We're In!

A few weeks ago we got a huge blow - our new favourite pastor was quitting, off to a new church on the east coast.  How could this be?  We had finally settled on a church after a massive disintegration of our last church.  It took months before we had found this church that was situated close to us.  It seemed ideal and had everything we hoped we would find in a church.  This pastor, in a very short amount of time, had become a friend, a confidant for my husband and an ally in the Lord.

Our first reaction, besides shock, was a mix of frustration and sadness.  However, we kept meeting with him, keeping the dialogue open, sharing our feelings and he was helping us through the process. Moving out east with him was not an option, though I did mention I was considering it!  We started to get excited for him as we began to see how the Lord was working in his family's life.

But, what about us......our kids said, in not so many words, "We're outta here."  We, too, wanted to run.  We wanted to escape the world of church.  We wanted to go where there were no pastors anymore, no congregations, no problems, nobody up and leaving, no more change, heartbreak....heaven I guess!  We considered home church (and have for some time actually).  We did consider going to another church, but I joked with the kids, "If we did that the pastor there would leave, too!"  You just know it will go badly if you start to follow a man instead of God's Church.

Then, once more, we chatted with our pastor long and hard a little while ago.  We asked hard questions.  I even asked him what his thoughts were on home churches.  He just kept encouraging us to be a part of the change, the transition time at the church, to trust God for the future, even if we didn't know what was ahead.  Would we believe He was working even if we had no proof yet? Or would we wait until we knew for sure who they were hiring as the new pastor and then decide to commit?  That isn't faith.

After he left that night, my husband and I stayed up late talking and talking.....what were we going to do?  We had both been praying, individually and as a family.   Suddenly, almost at the same time, it occurred to us the next Sunday was going to be the pastor's last Sunday.  Wouldn't it be neat if we went way out on a limb and became members on his final Sunday?  Wouldn't it be something to show we were committing despite the fact he was leaving?  Instead of running away, which was our natural response, to instead run by faith towards a place that appears unstable?  We wanted the pastor who was leaving to be the one who would welcome us into fellowship as he was the main reason we'd been drawn to the church in the first place.  Yet, at the same time, we wanted to show we trusted God for the future at this church.  We also wanted to show this pastor was leaving a legacy.  The work and the short time he had been there was not in vain.  God had used him, even just to draw us to the church in the first place.  We thank God for him.  Could our family, nor for our glory, but for God's, be an visible demonstration of what walking by faith looks like?  We got excited and then really scared?  What if we were making a mistake?

The next morning I found myself still in still in 1 Chronicles. Again, not the place you would think to go and read about church and what you should do when confronted with a situation like we found ourselves in, but believe it or not, that is where I got my confirmation and our answer as to what we should do.

David had assembled, as usual, his leaders and officials.  Then he had a charge for Solomon.  I started to read it as the charge God was giving to us and our family as he was speaking about the temple that Solomon was going to build.  I started to see it as the church God was going to build at our little local community church.  This is what David said to Solomon, "....know the God of your father and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought.  If you seek Him, He will be found by you...Be careful now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it." (1 Chron. 28:9, 10)  Maybe that's where Nike got its famous slogan, "Just do it."  That's what we needed to think, too.  Just do it.  Nike should've added the first part though - be strong.  It would take strength to do this as our natural man living inside us was fighting against this idea.

We needed a whole heart and a willing mind like Solomon.  Perhaps God was choosing us to help build His Sanctuary in our town.  To go in half-hearted was never going to help Solomon build the temple.  Same with us.  But we had plans!  We had thoughts of our future!  They all had included the pastor who was now leaving!  How dare things get changed up on us!  God reminded me He knew our thoughts and plans and He wanted us to find Him in the new situation we were in.

Then David gave Solomon a "game plan".  It actually says that, "Then David gave Solomon his son the plan...."  He showed him every detail of the temple.  God cares about details.  It must have been very overwhelming for Solomon who was so "young and inexperienced".  But it wasn't a plan made up by David.  God had made the plan.  "All this He made clear to me in writing from the hand of the Lord, all the work to be done according to the plan." (28:19)  How can you doubt the plan when it is from God, in writing, by His hand?!  I love these verses.  It tell me God gives us plans, in writing, in His Word.  He doesn't leave any detail out.  It was becoming "clear to me", too, what we needed to do.

So, why be afraid?  Just in case Solomon was, David says, "Be strong and courageous and do it.  Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you.  He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished." (28:20) As soon as we decided to become members, we felt fear.  It will require courage as we have no idea what we are getting into in some ways.  Yet we felt complete peace and direction as we were both on the same page.

But the work ahead for Solomon and for us was going to be great.  No pastor.  Slowly getting to know others, yes, but no lifelong friends....yet.  David said to Solomon, "Solomon, my son, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the place will not be for man but for the Lord God."  Hmmmm.....the work is great.  It will be for sure, IF we think that it is all about us or all about Solomon.  But the temple that Solomon was going to build was the Lord's, it wasn't for man.  This church is also the Lord's, not our's.

David then goes on to tell Solomon about all the provisions he's giving him to lessen the load. Solomon really didn't have to acquire a thing.  David had done all the prep work and had included "precious stones".  When I thought of the phrase "precious stones" I began to think about a place in the Bible where precious stones were also talked about.  Aaron had 12 precious stones put in his outfit representing the 12 tribes of Israel.  I have 8 precious stones.  Was I willing to offer my precious stones to the church?  David offered his stones from his personal treasury for the house of God.  Shouldn't I, too, be willing to offer my precious stones?  At that very moment of thinking there is a question, posed by David to the leaders gathered, "Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself today to the Lord?"  I had to stop in my tracks.  God was asking me, asking us, "Were we willing to offer - key word: willingly - ourselves, our children, our plans, dreams, thoughts, all our precious stones, skills, talents.....to the Lord?"

Then, an amazing thing happened, "Then the leaders of fathers' houses made their freewill offerings...." (29:6)  I can almost picture the scene.  First one leader, one father, then the next, and the next.  One by one, the families, represented by the fathers, came forward to offer themselves, their offerings to the Lord.  Soon, "the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officers over the king's work", all came forward.  It must have been a powerful moment.  We began to see coming together in a difficult time like this for the church will potentially motivate others to also come forward.  One by one, the leaders of families will come forward.  This can end up being a very exciting time for the church.  Sure enough, the response to seeing all this is joy, "Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly (WILLINGLY), for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord.  David the king also rejoiced greatly."  (29:9)  When people obey the Lord's leading, it brings joy to others and to the king.  God is our king.  I can only think if we didn't obey His prompting that it would bring Him sadness, not joy.

So, that is what we did only yesterday.  We became official members of our church.  Our oldest daughter who is 18 also became a member.  She struggled at first.  She didn't really want to commit initially.  She longs to be at the more hip hop happening church a little further away.  Yet, it is too far for our family to go and we want to be a part of a local church.  She decided to commit in the name of the family and out of obedience to the Lord's leading in her life.  A really big faith step for her.  I trust that God will bless her specifically for her decision.

Already we've felt a confirmation by the choice we made.  Oddly enough, the spiritual battles that took place immediately after we decided was one way we knew we were doing the right thing.  Satan was so mad.  He was quite happy with our indecision.  He would have loved it if we had regularly attended for years without committing.  As soon as we committed, whoa, that got him really upset and for days after we made the decision it was one thing after another.

It was a great morning.  We rejoiced as a family and hopefully it was an encouragement to others.  I will tell one funny story though.  After the pastor said his final words, which were fantastic, "Run the race", the elders did a little goodbye/roast/presentation.  Then, again, our pastor took the mike and said something like, "I know you are now going to be in the search process for another pastor, but I think I've already found the guy for you.  And it just so happens he is in the church today."  We weren't sure if he was serious!  He points to the man sitting in the front row with his wife and asks him to stand up.  The man stood up and turned around, waving to the congregation - it was the identical twin of the pastor!  It was so funny!  Of course he was just joking, but we all laughed and laughed.  I needed that as I wanted to cry and cry all morning.

Final thing....a few shared how the pastor had touched their lives in his short time at the church.  One woman described how she had found tears streaming down her face after the announcement he was leaving.  I, too, had gone up to the pastor and I just couldn't talk to him....tears were flowing for me, too.  What was wrong with us?  Then, this woman found a verse that explained what it was that was going on, Acts 20:36.  Paul is about to leave and gathers the Ephesian elders to say goodbye, "And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.  And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again."  That's it.  I cry because he touched our lives in the short time I knew him not unlike Paul the apostle touched those men in Ephesus. Paul, too, was there for only a short time and yet the impact was so great they wept and felt great sorrow. He spoke many words to us, personally and from the pulpit and that leaves us sorrowful, too, as we know we won't hear from him anymore.  Will we see his face ever again?  We don't know.  We know it is pushing us to take a trip out east!

Ok....a long enough post.  I continue to thank God for how He worked in our life this past week and how He always confirms what He is doing through His Word, even about the tears.