Dear friends,
Good Friday morning!
I write to you from Okotoks, Alberta, where I am attending the EFCC Annual Meeting and Theological Summit.
So, how is your church doing? How does one answer this question? Are people being saved? Are disciples being made? Is attendance up? Is there unity in the church? …. What is our measure of how things are going?
As we reflect on church, we hold up Acts 2 as the ideal – and perhaps what we believe should be the norm for churches.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47)
Need I say that this might not sound like your church…?
Be encouraged – it wasn’t like the New Testament Church either.
While Acts 2 is a beautiful picture of people enjoying Christian community, praying and sharing together, within weeks, this picture will be disrupted by complaints (the Grecian widows felt they were discriminated against – Acts 6), the church was scattered by persecution after the murder of Stephen – Acts 7), they sought to bring the cultures of Jews and Gentiles together at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15…
Perhaps it is a great testament to the Christian Church in that, focused up our Lord Jesus Christ, it has moved forward and flourished in spite of persecution, division and cultural differences.
Here’s a word of encouragement from Pastor Keith Welton, “Every Good Church is Messy.” every-good-church-is-messy
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HERE”S THIS WEEK’S FIVE MINUTES ON FRIDAY, WITH NEWS FROM THE EFCC SUMMIT AND PRAYER AND PRAYER ITEMS FROM THE LPD:
Five_Minutes_on_Friday_May_19_2017.07.pdf
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This week, National Post commissioned an Angus Reid Survey on Faith in Canada on our 150th birthday. The results are both challenging and provide opportunity. Only 19% identify as non-religious. Here is the link: http://news.nationalpost.com/news/religion/canada-is-not-the-secular-society-that-we-thought-it-was
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LPD Women in Ministry Facebook Page. Karen has set up a Facebook Page, and invites all women church ministry staff and pastor’s wives to join. The purpose is communication, encouragement and prayer for one another.
To join the Facebook Page, please simply search “LPD Women in Ministry” and click ‘Join” Pastors – please inform your spouse of this opportunity.
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