How thankful we should be that God could so exalt and reveal Jesus with such demonstration of wisdom and power through the preaching of His Word.
I've been a member of RAC for more than 41 years. During those years I've seen people saved, lives transformed and also miraculous healings including my own. I've also seen God work amazingly in various ministries and building projects. During one building project, can you
believe, I was actually on the Building Committee. Because of my position with an engineering firm, I was able to pick the brains of the company's head honchos and got some good tips for our church project.
One of the engineers even came on site and offered advice which saved our church thousands of dollars. Many times I've rejoiced to see before my very eyes that nothing is impossible with God.
-- BUT --
When I first heard of our current Capital Project I was totally negative. I seemed to have a frozen mindset against it. I was deeply disturbed about it and about the methods for handling it. My heart was totally closed against it.
Perhaps some others of you have had similar thoughts. e.g. We know of people who never get a visit but suddenly there's visits for everybody.
We already have wounded, hurting people in our church family.
How did all this start? Did illusions of grandeur lurk in our
premises?
Have the methods of the Consultant's plans been designed to create
pressure for giving?
Will people simply divert money from missions giving? This really
bothered me because my heart is in missions and there is desperate
need and appeal for Bibles where Christians are being persecuted.
These are just a few of many concerns which can trouble us.
During all this turmoil I was praying. As strongly as I felt, still my chief prayer was that I not grieve the Lord or disobey Him. I asked
Him to change my mindset if it was wrong.
I wrote a letter to Pastor Sunder expressing my concerns and I got a reply from him the following week, on Sunday, Aug.7th. I put his reply in my purse to read when I got home and went into the service.
No thought of the Capital Campaign crossed my mind during the service. Shyamala sang so beautifully "Worthy is the LAMB" and I was lifted into the very throne room of Heaven. Then Pastor Krishnan began his Message, a message which revealed and exalted Jesus. And ... as I drank in the very Life of Jesus, exulting in His beauty, His provision, His indwelling, resurrection LIFE ... suddenly, unexpectedly, without warning, God completely changed my heart and mind about the Capital Campaign. And I was filled with awe. I wasn't even thinking about it and hadn't yet read Sunder's letter.
Later as I looked over Sunder's wise and gracious letter, the Lord reminded me that people are just as lost in Toronto as in the darkest places on this Planet. If some of the disturbed and violent youth can be brought to the Saviour, it will not only be an expanding blessing for outsiders but will make the whole area safer for our present and future children. Certainly there are present needs which should not be swallowed up and lost because of this huge Project. Definitely we must never lose our Missions focus. It is the whole reason why the C&MA was born. Yes, we have hurting people we need to care for but we cannot stop there. God directed me to a few verses in the first chapter of Mark. Jesus had healed many people and the next morning, Peter eagerly hunted Him out and told Him that everybody was looking for Him. But long before daylight that morning Jesus had been praying and He had a further agenda. He did not remain in one place to heal every sickness or feed all the hungry but said, "Let's go on to the neighbouring towns so that I may preach there also, for this is why I came."
I am filled with awe and thanksgiving for the quiet, sweet, definite way God changed my mindset. Not with pressure, not with arguments, not with reasoning but with the precious, gentle work of the Holy Spirit while I looked at Jesus. Because I had been so adamant against the Project, I called Pastor Krishnan and asked if there was some way I could share how God spoke to me. So, here I am -- a video star.
Isn't it utterly priceless and beyond description that the Almighty Sovereign speaks to us and we recognize His voice? Now my husband & I are trusting the Lord to show us how He will enable us to obey Him in the Capital Campaign.
Of course, our concerns do not magically disappear. Of course, in a church family of this size there are many and varied opinions and reservations. Will you join me in a continuing prayer that every part of this Campaign, which was born in the will of God and will exalt the Lord Jesus will have amazing success; and that any part which may not be God's will, will be brought to a speedy halt?
One final thought I had that Sunday was how thankful we should be that God could so exalt and reveal Jesus with such demonstration of wisdom and power through the preaching of His Word.