Unless the Lord Builds…
Dear Friends,
It’s almost here!
The children of our church have been working enthusiastically to show us what The Real Meaning of Christmas is. Join us this Sunday, 13 December, for a joy-filled worship service. It’s also the perfect time to have your loved ones be with us. Our family can’t wait!
“Unless the Lord builds… Unless the Lord…” These are great words from Psalm 127, and as a family we have committed them to memory. We know that unless God is in what he has called us to do, it’s just not going to happen.
Do you feel led to be actively involved in church planting or church growth? It requires prayer, prayer, and more prayer, and is one of the best ways to fuel our faith and our lives as we see God working through impossible situations, opening doors, and doing things we thought were never going to happen.
I find that every ministry or task we are called to, great or small, will encounter resistance. If our work is really of God, then it will be against all odds. All the forces of this world appear aligned to slow down, frustrate, or stop our progress at every turn. That’s one reason why God insists on going with us as our Guide and Helper. He knows that the powers are too strong for us, and that we’ll always tend to underestimate their strength and overestimate ours.
What we know to be true is that whenever we receive a divine invitation to carry out God’s will, it comes with a divine promise that he will carry it to completion in his time and in his way. I love the way he creates ex nihilo (out of nothing) ways to accomplish his purposes.
If you answered, “Yes! Sign me up!” to the above question, I’d like to invite you to join the Starnberg Fellowship Outreach Task Force. The SF Outreach Task Force will help plan, coordinate, and execute ideas for church growth and outreach. It’s an approximately three-month commitment beginning in January 2016. If you have any questions, please email me at [email protected] or see me on Sunday morning.
As you think about your calling, let’s consider the life and ministry of Nehemiah and be encouraged by a few things: It shows us the action and character of God in real life. It reveals the utter faithfulness of God in keeping his promises, enabling us to engage in building things that last, rather than wasting our time and talents in vain and misguided (even though sincere) efforts. In whatever he calls us to do, we will in a very real sense reenact the experience of Nehemiah and come out of it with a stronger faith and greater sense of wonder at his grace and power.
If you’re wondering how to move forward successfully with your own God-given tasks, read the full story of Nehemiah. Note his God-focus and the way he decides things, then turn to your own calling. Take action with a renewed sense of God’s providence in bringing about his will in ways you probably won’t be able to predict.
See your calling, with all its ups and downs, in every sudden and unexpected turn, as a faith-building adventure in Germany with God that you can tell others about—even your children and grandchildren.
Looking forward to hearing from you and worshiping with you this Sunday.
In Christ’s love,
Pastor John
Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. -Psalm 127:1
Photo by Concrete Forms via Flickr
