It's not the size or excitement of the church that counts. It's not just about getting my emotional, physical needs met, my spiritual need is more important. Because if my emotional and physical needs never got met, I would still go to church because of my spiritual need, I need God. It's about a body, a family being united in Jesus Christ, doing the will of the Father. It's about God's people becoming equipped and strengthened so they can reach the lost. Anything else is icing on the cake. Such as fellowship, fun, etcetera.   

Stay

Right where I am here I will stay.

No I wont take a step Lord unless You go with me today.

Help me be strong to wait patiently on You.

Strengthen me Lord so I can help others to wait too.

We are Your people Lord help us love and understand each other better.

Help us in all life's storms to stick together.

Heal our spiritual eyes so we may see more clearly.

Help us to hold  onto You and each other more dearly.

Help us persevere O Lord, make your will clear.

Heal our ears O Lord so we may hear.

I cry out to You to help us understand.

Show what to do give us a glimpse of Your plan.

Strengthen us O Lord to stand hand in hand.

Help us to watch, fast and pray.

Lord help us patiently at Your feet to stay.

Our New Porch

Recently my husband was going down the steps of  our little porch on the front of our house, and the step broke. Because the support of the step had become weakened over time, and because of the rain it just couldn't hold up. This in turn lead to the discovery that the rest of the steps and some of the porch was getting weak too. What caused the step to loose it's support was time, the elements, and lack of  proper care. Churches are like that too. It saddens me when a church is small and people leave making it even smaller. To see this reminds me of when Jesus was being taken away to the cross how His disciples ran off and left Him. Sure it's easy stick around when everything is exciting but:; when the going gets tough people leave. Not staying and supporting a little church to the very end, is like when Jesus found His disciples sleeping and He said "couldn't you watch and pray with me one hour?" To stay is to be strong like king David when his child was dieing he fasted and prayed and he said, "who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live." Also I don't believe because a church is small that it is dieing. It may even be a test. God tests the Israelites a lot of times to see if they would be obedient and faithful. Perhaps He test churches too by seeing if we (me included) will run off to where things are exciting, big, loud and fun. May be He is testing to see if  the seeds He has planted in a small church will be like the story of the sower and the seeds. Will we be snatched away by the wicked one, will we stumble when tribulation and persecution comes, will cares of this world and deceitfulness of  riches tempt us (me included) to run off to another place? I ask myself  will pride, ego or anything else keep me from staying put where I am as long as the doors continue to open? The answer is no, because I know God is there. I know that if I run off just because I am not pleased there, that I will find reasons eventually to not be pleased somewhere else too. The only thing that will move me from where I am is a clear word from God or the doors closing for ever. I wont lie and hide behind that either and just say to ease my conscience, God sent me somewhere else, or is leading me somewhere else. I love my church it is small in numbers right now but God has big plans for it. How do I know? Because God has given me spiritual sight to see inward and not be fooled by outward appearances. How do I know God is there? Because spirit recognizes spirit. I see and hear and feel God there. 

Matthew 26:56, Mark 14:37-38, 2Samuel 12:22, Matthew 13:18-23, (He is here or there) Matthew 24:23-27 (I put this Matthew verse here because we can be tricked about where the Holy Spirit is just as well as these people about Jesus return),    Romans 5:3-5 (Persevere!)

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