New Life, New Hope, New Mission!    

October 6, 2006

I have a problem.  I tend to embrace the achievements of our church as something worthy of congratulations.  Why not?  Our efforts for the past several years have brought this little group from a fledgling family to the cusp of a being in a preeminent position in the Christian movement, at least in our mission field. 

But wait a minute.  Who really as in charge?  Of the seven grievous (or deadly) sins upheld by Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy (pride, envy, greed, anger, lust, gluttony, sloth) the list is lead by the most seductive one: pride. 

When we as instruments of God -  living as children attuned to the movements of the ethereal consciousness of the universe by virtue of the invitation of the one Being who transcended the chasm between humanity and divinity without losing either (that is Jesus!) - when we work effectively in doing God's work, it is not long before we begin to pat ourselves on the back and think we did it ourselves.  It's almost idolatrous.  We start taking credit for God's initiative as if we are little gods ourselves.  Opps!

When I sit quietly at night and contemplate what we are being called to do, the enormity of the task frightens me and I realize again this is not my job, nor anything that any of us can accomplish by our own efforts.  As Coach Griffith points out again and again, we are in the Kingdom business!  That is to say that this is God's business, not ours, and we have been privileged at this one point in time to do his work. 

Those weekly prayer tours, I have to admit, seemed out of form at first.  It was only elder Don and I driving around in the car and praying here and there.  But as this Kingdom business discipline continued, the earth began to shake around us, spiritually speaking. Others joined in.  Neighbors were introduced to us.  Patterns in the town we observed.  Civic agencies became aware of our concern for them.  Sometimes we simply stopped on a whim, not knowing why, but still paused to pray for whatever was moved in the heart.   You know, the more we do this the more I see that we are not defining the direction of this project.  There are energies, spiritual forces of God, firing around us, sweeping over us, moving through us. 

When we gather on October 15 for the Harvest Fest, I am just wondering what miracle will break over us.  I just have this sense that something out of the ordinary will be culminating on this afternoon.  So keep praying.  Keep working.  Keep telling the Good News ("God so loved the world that he have his only begotten son for whosoever would believe in him would not perish, but have everlasting life," John 3:16 -- no Buddhists, Hindu, Druid, Moslem, Sufi, Naturalist, pagan, or atheist (to name a few) -- embrace this).  As see what wonderful things the Lord is doing. 

See you on October 15. 

Pastor John Mark

Updated: 09/29/08