Only the Lord

Alot has happened. The Lord really challenged me, and showed me that even though I am a Christian, my life has still been all about me and my agenda. So I repented and am trying to be aware of what the Lord wants me to do in every situation. Example: My lease needs to be renewed. Some people tell me that my neighborhood is dangerous. Some people are willing for me to live in this dangerous situation as long as I am struggling with things without their help, but when I ask for help, they think I should move! I've prayed, and the Lord wants me to stay and have a ministry there. In fact, this seems to be related to the wilderness and promised land themes the Lord has been using in my life. My neighborhood is the promised land in this instance, and He intends to either save people, or drive the enemy out, like in the promised land stories in the books of Numbers and Joshua in the Bible. But I can't do it alone. I need help from my church. So I gave some notes to Dale, the director of local outreach at my church. He went on vacation soon after that, so we have not talked. All kinds of Scripture verses have gone through my mind, such as, "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit." (from John 12). Jesus was saying that about Himself, but it is equally true of His followers. Another statement from the Apostle Paul in the Bible is, "I do not count my life as dear to myself." In other words, his life is valuable only in service to the Lord, and it is an expendable commodity. "A servant is not above his Master." Also a related saying is, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." That's a application of the John 12 passage I quoted above. In God's economy, death is the key to life and growth. This has been proven true many times in the history of the church. Then yesterday, I had the privilege of hosting Rev. John Wesley Nguuh, a Kenyan pastor I've hosted before, a persecuted Christian from Bangladesh (who will remain anonymous for security reasons), and several Americans, including Dale, the local outreach director I mentioned above. This was rather timely, since it gave Dale an opportunity to experience firsthand one of the types of ministries I want to take place in my home. It was an opportunity for Rev. Nguuh to expand his church's ministry to the persecuted church, and for our Bangladeshi brother to receive prayer support. We saw his powerpoint presentation, and using the piano bench as an altar, we concluded our time in prayer. What a privilege it is to be involved in building God's Kingdom!