The End of a Chapter
What is it about a good book that always seems to keep you reading? When you get to the end of a chapter, you just can't wait to start the next chapter! It always seems to keep you interested.
In Lima, a chapter has ended. The Federated Church of Lima, although not 'official' yet, has voted to merge with The Crossing. Thus, a chapter has ended. A congregation that has been dying for quite a while has chosen to close one chapter out and start a new one. For me, the dream God gave me back in March has come to fulfillment. The Federated Church of Lima has ceased to exist. Part of me has had a real hard time watching all this come around. Part of me is very sad that it had to come to this. However, part of me is excited to see what happens in the next chapter. The Crossing will come in and change everything. I doubt there will be much recognizable as the 'old church' in a year...if that long. What I believe will change the most, which by the way is the most important part, is that more people in that rural area will be reached for Christ.
It's kinda weird knowing that I was the last minister at that church...a little disconcerning, but again, reassuring because something got done. Change. A step forward. Not because of me, but because of the work God does through me. I am nothing. God is everything. Christ gives me the strength the accomplish all things through Him. God's will Will be done, whether we are on board or not.
And thus, a chapter ends. My prayer will continually be that they reach lost souls for Christ for the right reasons...to change lives...to change people's focus from this world and the possessions and idols it holds to the things of Heaven. This will be the last post that focuses solely on Lima. The chapter has ended, the story however, continues. I can't wait to see what happens next. So, for all those in Lima who read this, my prayers are with you. Even if The Crossing isn't for you, you've made the right decision. We are all one in the Body of Christ and we need to always work together for the good. It isn't a competition against each other. It's a competition against Satan and his fiends. Fight the good fight, love one another, repair broken relationships, and turn your focus from a building to people.
As Paul Harvey would say, "And now, the rest of the story..."
In Lima, a chapter has ended. The Federated Church of Lima, although not 'official' yet, has voted to merge with The Crossing. Thus, a chapter has ended. A congregation that has been dying for quite a while has chosen to close one chapter out and start a new one. For me, the dream God gave me back in March has come to fulfillment. The Federated Church of Lima has ceased to exist. Part of me has had a real hard time watching all this come around. Part of me is very sad that it had to come to this. However, part of me is excited to see what happens in the next chapter. The Crossing will come in and change everything. I doubt there will be much recognizable as the 'old church' in a year...if that long. What I believe will change the most, which by the way is the most important part, is that more people in that rural area will be reached for Christ.
It's kinda weird knowing that I was the last minister at that church...a little disconcerning, but again, reassuring because something got done. Change. A step forward. Not because of me, but because of the work God does through me. I am nothing. God is everything. Christ gives me the strength the accomplish all things through Him. God's will Will be done, whether we are on board or not.
And thus, a chapter ends. My prayer will continually be that they reach lost souls for Christ for the right reasons...to change lives...to change people's focus from this world and the possessions and idols it holds to the things of Heaven. This will be the last post that focuses solely on Lima. The chapter has ended, the story however, continues. I can't wait to see what happens next. So, for all those in Lima who read this, my prayers are with you. Even if The Crossing isn't for you, you've made the right decision. We are all one in the Body of Christ and we need to always work together for the good. It isn't a competition against each other. It's a competition against Satan and his fiends. Fight the good fight, love one another, repair broken relationships, and turn your focus from a building to people.
As Paul Harvey would say, "And now, the rest of the story..."
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