A Point of Thanks

Last Sunday I was watching television. Surfing the channels I found myself on "meTV", watching Joel Osteen give a message. I had heard things about this man, both from Tim and others, that made me curious about whether I would hear a prosperity Gospel.

He talked about a tree, I think it's Japanese tree, that spends four years putting down roots, but only in the fifth year does it start to flourish. He then shared that for those listening who were suffering, their fifth year was coming. Soon God would bless then, financially and spiritually. He even made the point that this wasn't heavenly blessing, but blessing for now. Prosperity rubbish, and I only watched for five minutes.

As I listened, I felt sad, but I also felt my heart well up with thankfulness.  Because, while there are many stresses for me each Sunday (will Sunday school work well, will this person be back, will I have the energy to make it through, will we have enough food?), there is one thing I never even think to worry about. I know that when my husband opens his mouth, he will speak the Gospel. He will tell what the Bible says. He will preach the truth, even when it's tough to hear. He will not preach another Gospel (Galatians 1:8), he will not preach what people's itching ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3). He works hard, every week, to share the Bible's message with all of us at Grace.  And that is a great thing, for me as a listener who needs to be feed and changed, and as a member of a church family all in the same boat.

I can trust my husband to speak God's word. And while I don't think to thank God for it often, I should. Because, as we all need to remember, if you don't have the Gospel at your plant church, you might as well just be watching meTV.

Belinda

The Gospel voice

Happy New Year!

It's funny, thinking about the year ahead.

I'm a little bit ashamed as I look through my list of new years resolutions.  I failed miserably.  Some, because I was over ambitious.  Some because I was lazy.  Some because I had no idea what a huge drain on my time and energy church planting would be.

But thinking about the year ahead, I am very aware of my own limitations.  God willing, Tim and I will be welcoming twins into the outside world in late May.  And so as I think about the year ahead, I am so much more conscious of the things I will be unable to do, rather than the things I hope to achieve.

But there is one thing that I am praying particularly, in relation to my relationship with Tim, that I hope will always be the case, even when I'm overwhelmed with two gorgeous little people to feed, change, cuddle and love.

I want to be the Gospel voice in his ear.

On a staff retreat for my AFES (University Ministry) job, we were reading through 1 Timothy 3, looking at the qualifications for a Christian overseer.  And it was pretty overwhelming, as a group of Christian leaders in some form, to look over the qualifications of Christian overseers and deacons.  Of course, nothing on this list you wouldn't want to strive for as any Christian (godliness, faithfulness in marriage, etc).  But it was challenging none the less, particularly as I thought about the ones in which I am weak myself.

But as I thought of Tim as a Christian overseer, I wondered what I could do to help him as he strives to live up to this list.  My boss jokingly suggested I could "nag" him, but I knew that wasn't the answer. :)  Prayer, I knew was a pretty integral part, and maybe that part of it is a post for another day.

But one thing that really struck me was the end of the passage.

And most certainly, the mystery of godliness is great:

He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated in the Spirit,
seen by angels,
preached among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.

 

So weird!  When you hear a sentence "The mystery of godliness is great:" you expect to see something else afterwards, don't you?  Maybe something about the Spirit?  Or good works?  But instead it goes on to go through the Gospel, to point us to Christ.  The answer to the mystery of godliness is the Gospel- that Jesus becomes our godliness for us.  That our godliness is taken care of when we could never do it.  But it is also the Gospel that enables us to be the leaders that we are suppose to me.  It is looking at Jesus, at his example, at what he has done for us, that inspires us to live out the beginnings of the chapter!

 

I may not be up to much this year.  But I'm praying, admits the lack of sleep and the stress, that I will remember the Gospel, and also that I will be reminding Tim of it.  That I will be the Gospel voice in his ear, constantly reminding him of Christ and what he's done.  And no doubt I will need the favour returned :)

 

Last post I talked about not being the hand-break.  My new aim is to be the Gospel accelerator.

 

Okay, very Corny.  But important nonetheless.

Belinda