AMAZING BLESSING
Dear Faith Family,
Last month, our District Mission Board made us aware that a special grant of one million dollars was given to the Board for Home Missions by the Church Extension Fund. This grant would be distributed between 2-8 ministries as determined by the Board for Home Missions. Peace In Jesus applied for a portion of the grant to help in our efforts to purchase a more permanent church home. We presented this to our leaders and members and encouraged our people to pray about this possibility. Some of you have been praying about this.
We just got word from our District Mission Board Chairman yesterday. It is official. Peace in Jesus has received the full amount of the grant requested: $250,000! We are truly humbled by this tremendous blessing. With this gift comes a significant responsibility also to wisely and responsibly utilize it to build up the saints as well as reach out to the lost and in the Vietnamese community in the Treasure Valley and beyond. I will be bringing an important message of “investing ourselves” in the work of the Kingdom, as so many of our brothers and sisters in the faith have “invested” in our ministry. That was a challenging sermon to write, respectfully ask you to keep our congregation in your prayers.
God has been so good to us, I pray this latest and greatest gift will have his blessing and guidance in its use. This is public knowledge and is official, you are free to share this news with others if you care to do so. Mostly, I wished to share this great news with you so that you would have occasion to rejoice with me and your Vietnamese faith family!
We will continue to carefully and prayerfully go through this process. As we do, it is essential to carefully consider these practical matters in a spiritual way. Call to mind the beginning of Psalm 127:
“A song of ascents.
Of Solomon.
Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders labor in vain. ”
First of all, this was one of the very familiar Psalms as God’s people would make their way to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover and other religious festivals. The “Psalms of Ascent,” would be recited as people went “up” to Jerusalem. Some would even speak the Psalms of Ascent going up the steps to the Temple, where they had opportunity to worship God, present their offerings and give thanks to the Lord.
This particular Psalm of Ascent was penned by Solomon, a man who knew a thing or two about construction. The most aggressive architectural project in Jewish history, the Temple was an amazing building whose architect was God Himself.
The “house” in this verse is a general term. It was very common to use this term referencing the temple in Jerusalem. This would be a very significant reference not only for the newly constructed temple under Solomon’s management but also when the temple would be rebuilt. “House” could also mean any building project. This term “house” also means “family.”
This picture engages us in the interrelationship of divine blessing and human work. No human effort can prosper without God’s blessing. Yet this divine result follows human work. Consider Jesus’ clear teaching, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” Builders build. Teachers teach. Plumbers plumb. All of them put forth their best effort, yet the results and fruits of their labors are actually in God’s hands. Our direction is to work hard on the one hand, yet ironically enough, emotionally relax by trusting in the Lord and being content with what the Lord has given to us. Worry and discontent only rob us of our full enjoyment of God’s blessings.
How sad when we have left our hearts unguarded, allowing worry and discontent to break in and steal our happiness and contentment. How telling it is to see how much sinful influence the attitudes of worldly people infect us—too often have we noted how selfish, superior or snooty we have been. Sadly, it betrays our sinful start (from conception), and our “new creation’s sparring partner” until we are called home to the new heavens and new earth whose Architect and Builder is God. But today is not that day (at least not yet).This heavenly home is yours through faith in Jesus, the Son of God and Mary’s son, raised as the son of a carpenter—a builder.
Until he calls us home, we have some work left to do. At Peace In Jesus, we will be talking about “investing ourselves” in the work God has called us to do. We hope you can be with us. If not, please give careful thought to investing yourself in the service to God’s Kingdom where you live. All the results of our efforts we leave in God’s hands. What a comfort to know we are all there too, kept safely in God’s hands. Thank you for sharing the joy of all these tremendous blessings with us.
Prayer idea: Thank God for his tremendous blessings to you, to your family, to your faith family and your faith family at Peace In Jesus!
Blessings on your weekend!
--Pastor Dan