In 1945 a pastor founded a church in North Jacksonville Florida. After several years, the church had grown to a couple hundred people. It started with great beginnings, but then the church began to experience great winds of doubts and discouragement and many disappointments and distractions. Would the church survive?
Year after year it was ripped apart with a quagmire that put into question its survival? Finally in 1985, the Superintendent of the Florida district said to one of his young ministers; "I'm fixing to close down a church, Oceanway Assembly Of God. If you want to go up and see if God may be in you and your wife going there, go there and preach and tell me what you think?"
This young minister in his early days of college, had an impression placed upon his heart that "one day he would go to Jacksonville Florida to pastor a church." Was this the place? Was this what God had in mind? After believing that God had confirmed to his spirit that this was the place, the young minister and his wife accepted that church.
Would there be challenges and devils to fight? Over the years he has watched the hand of God rebuild and grow the church. It wasn't long that backsliders and the lost were coming to Christ. God began to rebuild everything that had been lost and more.
Can God rebuild something that has been beaten down to the point that there's nothing left? Nehemiah wept when he heard from his brethren that the walls of Jerusalem had been destroyed with fire. Nehemiah the cupbearer under Artaxerxes began to weep as he heard of his home's destruction.
Could there be a reason that Nehemiah took on such a burden, and compassion to do something about Jerusalem?
"Impression without Expression leads to Depression." When God puts something on your heart, unless you express what He has impresses upon your heart, it will lead to a huge heaviness and emptiness in your spirit.
Was God putting something upon his heart? Was God getting him ready to do something about the brokenness of Jerusalem? Was God about to rebuild a city that had been destroyed with sin and distractions?
God did indeed put that burden on that young minister, and today God continues to bless a church that is, Bringing people in, Building people up, Maturing people in Christ and Sending people out in the harvest field.
Today that church supports 155 missionaries around the world. Each year teams are sent out to evangelize and to build churches around the world. Can God rebuild? Well I am that young minister that has seen God's handwork in some amazing ways.
I'm not sure what quagmire you're dealing with, a broken marriage, a broken ministry, a broken business, a broken body? I'll say as a servant of God, "What He did for me He can do for you. Accept the impression that He places upon your heart, and express it and see what the hand of God will do. God is no respecter of persons. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Oceanwayag.com
dannysdevotional.com
No comments:
Post a Comment