As discouraging as it often is to see the Church "dying" in much of the Western world, yet it was encouraging to hear of the growth and work God is doing in the Church in Africa. Hearing that they pray for our church displays how the Body of Christ is connected, even in different parts of the world. Seeing how excited they are to get trained and also to be used of God is wonderful. The story of the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8 shows that there was something special about this person to whom God had brought the Evangelist Philip to explain Isaiah 53 one-on-one and tell him the good news about Jesus. And to hear that today, there are millions of people who are part of the Ethiopian Church. This one particular story about how a church was started shows once again how God is at work - some missionaries headed for the Sudan made a "wrong turn" (which was God's "right turn") into Ethiopia instead and started a church there, thinking they were in the Sudan. Yet, this was all part of God's plan. Praise God for all that He is doing in Africa; and that my church is able to be involved as a part of that.
I was also encouraged to see that there were several positive feedback comments on my class blogsite. As I read through the blogs this person commented on, many of them were part of the "God is Able" series. I was reminded of how much insight and comfort God gave to me through that series.
I ran the projector for service yesterday, and I so appreciated the devotional time the worship and AV team had before service. Hearing my assistant pastor pray motivates me to ensure that my walk with God is so close that He is teaching me daily, in order for me to be able to be truly on fire for Him. It was so clear to me that God is working in the assistant pastor's life - he was even awoken one day to write a song about the ministry in Africa, talking about the fire of God spreading like the Spirit on Pentecost.
It is also encouraging to hear that our class COA outreach ministry is bearing fruit. The person who has been giving the messages has been using his gift of evangelism; and several people have place their faith in Christ. We have also been giving out many Bibles; and I trust that God will be at work as the Word goes out. I remember when we first started the ministry about two years ago - while we still gave a message, it seemed like we were mainly meeting physical needs by feeding the homeless and needy and supporting the COA organization. And when the current speaker started, he used to wonder how many people were actually listening, for many often talked among themselves while he spoke and some even had angry words for him. Yet, now, we are seeing evidence of God at work. Praise God!
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