Thursday, 30 December 2010

• Faith in Different Flavors

       Long ago, (well, it seems ages ago to me!), I was a single girl, living in an apartment, a few blocks from my mom's home.  I had a great roommate, (a dear sister in Christ), a demanding, and yet interesting job.  I knew I was blessed.  I loved my church, I loved my family, and I loved my precious, personal Saviour.  Some of my most precious times were spent alone, with my Bible, on a hill that descended from the street where my mom lives.  The hill was rather steep and contained many trails where you could walk or take a mountain bike.  I often would pack a backpack with water and my Bible, and head for this area where I would take on the trails, enjoying the utter freedom of being alone.  There was very little noise there which made the aloneness all the more sweet and undestracting.  I was completely free to think, to wrestle with my feelings, and desires I had at the time without anything, or anyone to to disturb the thought patterns.  One most grand theme that often came to mind would be the one of faith. Not just the the faith we all understand generally to be our beliefs, i.e., "I believe God exists, and Jesus was His Son....etc..."  but the faith that believers continue in once they have been granted the original, transforming faith.  This second faith has to do with our trust in God, His character, His goodness, His love, His faithfulness, etc...". My biggest struggle at the time was with the double-minded tendencies I had, (and still have, along with all believers), when we whole-heartedly agree cognitively with all that is written in God's Word about His character, and yet often, when under duress, we act in disbelief, showing that, in-fact, while we say we believe, really, in action, (when it really counts!), our faith is still quite weak.  I even remember at that time exhorting other sisters for their lack of trust under trial, while I, myself struggled with the very same thing, later under testing.  

  Right now, I am sitting on our IKEA couch, in a house in CZ, about 5000 miles away from my home town.  Circumstantially I feel so far away from those bike-trails, on that scenic hill.  I'm now about 12 years older, I am married, I have 3 children, and we are missionaries.  The interesting thing is that this issue of faith and trust in the true and unmovable, unchangeable, good, Saviour, remains the same.  Sure the issues have changed, but my tendency to not always and completely thrust my whole trust on Christ remains.  So, while there is no opportunity to grab my mountain-bike, and Bible and head for the hill, I still am daily wrestling to grow in my practical, (real), trust in such a loving and good God, such as we have.  I know that it's a daily task, and I know that as long as I have this weak flesh about me, the temptation to doubt will remain.  One blessing comes with time, and that is the ability to see and experience God's goodness more!  Over the last 12 years, I have been able to watch God prove His love, and display His glory in my life, over and over again.  It boggles my mind!  Why would this powerful, all-knowing, all-present God want to show His goodness to me?!  Why does He continue to show it so personally? Why?  Because He actually loves us!  Because He is actually personal!  Because it's not the measure of my faith that gives Him the most glory, but the measure of His amazing character lovingly directed towards sinners, His children, that explodes in the revelation of His amazing worth and glory!  So while I am weak in faith, He has opportunity again and again to prove His attributes proving again that the power for salvation as well as for sanctification springs forth from God alone! I am not able, and will never be able to trust in Him to the degree that His character deserves.

  How does all this apply now?  Well, the Czech church in general is, and has been, in dire straits for a long time.  While I think that doctrine has a lot to do with it, I don't think that wrong doctrine is solely responsible.  Rather I think that persistent weak faith has everything to do with it.  Many Christians here have given up, not on the gospel, generally speaking, but on the character of God, and His power not only in salvation but in sanctification.  Being "saved" here for christians is simply, "enough" for many.  Sure, many of these people are even very, "biblical", in the sense that they hold to the moral obligations of the scriptures, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's difficult to find believers who are passionate, growing, and completely living in the power of God's grace daily.  It's like many after being saved simply left it to live the rest of their Christian life alone.  The result is that many of the churches here are rather dead.  There is much compromise and many leaders are no longer guarding their flocks.

  Please dear friends, pray for our churches here in CZ.  Pray for the ignition of faith in the hearts of believers.  Please pray for the conviction from the Holy Spirit in the the hearts of the leaders.  Pray that they would be moved to faith, and trust again in the truths that we must cling to in order to persevere in our faith.  Please pray for God's grace here in the Czech lands, that He would move, convict, and prove His character to all of us for the growth, and perseverance of faith, and most assuredly for His glory!

   

  Prayers:

  Marcus and I recently spent some time together.  We praise God for this blessed time of refreshment, for our faith and for our marraige

  Kids:

   That we would love, serve, and shepherd them in faithfulness, grace, and patience- showing them an unmovable, dependence on our Lord.

  Church:  

  -The faith and endurance of our brothers and sisters.

  -One brother recently brought is newly-converted step daughter, and her family.  She seems extremely joyful, and transformed.  Please pray for their faithfulness to find a fellowship of believers, and for their current financial situation, as it's dire.  By God's grace she has been completely freed from worry, and is trusting God, and seeing to make wise decisions to solve these problems.  Please pray for the above, mentioned brother who has been witnessing to his wife for many years. She also came to church, and was very open.  She said she believes, but struggles with bitterness in their marital situation. They are older and simply have old, bad habits, which they are working on.  Please pray for God's goodness to flow from their marriage, and that this couple would have victory in this area.

  -Please pray for the many unbelieving family members of our brothers and sisters in our church.  Please pray for the gospel to powerfully be at work in the actions and works of our brothers and sisters toward their family members.

  Evangelism:

  Please pray for our neighbors, czech teachers, Amie's english class for children in our village

  Please pray for a dear family in a city a couple hours away.  We've had many opportunities to share the gospel with them. They are experiencing marital difficulties, and they have thought about splitting.  Unfortunately the church in their area is not a biblical church.  Please pray for the work of the Spirit.  That Christ would reveal His amazing grace in the transformation of their hearts to wholly seek Him.

   

  Thank you so much!  You are all so dear to us, and we are so thankful for your prayers!

   

  This photo is of Thanksgiving at our place.  Our Czech teacher came with her family!

  

   

  Lyd had her birthday party, complete with butterfly cupcakes!

  

   

  Lydia and Sophia have, of late, been making concerts in their room.  The animals you see here seated are their audience!

  

  Awesome Christmas tree in Prague

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  Sledding with the Bremovi!

  

   

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