He Did it Again

After our first full week at Faith Community Church we were all giddy with excitement as we moved to the Jr. High Cafeteria for our second Sunday after outgrowing the day care last week. Mind you we still did not have music but expectations were high. We arrived early to set up chairs. We set up around forty-five but soon that proved not enough.

People kept coming. Some I did not know. Many who do not have a church home. Some that had not been in church for a long while. We added another row of chairs, and then another row, and another one after that. God doubled the attendance from our first Sunday yesterday. He did it again.

It is hard for me to put into words all the emotions I felt as I watched people keep coming in. Family after family walked in and grabbed chairs. The large room felt comfortably full. I preached from [I Thess 1:1-5] and [Acts 17:1-10]. Paul planted the church at Thessanolica. We will take a journey through the book of I Thessalonians for the next several weeks.

Not just that. God added a family who are experienced and gifted in leading worship. The Lord knew our need for worship and brought someone to meet it. Hopefully by next Sunday we will be able to add music to our growing church. This is another evidence of God at work building His church.

I am awed by the things God is doing. I thought I had a plan in place to begin small in a Bible study format and train people for the journey ahead. I did not plan to really go public with our services until December and January. God blew my plans out of the water. He has something else in mind and I am trying to follow.

We had eleven families show up at our Sunday night prayer meeting last night. Eleven families gathering for prayer and fellowship. I have not seen anything like that in all my years of ministry. People know our Sunday nights are devoted to prayer. Those prayer meetings are the foundation on which Faith Community Church is being built. Our children and teenagers prayed. Our adults prayed. I love watching God at work uniting families, hearts, and giving us a clear purpose for planting this church.

God exceeded my expectations two Sundays in a row. Two times in two weeks He has assembled a crowd who hunger for the word. Also for the second Sunday in a row we had a family show up late thinking the services started at eleven rather than ten. They assure us they will be back next week. This is all happening without one note of music. I miss Sean Decker and the anointed worship at FBC Seminole. We have families attending services from Paradise, Bridgeport, and Springtown. God is building a miracle church and I am humbled He chose me to be a part of all this.

Along with the growth come growing pains. We will continue to seek the counsel of God on how to deal with issues like children’s ministry, nursery, finding teachers for our Connection Classes and as I mentioned getting our worship ministry up and going..

I should not be surprised God did it again. He astounds people all the time. Much prayer has been put into Faith Community Church. Much more prayer will follow. People are prying all over the state. I am so humbled God is working the way He is working. What a joy to get a front row seat to see His powerful hand move.

I know God is the one doing it. It has nothing to do with me. I am blessed and excited to follow the Lord on this journey. I am making an offer on a house today by faith. I long to say, “He did it again” selling my house and providing the Edwards with our third miracle house. If God moves you to pray and believe with us we are praying for these specific things: 1. Our house to sell in Seminole at 2112 NW Ave B. 2. For miracle down payment money 3. For Brenda to find a job in Decatur. 4. For God to close the deal on our miracle house.

He will do it again. I have been away from Brenda and three of our boys for the longest stretch ever. This makes day nineteen. They are planning on moving here by this coming weekend. We still do have a place secured. I am praying and working on it. I am still living in the RV and Taylor is still sharing the room with his friend Jarrett. We are both ready to see the rest of our family and to get in our own place to live. Making the offer on the house is the last thing I know to do in stepping out on faith to prove to God I trust Him. I left the loving and supportive flock at Seminole along with their bountiful compensation. I left my family behind to begin the work of starting this church. As much as I know how I have obeyed following the Lord.

Any day now I will say, “He did it again!” He will sell my house in Seminole even though the market is depressed. He will sell my house there and provide me with a house here. Doors that have been shut will be opened because I keep asking, seeking, and knocking and [Matt 7:7-8] assures me God will intervene. What a delight to serve a powerful miracle working God.

I have wondered why He has delayed this long but I think it is only to set the stage set to bring more glory to Himself. Nothing is too hard for Him. [Luke 1:37] All things are possible with Him. [Matt 19:26] No mountain can stand in the way of what God has purposed. [Mark 11:23=24]. I know I am in the will of God and therefore have confidence He will come through. [I Jn 5:14-15] He will rescue my family in this the day of our trouble. [Ps 50:15] He will do it again and I will testify again of His enduring faithfulness.