Grace Community

I have 3 words for you...Blessed.  Inspired.  Encouraged.

The Lord impressed 2 things on my heart when I walked in the door at Grace Community.  

1. Our Father is looking for people who are willing to worship him in spirit and in truth.  
2. As Christians we need to open our hearts and lay down self to follow Christ.  (more of him and less of  me)

I was Encouraged by something the pastor said:

"When we are walking in LOVE and GRACE they show up in our everyday living."

I was Inspired by the teaching:  Ephesians 4:25-32

"Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.  Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.  Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.  Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you.  Along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." 

He went on to explain the passage as such:

Don't Lie ---Tell the truth ----For we are one body.

We can't walk around pretending that our lives are perfect.  When we do so we harm each other.  As we are truthful with each other we are able to inspire and encourage each other to grow in Christ.  When the Church lies about how well our marriages, families, and lives are doing then all of us start to wonder if we are the only ones that are struggling with lust, greed, fear, etc.  It is a discouragement and does not allow us to minister to one another or to get ministered to when we need it.  Furthermore it draws non believers away from us because they see us a hypocritical. 

Don't Steal --- Work ---Give to others.

We steal when we do not give to God with a grateful heart according to our ability.  This says we don't trust God with our money and our lives. 

Don't Sin in your Anger ----Forgive ----Don't give the Devil a foothold

It is okay to be mad at sing, injustice, wrong theology and abuses.  It is okay to call these out and we should not be ashamed to do so.  But don't be angry at the people for give them.  Be angry at the wrong doing.  When we hold grudges against people we are giving the Devil a foothold. 

Don't speak unkind words ----Build up and Encourage (at the right time) ----This gives grace to the recipient

Honestly, this is the one that I struggle with.  I have been really bad at work talking about fellow co-workers and have not spent enough time building them up and encouraging them.  When I do this I am not showing God's Grace and therefore am not a very good ambassador for him.

I was Blessed by the fact that this church is a church of prayer.  

In the 1.5 hours I was their we were encouraged to pray 4 times.  It was a blessing to see the body of Christ invite the Holy Spirit in and to hear them humbly cry out before our Gracious, Loving God in prayer. 

What can the body of Christ as a whole learn from this small body of believers...

1. We need to be willing to be honest with each other.
2. We need to be willing to call each other out when we sin but be humble enough to do it in love, not condemnation and then receive the rebuking just as humbly. 
3. We need to not speak about each other but encourage others in their walk with Christ.
4. We need to forgive each other and not hold grudges.  

If we can do these things that God asks of us and that Jesus Christ so magnificently demonstrated, then perhaps we as a whole can work together to accomplish God's will.   Fighting over small differences, talking harshly about each other, and being recentful when we correct each other make it more difficult to do God's will. 

Pray with me that the Holy Spirit will Bless, Encourage, and Inspire his people to work together and walk in grace and love!  Continue to pray for the unity of the church.

Taking it to Sin City.

There was no blog for last week because I was out of town.  I attened a Sunday Service at Meadows Fellowship and was praying that the Lord would speak to someone in Las Vegas to start praying for the churches there. 

Yes there are Christians in Las Vegas!  In a town such as this it is not hard to imagine God turning his back on such sin and utter disregard for his ways.  But there is a stronghold of Christians that are struggling greatly in this Sin City.  Many have lost their jobs and are finding it to make ends meet. As they struggle with great affliction they need our prayers.  

During my time with them the Lord layed it on my heart that he has not left this town, he has not left our country, he has not left this world.  He is here, he is moving, he is calling his people to action all we need to do is trust him and do what he asks us to do!  He will keep his promises and his truth remains even in this economy.

Pray for Las Vegas and ask God to send someone that is willing to do his work there.    

Esther, Ruth, and Mary...

Okay so I am slacking... I have continued my quest to visit every church in Flagstaff but I have been hesitating on writing about the following experience.  I wanted to do it Gods way and with God's heart because for the first time I will have to use a little correction...eek!

Let me start from the beginning

I had planned on going to the Presbyterian church yet again on February 6th but again I got sidetracked. I was running a little late, had not prepared and was struggling to decide if I was going to go to another church today or spend the morning at my home church.  (I miss Canyon Chapel and now see why God called me there in the first place.  Through Pastor Rich Taylor's ministry I have truly come to understand the power of God's Grace and Mercy in my life.)

To continue I must mention one detail, anyone who lives in Flagstaff knows how blessed a church is to have an actual building.  If you drive down any given street on a Sunday morning you will find several sandwich boards announcing a church service in a school, shopping center, or warehouse.  I knew that God was working because as I was driving down the street that I thought the Presbyterian church was on and I passed one of these sandwich boards.  The church service started at 10:30.  Perfect. It was already after 10am and I was late for both Presbyterian and Canyon services so I decided to attend this church.  (I have decided not to name this church because I want this to be a lesson for the Body of Christ as a whole and do not wish to pick on any one church.)

I sat in the parking lot praying for God's wisdom in what to pray for as I do every Sunday when I noticed a car pull up.  As the occupants stepped out I noticed that the women were very conservatively dressed, long shirts and long sleeve shirts. Great.  What have I gotten myself into.  Well at least I was wearing a skirt today, a little to short, but my dark stockings might be enough to avoid stares and total judgement.  I had never been to a church like this.  God please help me!

Again I for those of you who are reading this that may not know me I have a strong faith, have attended church for my entire life and am confident both in my faith and my relationship with God.  So for me to fear walking into a church of fellow Christians is very unusual for me. 

As I stepped into the building I noticed that church service had already started.  Hmmm the sandwich board did not advertise two services?   I sat toward the back like I usually do and began to pray.  A few minutes later service was over and I was approached by a man with a very strong personality.  I felt very defensive as I was questioned about my faith, why I came alone, and how I had heard of the church.  I must say that I was thrown off by this questioning and soon found out that this "Elder of the Church" was the dominate force, even more so than the Pastor himself!  When I questioned the time on the sandwich board outside, he informed me that they have a communion service before their regular service that is only for members of the church.  They do not encourage visitors to attend this service and therefore do not advertise it.

Lord, what have you gotten me into!

The "regular" service started on time with a few well known hymns, a recitation of the books of the Bible, scripture and some memorized prayer.  Next a young man was chosen this week to deliver a message of "Pure and undefiled Religion."  He was referencing James 1:27:

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

Okay so don't get me wrong, I am all about doing things God's way, but religion is man made and therefore incapable of being pure and undefiled.  We are incapable of perfection, that is why there was a need for our perfect savior Jesus Christ.

So perhaps I should not judge a church I have only attended once, perhaps they actually have a problem with a lot of widows and orphans in their church and a need to ensure that these women are taken care of.  Also I applaud their attempt to be unstained by the world. My struggle here is that the that during the entire sermon the word LOVE once.  Yes I was keeping track.  What is the point of taking care of the needy if we are not doing it in love?  What is the point of remaining unstained if we are not reaching out in love to minister to those who are in need?  

James continues on in 2:8 to say

"If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "you shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well."  

Let us not forget that we should do all things for the glory of God and with the grace and mercy that he has given us and not out of a sense of duty.

Okay why did I title this Post Esther, Ruth, and Mary...

Well, needless to say after the sermon there was a question and answer session about the sermon.  (I have since discovered this is the normal practice of this church.)

And if you know me and the strong line of women I come from, then you know that I had some words to say.  Fortunately the Holy Spirit nudged me to keep my mouth shut and that this was not the time.  Luckily I listened because I found out later that women are not allowed to speak during service. Reference 1 Corinthians 14:34.   Trust me had the Holy Spirit allowed it I would have said something but I have the feeling that at this time it would not have been well received.

The truth is that I believe that even though I am a woman God can use me!  Just like he used Esther, Ruth, Mary, Rahab, and Deborah.  Imagine what would have happened to the Jewish nation had Esther not stood up to the King or if Deborah was not allowed to serve as a Judge of Israel!

Please Pray...

Pray for this church, that they would fully receive the grace of our father and seek a genuine relationship with him rather that a pure and undefiled religion.

Also pray for me because week before last I took a week off and attended my home church and was refreshed and ready to get back out there but need continual prayer for wisdom as I write my next post and visit a new church next week.  Thank you everyone who have encouraged me to continue.  

5 AND 2

"Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Eight months wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"  John 6:5-7.

So far in the last 5 weeks I have come to these conclusions:

1. I am only one person praying for thousands of people 
2. I do not have the ability to comprehend why God has asked me to do this
3. Most of the time I don't even know what to pray for
4. I may never understand what God is trying to do
5. I can't change the church, its habits, attitude, or motives.
6. I can't change the hearts and minds of men to choose to seek after God
7. I am not perfect and I get discouraged

"Another one of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many!" . . .When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over.  Let nothing be wasted." So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten."  John 6:8-13

I am one person.  How are my prayers to touch so many?

But if God can feed 5000 with 5 small loaves of bread and 2 small fish with so much left over than surely he can do the same with my prayers.

I have been praying now for 5 weeks and until recently have been encouraged by your prayers and support.  I say this because I can not do this alone.  If you could remember me and the church in your prayers the Lord will honor your 5 and 2 and do mighty things with it.  Thank you!