HOW DO YOU KNOW GOD'S WILL
I have always been brought up to believe:-
- God speaks
- The Spirit within witnesses to the truth of what is heard
- It agrees with scripture and in keeping with what you know of God
- It is confirmed by others
- It comes about (in due course)
Just over a year ago in January 2008, both Julie and I felt
that our time in Stroud was coming to an end as both our jobs in the area was
about to finish. Julie was then
offered a job as a Community Manager for one of the Salvation Army Centres in
Birmingham A job which I would have
given my eye teeth for but it was only offered to Julie although I could have
helped and supported her. During the
interview Julie felt the Lord saying it was not for her and so turned it down. At the
same time though both felt the Lord was saying that each church should be a
Christian centre, Worshiping God and
flowing from that serving man.
Serving man should lead us to God for only He can solve the issues of man
and give us the grace, strength and wisdom to meet man’s needs. The church should therefore be a both a centre for worshiping God and a centre for serving man. It should in effect be a community centre
worshipping God.. We also felt that it
was time to return to Plymouth where our children had remained when we left
there to move to Stroud.
In February 08 we arranged to “house” sit and look after
the grandchildren whilst Sue joined John (my son) for a week in Dubai. Whilst in Plymouth that week
we explored the possibility of returning permanently. House prices seemed high but compatible
with what we could sell our house for in Stroud. We went to our old church and found that
although it had changed and part had reverted back to it’s roots as
City Church with Kit Mason and Roy Beaumont whilst the other remained as Church
of The Nations, Although both had moved to
different locations, we felt as though we had come back home. Even though there
were only a few people left at City church, it felt good to be back. We also caught up with what was happening
in the City, renewing acquaintances with Colin and Lorna Trent and learnt about
what they were doing with regards to debt counselling. There was also the talk of setting up a
Food Bank in Plymouth, both of which we
were involved in, in Stroud. Add to that during
the week there, three independent and totally unconnected people told us on different occasions about Tony Jopson
and how he often needs help with his accountancy practice. It therefore seemed right on our return to
Stroud to take steps to put our house on the market and take steps to return to
Plymouth.
In the first three or four weeks of putting our house on the
market we had had 6 or 7 viewings but financial market was on the verge of
collapse and no one made any offers to buy. Shortly after putting the house on the market and without warning both Julie’s and my job came to an end. Despise the housing situation and first signs of the global credit crunch we still felt
it right to return to Plymouth and so arranged to live with my daughter Joanne for
a while until our house was sold.
In June we returned therefore to Plymouth and revisited
old friends and acquaintances, worshiping on a Sunday at various churches and
fellowships as we sought to find out where we should become a member and
work out what God had laid on hearts.
We felt God was saying that each church should have a vision
for the lost and a driving desire to build up the the Kingdom as they sought to meet the
needs of the local community in the area that they had been planted. We therefore were seeking a church where
there was:
- An active driving desire to grow and
- Serving the community from the centre where they were worshiping that we could play some active part in.
So we began to look for a
church that we could set down roots and play a part in the building up of the
Kingdom. Alas even now 6 years later that search continues
God has given us a clear sense of church which should be
like a light set on a lamp stand (Matt 5 14-16) with all the para church
organisations as it were drawn back under the umbrella of the church. For too long the church has been hiding it’s
light under a bushel, staying in the
shadows whilst the serving heart of the church has been expressed through either
individuals as they go about their daily work or through para-church
organisations with inoffensive names like SALT,
Plymouth Focus, Plymouth Foodbank
etc etc. The man in the street
therefore does not necessarily see these organisations as Christian or if they
do it’s such a low key connection that it doesn't really matter. As for church, it has no relevance to their
lives or place in society any more than any other club or organisation. God would rather have it the other way. The church in the foreground with the
para-church organisations in the background playing a supportive role.. People would then again see the church playing an active role in the community and when they are in need say to one
another let’s go down to the church for they will be able to help us in this
hour of need. It may well be that that
particular church is too small to have the resources or particular expertise
and will need to draw on the resources of other churches or para-church
organisations nearby. In this way
churches will once again be seen as relevant and have something to say on
particular matters. God will once
again be given the glory for help that has been received and a connection made
between the help provided during the week with the worship that takes place in
the same building on a Sunday.
7 years on God is still saying that but the churches are they listening? Or is me and it I who have got it totally wrong?
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