We had a great meeting. Started off with fellowship and sharing with each other. Ansie facilitated. After dinner we got into Brother Andrew's book "For The Love Of My Brothers". This book is really inspiring. I, (the blogger for the evening) am currently reading it and thoroughly enjoying it. A quote from the book which is really interesting is "If we do not go to the heathen with the gospel, they will come to us as revolutionaries and occupation armies". He said this when speaking to the Czechoslovakian church just after the Russian army had invaded their country. During the last nine months the Czech church had enjoyed a reasonable amount of freedom under Alexander Dubcek. But the Christians, rather than seizing the occasion to go to Russia with bibles and preachers, went instead to the west to buy new clothing, bicycles, tape recorders etc. They had been taken in by the materialism of the west and forgotten their big brother in the East. Makes you think.
Some of the things that came up through our discussion of the book were: The Paralysis of Analysis - So many of us spend all our time "waiting" for God to reveal his special call on our lives. It is so easy to get caught up in the paralysis of analysis that we fail to act. God's end, his purpose for us is the process. His purpose is for this minute, how can we serve him today. What men call training and obedience, God calls the end... if we realize that obedience is the end, then each moment is precious. If we get busy now with whatever we can around us, He will lead us to where He want to place us. Brother Andrew started "Open Doors" after reading Rev 3:2 "Strengthen what remains", referring to the struggling church in Sardis and in V8 "I have placed before you an open door which no-one can shut". Neither of these verses said to him "Andrew, I am appointing you to be a bible smuggler to Russia". Those verses awakened him to the vast need of Christians behind the Iron Curtain and he acted on it. Brother Andrew made a point that if thousands of christians had been doing what he was doing, by risking imprisonment to go their suffering brothers and sisters behind the Iron Curtain, a book would never have been written (God's Smuggler) because it would have been common knowledge. But the church worldwide would be so much stronger as a result. How he wishes that Christians would stand up and go to where God needs them.
Brother Andrew lists ten steps in his book to moving forward which are really good. But, you will have to read the book to gain this valued knowledge/wisdom.
Please cast your eyes to the red board on left of blog for details on a course that Alison will be presenting shortly.
Wow Jenni, great entry.
ReplyDeleteAnsie
Hi guys, really good to keep abreast of your get together s. must say really proud to see the subjects that are coming up. Go for it. By the way, I agree with the too much analysis will cause paralysis. You guys already have enough understanding there is no real reason for more analyzing.
ReplyDeleteAnalyzing will meaningfully return based on the consequences of movements made. So there you have it. 'get a movin.........'. Missing you guys terribly. Only one month left and we will be sharing face to face again. we already have so many testimonies of His direction, provision and grace.