16 January 2007

To: Prayer Partners

From: Pastor Lucenay

Paul wrote the Ephesians we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (2:10). My neighbor, friend, teacher Kyle M. Yates always comes to mind when I read that verse. He first showed me the word workmanship comes from the Greek word for “poem.” He talked about how the creation of a poem came from within the writer, often at no little expense. In so doing, he reminded me that who I am in Christ came from the heart of our Heavenly Father at no little cost.

But Dr. Yates did not want his students to race over the concept of “God’s poem.” Rather, he encouraged us to ponder the unique way God has shaped our lives, each different, yet each with the capacity to reflect the light of the Savior. Frankly, none of us travel this life with the same rhyme and rhythm. We have many similarities, some of the same joys and sorrows, but we are each an original created by the hands of God and recreated in Christ Jesus to do good works, ah, the good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We begin our new year’s prayer journey this week. How is God going to take the high’s and lows, the harmony and the dissonance, the good, bad and the ugly of the past to forge His beauty through our lives in this coming year? He can use our “whatevers” best if we give them to Him and surrender permission for Him to use them however He sees best for His kingdom. If like a stubborn child, we are determined to do things our way, He can accomplish His purposes but we lose the joy of seeing Him work His beauty in and through us. If we think we can horde the beauty and blessings He has showered on us, He will use them to teach us His best is ushered in by our willingness to be channels of His blessings rather than the selfish guards of pirated treasures.

I stand on the front end of 2007 with great joy in my heart. God has wonderfully enriched our lives at the intersection of faithfulness and opportunity. He has chosen to use each of us to accomplish a kingdom work much bigger than any of us. Please join with me in praying for God’s best direction as we face the many challenges before us.

Last night I encouraged the deacons to join me in thanksgiving for the commitment to Christ expressed in recent baptisms, for the way God worked through our people to exceed the World Mission Offering Goal, for the way God guided our church family to exceed the Budget goal, and for the wonderful spirit of the overflowing crowds of our church fellowship. The search for additional Sunday School space is asking us to refrain from parking in the basement on Sundays to give more room for Sunday School classes and to provide safety for the students. The search for space is also guiding us to explore some rather creative off campus Bible study locations. (One recent university student Bible study class met in a squash court. I’m told the students heard the same lesson three times and the words bounced around the walls.) Our overcrowding in the worship center has spurred and will continue to cause many conversations regarding possible growth solutions. I am thankful that our people are flexible and willing to make room for “one or twenty more.” As we pray together about these issues the Father will bring us together to do the good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Every day we encounter people who do not know Jesus Christ. Every Sunday morning we have pre-believers in each service and most Sundays we have some present that are in church for the first time in their lives. Almost every person in our church family has family or friends who do not know Jesus. Many of the parents of our children in Sunday School and in the Kindergarten do not know the Lord. Join me in the prayer that these people will come to Christ.

Pray for Ishmael and Nathanial as both are detained by the authorities due to not having proper credentials for living in Hong Kong.

We join together to pray for our Filipino mission work. Rudolfo has done a good work in the TST and Tuen Mun chapels. They are building a good fellowship between the two congregations.

Our office is seeking God’s person to serve as publications’ secretary. We need a good Christian skilled with the computer and experienced with power point and with working on the internet. We need this support helper sooner rather than later.

We are very grateful to each and every person who invested time and energy in preparing for the Anniversary Luncheon. The overflowing crowd and grand spirit allowed our fellowship to enjoy the faith family and strengthen our ties with one another.

Every pastor I know has people in the church family who are struggling with some of the difficult issues of life. Please join me in praying for the couples who are having difficulty in marriage; the parents and children having a tough time; the teens seeking to understand who they are as they grow up in a world filled with influencers eager to lead them down the wrong path; the unemployed; the lonely; and those who are hurting in other ways.

One of my great joys is seeing the people who are growing in Christ and finding ways to express their faith by serving Christ. Join me in praying for the people you see each week that do things, often unnoticed or unrecognized by others, yet without whom we could not be the church we are.

Invite God to show you ways to pray for the people around you today. Then, invite God to guide you in praying for the people who sit beside, in front and behind you in worship Sunday.