“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” | John 15:1-2 |
As children of God we will always continue to be pruned, refined, and matured by the grace of God. However, throughout our Christian lives there seems to be seasons of intensified pruning where God draws near and shakes what can be shaken only to leave us standing by His grace alone. These seasons are heart exposing, hard, and needed. We just finished a time of prayer and fasting as a church praying over the possibility of more leadership (deacons and elders). What transpired was our hearts laid bear, times of repentance, and a fresh call to the great commission. We were reminded as a church that we live in a city of thousands upon thousands of people who have never heard the Gospel.
Many times we can get distracted on structure, strategies, and organization, so much so that we forget Jesus’ words from Mark 2:17, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” We put great value in the structure laid out in God’s Word and we will strive to build accordingly, but we don’t want to get so caught up in positions of authority and a neat organized place for the healthy, that we forget to share the Gospel with dying sinners. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will give us boldness as we continue to proclaim Christ, grace to move around schedules, and unity to move forward as a church.
We as a church just secured a room that we can call our own. The room is small, a bit far from the city, and probably temporary… but it’s ours. It’s the same place we have been meeting in for church, but now we can also use it throughout the week for smaller meetings. This may sound small but to have a church building where people can pray, worship, and hear the Word all in their own tongue in a city where a year ago there was nothing like this is exciting! We have had quite a few desires for additional meetings throughout the week and now it looks like these may be a possibility. Each week there are new people, new opportunities, new challenges, and through it all God is causing us to grow as a church. We would like to one day be able to meet in the heart of the city, but all in God’s sovereign timing.
We as a family are doing really well! Our three-year-old is now in pre-school for half days which is a huge blessing. She is making new friends, learning the language, and growing so rapidly. With her in pre-school we also are more able to meet with people and concentrate on our language study. Our language is going well and it looks like the Lord my be opening some new doors for learning, but we would love it if you would continue to pray for grace to learn. We need it!
Thank you to all of you who continue to support and pray for us we could not be here without your help nor would we be able to stand without your prayers. May the Lord cause us all to be fruitful throughout the world for His great glory and fame.