Every day, I ride my bike to a small, white building with a small, white sign out front with the words "大井川キリストの教会" (Oigawa Church of Christ) printed on it. There are birds nesting where the north wall meets the roof, and they fly away to a small field/garden as the my tires hit the gravel driveway.
I would say I spend at least 65% of my time (a very conservative guess) in this small white building. It's where I eat, read, have devotionals with my team, write to friends and family, and it's also where I meet with my readers.
Sometimes when I see the church building, this humble house in this humble town, I think of the words "we have this treasure in earthen vessels;" I think of what we do every day--read from the Bible with what is now about 20 different people; I think of what goes on in us and in our readers.
I can't say I know the full impact of what God is doing through us here, but we're often stunned by the depth our conversations reach with people that were strangers only 3 weeks ago. We have readers in Genesis asking the why's and what now's that come along with reading about the creation story and the sin in the garden. We have readers in Acts asking why the Church didn't fight back when they were persecuted so heavily. We have readers in Luke at first confused, and then intrigued by a strange man named Jesus.
The hour that we spend with each reader is always filled with genuine curiosity and questions that come from perspectives we may have never even considered. And to be honest, I often spend much more than the appointed 1 hour talking with readers about God or Christianity or even the troubles in their lives. Here in the middle, 3 weeks in with 3 weeks to go, I can't say that I have everything figured out. But then again, I don't think I could ever say that. I do know that our number of readers STILL continues to climb and doesn't show signs of stopping, and I know that all three of us have become very close to some of our readers as they continue to show a stunning sense of hospitality. I am content. I've been reading Philippians lately, and the part in chapter two about the amazing extent of Christ's humility is one of those descriptions that just gets stuck in my head. And here, in this small church, in this quiet town, it's become easier to hear the gentle breeze of God and the humility that it brings. Please pray that God could use that humility to transform us into vessels perfect not just for holding His treasures, but for pouring them out as well. Also, if you have any questions you want me to address, leave a comment and I'll try to give an answer in the next week's blog! Peace.
I can't say I know the full impact of what God is doing through us here, but we're often stunned by the depth our conversations reach with people that were strangers only 3 weeks ago. We have readers in Genesis asking the why's and what now's that come along with reading about the creation story and the sin in the garden. We have readers in Acts asking why the Church didn't fight back when they were persecuted so heavily. We have readers in Luke at first confused, and then intrigued by a strange man named Jesus.
The hour that we spend with each reader is always filled with genuine curiosity and questions that come from perspectives we may have never even considered. And to be honest, I often spend much more than the appointed 1 hour talking with readers about God or Christianity or even the troubles in their lives. Here in the middle, 3 weeks in with 3 weeks to go, I can't say that I have everything figured out. But then again, I don't think I could ever say that. I do know that our number of readers STILL continues to climb and doesn't show signs of stopping, and I know that all three of us have become very close to some of our readers as they continue to show a stunning sense of hospitality. I am content. I've been reading Philippians lately, and the part in chapter two about the amazing extent of Christ's humility is one of those descriptions that just gets stuck in my head. And here, in this small church, in this quiet town, it's become easier to hear the gentle breeze of God and the humility that it brings. Please pray that God could use that humility to transform us into vessels perfect not just for holding His treasures, but for pouring them out as well. Also, if you have any questions you want me to address, leave a comment and I'll try to give an answer in the next week's blog! Peace.
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