I'm baaaccckkk! But not for long!! We'll be leaving again to attend the gospel meeting slash camp in Anchorage, Alaska!! We're very excited about this!! Pray that God will reveal His power and love to those living in Alaska, that they will open their eyes to the truth and receive Him as their Savior burying their old life in the Lord in baptism and walking in obedience to His commands for eternity!
"From Blue Skies To Cloudy Days" is the title of this blog. We just returned from sunny-dry heated-110 degree Las Vegas. We had a wonderful time with the family. Out of all 8 days in Nevada, we spotted only a few patches of clouds in the distance. It didn't even cover the sun to give us a much needed relief from the sun. We depended heavily on a large umbrella and a palm tree. A couple of days were blowing hot-dry winds with 25 mph gust! Now, we're back to cloudy and rainy Virginia! It's nice to get this kind of relief but I think it's enough for now. We'll need some sun to keep our nice Nevada tan from fading away. Overall, we had a wonderful time!
During our stay in Nevada, Michelle and I have talked alot of the future work here in the Metro DC area. We're blessed to have the time away from all the commotion and congestion of DC! We'll need to do this more often to clear away the cloud in our heads! That's exactly what Jesus did when He took the time away from His Disciples, retreated to the mountains, to pray. He sought His Father in Heaven for Divine intervention and plans. Here are some things for everyone to take note (in mind and heart) and pray about this:
1. CHALLENGING OPPORTUNITIES: we're living in an extremely difficult city to grow a deaf church. I have noticed several other denominations/non-denominations in Maryland, Virginia and DC consists of members living within 5 to 15 miles from its church building while Fairfax consist members living 5 to 50 miles from the church building! The majority of the Lord's servants at Fairfax work full-time causing lack of daily involvement together as a church family. While we have an avergage of 40 in Sunday's worship attendance (though we have over 50 committed/uncommitted and more than 1/4 lacks consistent attendance @ Fairfax (due to mixed priorities/conflicts/distractions/loss of desire to serve God)), Wednesday night class consists only an average of 10 (work week)! Such obstacles like timing, distance and priorities as well as commitment, involvement results in lack of deaf church growth.
RESOLUTION: Form small groups in homes (cell-based church) hosting bible studies, time of prayer and fellowship.
CENTRAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH (Las Vegas, Nevada) (www.centralchristian.com): The family and I visited the Central Christian Church during our trip in Las Vegas (interpreted) and was impressed by how many volunteers they had to grow a church. But not only church growth happens on Sundays, it happens everyday! Yesterday, they had 900 baptisms! How is that? THROUGH SMALL GROUPS MEETINGS! Check this out by clicking on "Small Group Finder", then click on "Group Finder" icon and it will bring you into a drop-down site leading you to filling out information for a "Small Group Leader" to contact them and get connected as well as getting them connected to a small group. It's not only the "preacher" doing the "planting" and "watering". It's the body that's "involved in planting and watering". Of course, God makes it grow!! (1 Cor. 3:6-8) "For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building." 1 Corinthians 3:9 (niv)
PLAN: train leaders to lead the deaf to Jesus in their own small community.
OBSTACLES: compartmentalized living (cramped & conflicting priorities), time, no desire to show Jesus, lack of commitment & consistency, lack of leadership, and lack of spiritual stamina.
2. CHURCH COMMUNITY: I learned, not long ago, that most problems lies within the body of Christ, His church. But, remember, it's good to have problems for they help us become strong stewards for Christ. In the New Testament books, Paul (as well as other inspired writers), often confront the church by writing strong letters urging the church to regain unity, get rid of sins that entangles them or stumbles others who make be weak, to live a living sacrifice (pleasing to God), remove divisions in the church, attain the wisdom of Christ (not of the world), build strong marriages, examine the "gifts" God gave you and put it to use, worship God, observe the Lord's Supper, be ambassadors of Christ before the eyes of the world, be generous (in deed and in gifts), beware of false teachers who teaches false doctrines, grow in faith and love, bring people in to become disciples (followers) of Christ, live as children of light (not of darkness), be donned in the spiritual armor of God, imitating Christ and His humility, pressing toward eternity with God, standing firm in the faith, growing toward spiritual maturity, and suffering for being a Christian. Here are a couple of questions you need to ask yourselves:
- Am I being encouraged by my fellow Christians in my faith with God?
- Am I encouraging my fellow Christian in their faith with God?
- Do others persuade me to grow toward spiritual maturity?
- Do others ask how I am doing in my daily walk with Christ?
- Do I take the time to pray for my fellow Christian in their walk with God and tell them that I remembered them in my prayers (in person or via email)?
- What kind of gift am I using that benefits the Lord's church?
- Am I informed by one another their appreciation of my involvement in a ministry?
- Do I take the time to tell one another my appreciation for their involvement in a ministry?
There are tons of questions we can ask ourselves. But my whole point here is, are we "building" each other up in the faith we have with Jesus? It is nice to come in and mingle around and about with other deaf people talking about yesterday's news, movies we've seen, talking about the "not-yet-another" Gally protest then return home forgetting what the sermon was about and what the bible class could do for me AND what we may have failed to do for God: building others up! If that's the sole purpose Instead, we look for faults or negatives and point them out with a nerve to criticize (as if I may have a log in my own eye and they have a speck) and do not compliment when we see something positive out of one another. As always and as it seems, it's easy to do the negatives than the positives.
Practice brings perfection! If this seems impossible, remember it’s a habit you develop with practice. Like all relationships, a friendship with God takes time. You don’t build it overnight. Begin by placing visual reminders around you. You might post little notes that say "God is with me and for me right now!" Or "God gave me a [gift]. Ask Him to help you take the time to [use] it." Or "Who do I need to pray for and let [him/her] know that [he/she] is remembered." Or "Is what I am doing [right now] giving God the glory?" And many more others that you can think of.
Praise alone is incomplete worship. We must surrender, submit, offer, and yield ourselves to him. That is the heart of worship. "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17 (niv)
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