Last week, we had our very first prayer meeting for the church plant that is planned for the Fall of 2012. There were ten of us in attendance including 6 month old Nathan (who fell asleep in the middle of the meeting but still needs to be counted since he represents 10% of our present congregation). At this point in time, we have no name for the church, no location, no mission statement, and no idea how God is going to work in the midst of us. Yet for all of these uncertainties, I can't help but believe that this is exactly where God wants us. At the end of the meeting, the Spirit reminded me that unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain (Psalm 127:1).
Humility and complete dependence on God are very difficult lessons to learn but it is so essential for our spiritual growth and maturity. If there is a lesson that I have learned repeatedly as a pastor and church planter it is the danger of trying to go ahead of God and make plans based on our own initiative and strategies. In order to avoid this pitfall, prayer and waiting patiently for the Lord's response is an absolute necessity. I want to make sure that we are hearing from the Spirit of the Lord clearly on matters pertaining to the new church and not doing things merely on a whim.
Oddly, the day after the meeting which happened to be February 1st, I began my quiet times in the book of Numbers. The first chapter states that on the first day of the 2nd month, God spoke to Moses regarding the names of those who would assist him in leading the new nation of Israel. For you biblical historians, I know that the Jewish calendar is different than our modern calendar but it certainly caught my attention. I realized that Moses waited to hear from God before he selected those men who would help lead the people. In the same way, I hope that we will be humble enough to wait for the the Lord to speak before we make any decision that will impact the life our new church.
If you are reading this blog and would like to join us for our next prayer meeting the first week of March, please email me at markchun@gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment