December 2004 Update

How's Your Walk?

All last year I felt as if the Lord was speaking to the church about walking. I asked myself, just what exactly does this mean? Here is what I feel like the Lord was showing me. By the way, the reason why I share it is because I feel it is what the Lord is saying for 2005 as well.

There never seems to be a shortage of new movements in the church these days. If it's not the apostolic reformation, it is a call to "pray the scriptures." If not praying the scriptures, it is new prophetic revelation. And the list goes on and on. Well, as usual, I may seem a bit idealistic for some, but I can't help but be drawn to the words of the New Testament. Paul says in Ephesians 4:1, "Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called." Also, in Colossians 1:10 he says, "that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." It seems to me the "emphasis" for Paul was never on some new revelation or new movement, but was always on the basic things that come from a life consecrated to God in simple devotion to Christ.

So how are we supposed to walk? Paul tells us in Ephesians that the way we walk is in humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, and being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (4:2, 3). Wow! It's no wonder we find other "new" and "exciting" things to focus on. The original order seems almost to tall to fill. You mean I really need to walk in humility and gentleness? What about the violent taking the kingdom by force? (I will leave that for another time.) Do we really have to show tolerance for those who believe differently than we do? What about making sure everyone we come in contact with agrees with our doctrines or convictions? At least if they don't agree with us we have made sure they know what we believe. And the unity of the Spirit--what does that really mean? Well, these are all hard questions to ask, and still harder to answer. But these are the things we need to live every day if we are going to walk in a manner worthy of our calling.

So what does this mean for the church? As always, I feel it is all about getting back to the basics--building on the proper foundation and being careful to guard the simplicity and purity of Christ. While I am sure the Lord is speaking in new ways to His church through numerous movements and emphases, I think sometimes they may be diverting us from doing what really matters. Let us all set out in 2005 to walk in a manner that is worthy of our calling in Christ--to bring Him glory in all things so that the church can come into full maturity and unity in Him and the world will see that we are His disciples.

Street Boys Camp Update

We have just finished a fabulous two week camp for the street boys here in Worcester. This camp began as a dream in the hearts of a handful of people six months ago. Our desire was to take the boys off the streets for two weeks and to give them the chance of a lifetime to meet God in a fun and practical way. After much prayer and hard work, 15 staff and 24 boys set out for the Waterfalls Farm 30 kilometers outside of Worcester for two full weeks of camp. Many individuals and businesses in the community gave sacrificially to help make the camp a reality. The boys arrived on Friday night December 17th and completed the camp on Sunday, January 2nd.

All the boys at the camp come from the worst home situations that one can imagine. Several of them don't have any family at all and live full-time on the streets. Others choose to leave their homes due to the excessive use of alcohol and drugs in the home and the physical and emotional abuse they experience there. All the boys are between the ages of 10 and 17. Lionel is 12 years old and currently lives full-time on the streets in Worcester behind the 7-11 store on Main Street. Both of Lionel's parents are alcoholics and he left home two years ago out of safety for his own life. His father is very violent and has been imprisoned on numerous occasions.