So, another Christmas has past – or was it Xmas? For many people the celebrations would have included no thought of Christ, except to use his name in blasphemy, so for them it could rightly be called Xmas.
As Christians’ we are surely glad to take every opportunity to worship the Lord Jesus at the season named afer him, and to talk of why he came.
But as we move into another year, I’m challenged as to how much I really make the Lord Jesus the focus of my life, my thinking, my attitudes and my opinions.
In an Our Daily Bread reading of last month, I was struck by a story of an elder board meeting of a church in California. One older elder, Bob, would frequently call them back to the Word of God for guidance. On one occasion they were discussing a leadership shortage in the church and had spent an hour or more working through various solutions. Bob was silent throughout the discussion. Finally, he said quietly, gentlemen, we’ve forgotten Jesus’ solution to our leadership issue. Before we do anything, we must first ask the Lord of the harvest … to send out worker’s (Luke 10:2).They felt humbled and turned to pray that God would raise up workers.
Our elders at Rehoboth have chosen as our theme verse for 2013 the verse on the front page: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, be our author and perfecter of our faith” Hebrews 12:2 We face an uncertain year, shortage of deacons, direction still needed regarding calling a paster or pastoral elder. Whilst no amount of discussing, searching and considering various solutions can take the place of the leadership
Seeking Jesus’ solution, it is not just they who need to give more time to prayer, seeking the Lord to raise up workers, the need is for all the Fellowship to earnestly catch the vision to pray without ceasing.
Please, dear friends, we have two regular groups meeting for prayer on most Wednes day evenings in homes – see dates. There is the (not so) early prayer most Saturday morning at the church at 8.45am. And from time to time we hold, what we call, Big Prayer through a Saturday morning. Yet numbers attending certainly on a regular basis, tend to be few compared with the number in the Fellowship.
Now I know nobody likes to be badgered into doing anything, but may the Lord give each of us an overwhelming burden and desire to gather for prayer on urgent matters like this, not to mention many other matters needing our fellowship in prayer. The Lord looks on the heart we are told from Scripture. Thus no matter how many or how few gather, it’s our hearts that need to seek to be right with the Lord as we pray.
Maybe on the matter of a pastoral appointment some may feel things have been draging and that something should have been resolved by now. I can only assure you that the elders seek to handle the matter with and integrity before the Lord. They need your prayerful support. Please, as Heb 12:3 warns, do not “grow weary and lose heart”
Steve Piggott
January 2013