Peter
Hello, my dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, today I'm writing for a special request.
I'm presbyter in the 4° IPI (4° Igreja Presbiteriana Independente) (4° Independent Presbyterian Church) is a simple church in a simple and small city in the Midwest.
Small isn't a problem! The problem, and maybe it's just in Brazil I don't know they're in the US, is if we need to do some work in the church, we ask for help, just the same people answer this request. Day by day the church, the God's House became a dirty and abandoned place.
Well, in the Q2 the church watched the movie "War Room", it really has made a difference in some people's life. But unfortunately for a short period. I made a compromise with God to prayer and fasting all Monday and Friday to ask for: forgiveness, leadership and church members, for my Mom and Brothers, for my family and house and for myself. Past some months my, father-in-law, pastor Edson T. Duran, request to the church to prayer and fasting every Friday. I also started a study with the church youth, based on the book Knowing God Intimately by Joyce Meyer, taught by missionary Jefferson J. DA Silva and I. I really pray God to speak to those young hearts.
First results after this. Pastor Edson, asked to every single person to go to church on Saturday set/10 to clean the church (I didn't take the new pictures yet, as soon I take it I'll save on my OneDrive that you already have the link). Well the answer of the church as 25 people (men, women, youth and children) there to work, willing to do anything needed. "Never we had a collective effort so full like this one" pastor Edson words. Once for a month, we make a lunch to raising money. With this money we will buy new things to the church and also using to paint and restore the temple. Two youths, a young couple not married, Filipe (engineering student) and Lorrana (architecture student), came to me to show me a build project. I loved the idea. We make some meeting and when was ready I said to the church council and those young made a presentation. Really, it was a God's answer to my prayers. The council approved the project. Now the Council is studying the options to rebuild the temple.
But all is too new to everybody. A lot of people still sitting down as "heater bench", murmuring and disputing. The church is not a missionary church, the neighbors doesn't know the church and maybe one day in the past visited and probably became scared about what they saw (Temple condition). My wife and I are from São Paulo and I move to Anápolis in 2014 I don't know everything happened in this church. The fact is Today is a Cold church. God is putting some renewed fire, but really this may end if all leadership doesn't arise on knees to pray. "All the leadership I mean pastor, presbyters, deacons and maybe Sunday School teachers too.
I believe that the sin of the flesh can't overlap the God's Glory, the man's voice can't to overlap the God's Voice. So I feel that it's time to the church rise up to work and kneel to pray. When I said flesh vs Glory and man's will vs God's will, I mean that the leadership needs to be totally covered by God's will, no matter what. My church is needing this, today (09/21) I spoke with my father-in law (the pastor), and he told me that he wants to start a new project in the church. Project, Projects and more Projects, without the leadership kneels will not persevere.
Please, who felt in your heart join me in prayer to my church (4° IPC from Anápolis Brazil), please!
I feel that God is with us, I really feel that God is answering our prayers, but spiritual war is heavy, really heavy.
I see that my church needs to shine in this terrible world, needs to stand up and move, share Christ with the world. Today we have just 40 people in the church and like missionary Jefferson said, a new temple to 40 cold people, for sure isn't the God's paling. We need an encounter with the Holy Spirit.
Please, pray for us, pray also for your church and family. Jesus is coming soon and I see a dead church, cold church.
If your church is not like mine, pray never be!! No matter, just pray!
Thanks for your attention!
The mighty hand of God cover all of you and your family!