Building Project

Our church is planning on doing a renovation to its sanctuary. I know that it is much needed but I also know that there are mixed feelings about spending the money at this time. I am both in favour as well as opposed to the building. Let me explain.

I am in favour if it means that we will do ministry better. Now I don't mean enhance our worship because we don't need a better sanctuary to do that but a new vision of God's holiness. However I do mean that if we have a better way to do ministry both at home and overseas then I am all in favour. Some feel frustrated with the sanctuary as it is now so they do not get involved as they should. I know the reasons are poor but that is the reality.

So why might I be opposed? I don't want us to focus on our comfort rather than on doing ministry. I heard good things at the meeting regarding ministry at home but as I heard that I had this feeling that the world wide mission is some how being downplayed. Don't get me wrong, I am excited that we see the needs in the community but why should they hear twice while some never get to hear the good news. Let us not think that we have done our part because we have done something.

Will renovating our sanctuary mean that we can do ministry and missions better? I believe it can but we must have an undivided heart, dedicated to the Gospel.

How does this relate to the Lord's prayer? Your kingdom come.

North Korea

Of all the nations in the world North Korea is number 1 in persecuting Christians followed by Iran and Saudi Arabia. If we take the Lord's prayer seriously then we must pray for the persecuted Church. We need to pray for Christians in North Korea and other parts of the world. When Jesus said that we were to pray, "Your kingdom come" He was referring to the Kingdom of God. The kingdom of God stands against sin, evil and injustice. Are we praying for these to end?

Radical

David Platt wrote a book called Radical. There are three questions that he asks:
1. Will you choose comfort or the cross?
2. Will you settle for maintenance in our churches or mission?
3. Will you be marked by an indecisive mind or an undivided heart?
One man who is reading this book said that it sometimes makes him glad and other times it makes him mad. I can understand that totally.

Missions, Missional, Next

The current buzz word is that the church should be missional. When asked what that means it usually means that the church should be what the church should be. However, missional has replaced missions and that would not be bad but something else happened on the way.

The church has decided that it needs to be involved in it community. That is good, that was what it was established in the community to do. But the church forgot that it is to be a blessing to the nations. We can be missional and missionary at the same time but somewhere we have allowed the former to replace the later. Let us be missional but not forget missions.

The Lord's prayer says, Your kingdom come. The kingdom involves people from all nations. Churches need to renew their vision of missions while keeping alive the missional aspect of ministry. They shouldn't be different but they have become different.

I am not going to Pray for that

A friend of mine was having marital problems and he asked me to pray for him. I said to him that I wasn't going to pray that his marriage would be restored but rather that he would have the joy of the Lord renewed in his heart. I then backed up and said I would pray for his marriage but not that it would be primary in his life. He began to see what I was talking about.

However, the wife of his pastor told him that his marriage would be restored, the Lord had told her that. The next week the wife filed for divorce. Was the pastor's wife wrong or just saying what she hoped would be true? I know that God's first concern for my friend is that he would fall in love with the Lord again. Now I should add that he is not angry at God but he has lost the joy of the Lord.

Bells and Prayer

Someone told me one time that as Christians we should use breaks in our routines to stop to pray. Because I was a high school teacher I was told that I should stop when the bell rang for the end of a class and pray for the next class which would start when the next bell rang. It sounded like a good idea except that I never did have that break. Students wanted to talk, papers needed to be photocopied, messages had to be answered. At first I felt guilty but I soon learned that my job did not allow that kind of interruption. Besides my wife will tell you that I rebel against order like that.

I am now retired and I love the routine of prayer in the morning. No bells to interrupt only the occasional phone call.

Free Will, Sovereignty and Prayer

I believe in the sovereignty of God but also the free will of man. Is there a conflict? Sometimes but the sovereignty of God is always first.

The problem comes when we pray for other people especially when it involves their wills. Praying for other things like healing, finances, safety, etc. is not a problem but what about when it involves another person's free will? Can we pray that their free will will be over ridden? Just wondering. Of course we pray that their free will will be changed when we pray for their salvation but what about other things like leadership roles?

This is different than two sports teams praying for victory when they go against each other. That trivializes prayer. But this is much deeper than that. What do you think?