2,000 voices joined in praise - what a beginning to Sunday
worship at Life Center. How we felt the
Spirit today as we joined in heartfelt praise!
From reverential Holy, Holy, Holy to a rousing Hallelujah Chorus (local
arrangement, my favorite) Jesus was lifted up.
Craig shared a great message from II Cor. 4 about having immense
treasure in this jar of clay body of ours.
Though some don’t realize that they truly are clay vessels, easily cracked and broken,
some can only see their brokenness and not the treasure inside. God declares that we who know Jesus indeed
have the treasure of his all-surpassing power within us…and it comes from God,
not ourselves. It is through those
cracks in the clay that God’s light shines!
And that is how we can persevere in a broken world as we yearn to be
joined with Jesus - through this all-surpassing power. Hallelujah!
We did have earphones for interpretation during the service,
and it was most interesting to hear the “announcements.” The first one was, “God is still on the
throne!” We’ve never heard an announcement
quite like that, and it was refreshing. Second announcement was to couples
living together but not married, urging them to unite in Christian marriage and
set up an appointment to do so. Third
was for any woman who was a second wife to a man to “depart immediately.” Also, for any man who had left his village,
come to Bujumbura and taken another woman to leave and return immediately to
his village and wife. These were given
as urgent requests. Not exactly the sort
of announcements we are used to in church…….we wondered what it would be like
if something like this were shared in our churches back home.
Our guys had their last session with the men. It has been a candid, clear, and challenging
look at how God created men to be. Pray
with these men as they meditate on what they have learned this week and seek to
put it into action. Pray that they will
be encouraged to share it with other men and that His light will shine brighter
through them.
Each day is further evidence of God at work in this
country. We sang the song “I See the
Lord Sitting on the Throne,” with the words, “and the whole earth is full of
His Glory.” You may not immediately see this on the surface here just to look
around at the surroundings and conditions in which many live. But we HAVE seen Him…..in the faces of the
women at Homecare, in the worship today, in the lives of dear believers who are
declaring His goodness. We yearn with
them to be the kind of clay vessels through which His Light shines brightly.
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