August 26, 2007
Rich in the Lord despite Material Poverty
Today Mary Ann and I worshiped at the new church-plant of Christian Challenge Church located at the fish port of Navotas City. This new church is the direct result of an ACTION evangelistic Christmas party in 2005 which resulted in three weekly home Bible studies, many young people who turned from sin the Savior at an ACTION camp and are now serving in both churches and relief work we did in May for many fire victims who lost the very little they had. When Mary Ann, Dave Majam, Luv Zacal and I arrived at the church we were warmly greeted by four young men who came to know Christ as Savior at camp. They were busy setting up the pulpit and musical instruments, arranging the benches and sweeping the floor. One of the guys, Darby, regularly serves at camp as a counselor and worship leader and I think is called into full-time ministry so I'd like to send him to Bible school. However, he only has completed third grade so he'll need to finish high school first so we'll look into the Accelerated Learning System for him. He really wants to get a high diploma and go to Bible school so pray for Darby. I've also heard him give his testimony of salvation in Christ and he speaks with fire and conviction. He's a preacher in the making!
The church was full with people sitting and standing outside the door and I'm guessing there were 100 people in attendance. Attending were old folks, young families, teenagers and children with special numbers given by several mothers, the teens and children. We sang many joyful worship songs, read Psalm 24 as a congregation, took an offering, prayed from the heart, commissioned to the Lord's service three women who have faithfully worked to see this fellowship birthed and dedicated a two babies to the Lord. One of the songs we sang "Here we are to Worship" we sing regularly at our church Green Hills Christian Fellowship and it was sung with reverence just like at GCF the largest Conservative Baptist church in the world. GCF is very wealthy and this church very poor but we adore the same Savior with the same Spirit and I was moved as I thought this while singing this song. I preached from Mark 1:1 explaining what the Gospel is and Who Jesus was according to this Gospel.
The church is surrounded by families living in homes built of scrap wood, cardboard and plastic with tarpaulins provided by ACTION for roofs. Kids are malnourished and sickly but attending Sunday school being taught the Word of God along with their parents and older siblings. We're planning, Lord willing, to have a Fish and Bread feeding for the malnourished children and perhaps provide 55 gallon drums for potable water for families because they need to buy water each morning in 5 gallon cans. Families live hand-to-mouth by working in the fishing industry yet the offering was healthy and in the midst of this material poverty the worship leader said "our church is blessed" and she meant it.
Today Mary Ann and I worshiped at the new church-plant of Christian Challenge Church located at the fish port of Navotas City. This new church is the direct result of an ACTION evangelistic Christmas party in 2005 which resulted in three weekly home Bible studies, many young people who turned from sin the Savior at an ACTION camp and are now serving in both churches and relief work we did in May for many fire victims who lost the very little they had. When Mary Ann, Dave Majam, Luv Zacal and I arrived at the church we were warmly greeted by four young men who came to know Christ as Savior at camp. They were busy setting up the pulpit and musical instruments, arranging the benches and sweeping the floor. One of the guys, Darby, regularly serves at camp as a counselor and worship leader and I think is called into full-time ministry so I'd like to send him to Bible school. However, he only has completed third grade so he'll need to finish high school first so we'll look into the Accelerated Learning System for him. He really wants to get a high diploma and go to Bible school so pray for Darby. I've also heard him give his testimony of salvation in Christ and he speaks with fire and conviction. He's a preacher in the making!
The church was full with people sitting and standing outside the door and I'm guessing there were 100 people in attendance. Attending were old folks, young families, teenagers and children with special numbers given by several mothers, the teens and children. We sang many joyful worship songs, read Psalm 24 as a congregation, took an offering, prayed from the heart, commissioned to the Lord's service three women who have faithfully worked to see this fellowship birthed and dedicated a two babies to the Lord. One of the songs we sang "Here we are to Worship" we sing regularly at our church Green Hills Christian Fellowship and it was sung with reverence just like at GCF the largest Conservative Baptist church in the world. GCF is very wealthy and this church very poor but we adore the same Savior with the same Spirit and I was moved as I thought this while singing this song. I preached from Mark 1:1 explaining what the Gospel is and Who Jesus was according to this Gospel.
The church is surrounded by families living in homes built of scrap wood, cardboard and plastic with tarpaulins provided by ACTION for roofs. Kids are malnourished and sickly but attending Sunday school being taught the Word of God along with their parents and older siblings. We're planning, Lord willing, to have a Fish and Bread feeding for the malnourished children and perhaps provide 55 gallon drums for potable water for families because they need to buy water each morning in 5 gallon cans. Families live hand-to-mouth by working in the fishing industry yet the offering was healthy and in the midst of this material poverty the worship leader said "our church is blessed" and she meant it.
What did I walk away with after the service? I was enriched in the Lord having been with God's people who are materially poor but *know* they're rich in Christ. They said several times "God is good all the time and all the time God is good." The saints of the Christian Challenge Church at the Navotas City fish port experientially know the goodness of the Lord. AMEN.
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