to hear. My heart was blessed and rejoicing to see His sovereign hand once again on display.We headed to the house of the pastor for lunch once all the prayers and greetings were finished (also more on that tomorrow). As we drove home, I thought about a couple of challenges God placed before me as an example of my experience with this small branch of Christ's body.

1. Nobody cared about the clock. The service ended at 2:30PM and nobody seemed overly eager to sprint away. They came to worship God and hear from His Word no matter how long it took. As farmers, most had work they could have been doing which directly impacted their daily income. We like to sprint home for football, food, and naps (all of which I thoroughly enjoy) as soon as the last "amen" is heard. If only we were more eager to dwell in the house of our Lord instead of merely passing through.
2. I am pretty sure I preached for at least one hour and fifteen minutes. I saying this as a boastful statement. I am saying it because almost all fifty members were listened, took notes, and soaked in what God had for them. They came hungry and thirsty for God's Word. Sanjay actually warned me that if I went less than thirty minutes, they would probably ask someone else to give them more. We complain or mentally "check-out" once the half hour mark passes. Again, time should have no relevance when we are sitting under the teaching of God's Word. I am not saying every message needs to be hours long. What I am suggesting is welcoming it should God's servant feel the need to do so. God's Word is far too precious and vital for our lives to ask someone to rush through it for the sake of our schedules and poor attention spans.
3. People seek out the prayer they need. A lot of churches designate times for people to come forward for prayer. I think these times are wonderful and necessary. However, the people I had the blessing of praying with did not wait for those designated times. They swallowed their pride and asked for prayer. I feel we (probably the biggest challenge for me after yesterday) are always willing to pray for others, but become uncomfortable to ask for others to pray for us. And not only should we ask, but we should seek it out. God has laid out in His Word that if we are lacking in anything or need something we should pray. I can think of many times where people have asked me for prayer, and I do pray for them, but not until I leave their presence. Wouldn't it be much better to show them my commitment by praying with them before we part company?
4. Offering and communion are run a little different than the typical manner. For offering a song is sung while everyone walks to front where the collection box lies. They place their offering in before heading back to their seats. For communion you raise your hand if you want to partake in remembering Christ's body and blood. The servers come around to give you the elements as they see your hand. What I love about these is the "getting up and going" nature behind them. I don't sit and wait to be served, but actively approach my God. I know churches who do this with communion, and I love it. The offering was new, but equally welcomed. It's a chance to actually approach God's throne in the boldness we have through Christ to bless God and receive the blessings He has for us. I think we use time (or efficiency as we like to call it) to discourage doing offering and communion in this manner. We might say the congregation is too large or it would take a long time to complete. Again I would ask, so what? Why are we in such a rush to leave the presence of God? Isn't is lovely and a place we should long for? (Psalm 84)

I am not saying our churches are miserable and awful places. I love my church. There are wonderful people who love God, His Word, and His people. I am also not saying these churches are perfect. What I am suggesting is actually looking forward to going to, dwelling in, lingering in, and investing in God's presence.

*And thanks to those who prayed. Your prayers were answered as I felt next to zero nerves, but was able to boldly proclaim God's Word through the power and strength of His Spirit. And as a side note, I was challenged to be uplifting pastors on a continual basis. My week of preparation was filled with temptations of all sorts and words of accusation as our enemy wanted nothing more than to discourage me from blessing others through God's Word. These men carry a large responsibility which our enemy tries to use a stumbling block for them. Ask for God's grace to overwhelm their thoughts and hearts as they prepare and faithfully teach God's Word.