“Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.” Psalm 86 v 1 By all accounts Bellevue Baptist Church is hardly what one would describe as a thriving church. Quite the opposite in fact: on a Sunday service a good congregation would be anything just into double figures, in September the capital we’ve been living off for the last twenty years runs out and my Father will have to stop taking a salary. Humanly speaking my Church is slowly but inexorable dying. We are quite literally poor and needy both financial and spiritually. And it’s hard. Let this be the first thing I say. It’s very hard. I find it easy to get bitter about it hearing faithful biblical teaching week after week knowing that there are other churches out there with huge congregations and terrible theology. It is easy as well to get angry, why is my church so small? Why hasn’t God answered our prayers yet? Why has another week gone by with no new people coming in? And it’s also easy to feel depressed about it all – there’s no hope for the church, Bellevue Baptist is going to fade away and no one outside of the small congregation is going to notice let alone care. I, and the other church members, face a daily battle with unbelief, lack of faith and down right rebellion against God and his sovereignty. There is only one way to stand firm against doubt, uncertainty and faithlessness and that is to turn from the ‘truths’ of what my mind says and remind myself of the real truth – the truth of the Bible. And it is only then that I can add in the final bit of the title for this piece. Here then are the reasons why despite the fact my church is on the decline I can, should and must Praise the Lord. It’s doing the church good “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” James 1 v 2 - 4 The trail Bellevue Baptist Church is facing is doing us a world of good. Speaking personally I find myself confronted with unbelief and a lack of faith I didn’t know was in me. The decline of the church is teaching me to trust only in God, it is teaching me to be patient and to follow the command in Micah 6 to always walk humbly with the Lord in any circumstance. It must be said that I am slow to learn these lessons and all too often I rely on myself rather than on the Lord. As David writes in Psalm 86: “Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” Psalm 86 v 11 It just so happens that God’s method for teaching Bellevue is to withhold his blessing. What this says about how difficult we are to teach I shudder to think. The potential for God to work is astounding “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8 v 28 The lower the church is the higher God can lift us! A church going from two hundred to two hundred and fifty members is good but nothing when compared to a church going from ten members to two hundred and fifty. The closer we are to dying as a church the more God’s glory will be shown when we are lifted up again. God is good “You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.” Psalm 86 v 5 Pretty much self explanatory. God is abounding in love, what cause have I to fear? On what part of God’s character can I base my thoughts of doom? God loves Bellevue Baptist Church despite our flaws. God loves us even though he sends trails on us. In fact, he loves us therefore he sends us trails to discipline us and bring us closer to him. As it is written: “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. "Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed” Hebrews 12 v 7 - 13 Bellevue Baptist Church is being treated as Sons of God. What cause have I for complaint? How can I grumble? God is great and marvellous are his deeds “In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me. Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.” Psalm 86 v 7 – 10 What more do I have to say? For God is great and does marvelous deeds for he alone is God. No deeds can compare with his. So on what grounds can I doubt? How can I not believe in his greatness? God can lift up Bellevue again, his power knows no bounds. Mighty is my God and there in none like him. Final thoughts To write down every encouraging verse applicable to this situation would take far too long. Psalm after Psalm, verse after verse, letter after letter all tell of the Lord’s love for his people, his fatherly discipline and perfect sovereignty. And it’s so easy to forget that. So easy to stray into doubt, unbelief and faithlessness. I don’t know what the next few months hold for Bellevue Baptist Church but that doesn’t matter. What I do know, of what I am absolutely convinced of, what I cling to is the glorious truth that “you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” Psalm 86 v 15. I ask then that you pray for my church, pray that we would not lose faith, that we would be encouraged and stand firm. Pray that our financial problems would be provided for and pray that new people would be sent to Bellevue Baptist Church, both Christian and non Christian. Pray that the day would soon come when God raised up Bellevue and in doing so displays his glory for all to see. But above all pray Psalm 86 for us and pray that we might be able to pray it too. Psalm 86 A prayer of David. 1 Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. 2 Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. 3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. 4 Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 5 You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. 6 Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. 7 In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me. 8 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. 9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name. 10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God. 11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. 12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. 13 For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave. 14 The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life— men without regard for you. 15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. 16 Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant your strength to your servant and save the son of your maidservant. 17 Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
2 Comments
Kez
19/6/2010 02:03:08 pm
sorry for my sarky comments :P but just out of curiousity..is it your scottishness that makes you write 'trails' rather than 'trials'?? lol
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ferris lindsay
19/6/2010 02:14:23 pm
Thanks for this encouragement which just fits the situation I feel myself to be in.
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