The Kingdom Of God Belong To Such As These

We have been waiting on the LORD since being sovereignly placed in this location the very first month of year 2000. Wondering yet as to how we can lift up Christ with no resources or support, save for God's faithfulness. Since starting with our nightly bible study series He has been pleased to bless His work not only with souls but more importantly with the right direction as to how to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. For us it is of no importance to start a work for Christ, if it be not according to His prescription. From the lesson of Nadab and Nabihu, God has clearly revealed how He is to be worshipped. 

We would not have learned about the beautiful practice of elevated reverence for scripture and its proper place in sacred worship if Father had not sovereignly taken us from our previous denominations.

Furthermore, it is evident from His placing us on the route of scriptural worship that He takes great care to ensure that we have a lamp at our feet and a light at our path. Ever since my conversion day, my God has continually shown us that He is always guiding us toward the straight path for the glory of His name.

Silently laboring in His vineyard here in our neighborhood, we were looking then for God to stir up a work among the families, but it seems He was to begin a work among their children instead. It is also worth noting that Father has brought us to like-hearted brethren from Lubbock, Texas and New Mexico, bent primarily in the faithful ministry of the word, and on constant pleading with God in prayer. I have always believed my ministry is primarily in prayer. What graciousness it is for God to sovereignly lead us to them who think the same.

Everything else in ministry is secondary. The fountain head of any work for the Lord is communion with the Lord and a constant dependency on His most Holy Spirit. Christ was always heard by the Father because He was always in communion with Him. It never fails to encourage me to greater heights of hope and praise, and even lower depths of humility, whenever I hear these tender-hearted brethren petition God's hand for His work here on our behalf. I have learned much from them, as I have loved them more.

By drawing the children of the families we are praying for closer to Himself, God has gracuios.y answered both our and their prayers.

Every chapter of the Bible is used in the work with the kids, with an emphasis on how Christ is the only path to the Father and how the stories highlight the types and shadows of the promised Redeemer. Children learn the fundamental truths of God's purpose for creation through catechism, which is to enable man to worship God as He dwells among us both now and forever, concluding with a recitation of the Decalogue from Exodus 20 as the last section.

The past week saw our gracious God moving up, and now enabling us to provide His word to the children themselves. Now they would not just listen, they would be reading from His word together. This will plant in them the blessed practice. May the Spirit be pleased to reveal the wonders of Christ to them as they read His word for themselves and instill in them a holy reverence for His word.

Hearing these same kids mimic their parents' swearing, teasing, and defamation has always been a burden for us. I am pleasantly surprised to see them now responding to the catechism questions and reciting the Ten Commandments. These are not sure signs of saving faith of course, much as Sunday school recitations are not guarantees of good character, but our hope is on God alone who not only has directed us not to hinder the children from coming to Him, but to teach them the fear of the LORD. Perhaps God will grant mercy to some if not all of them, and they will rightfully glorify God wholeheartedly in their later years.

With regards to us then, we rest on the hope that nothing done for His name is ever in vain.