Dear brothers and sisters, thank you for your interest and prayer for the gospelwork in Germany. Let me briefly share with you the main topics of the ministry here last month.
The Fathers Help to Love and Obey
As I preached through John 14 this month I was greatly encouraged by the trinitarian emphasis. Jesus is teaching His disciples in time of great need and despair, and it is uplifting to see how He shows the glory and power of the Father in chapter 14, the grace of the Son in chapter 15 and the indwelling of the Spirit in chapter 16. In John 14 Christ promises all believers that they will continue the mission of the Father doing the works He did (in leading people to the gospel) and even greater things (because of the fulfilled penal substitution and the clear proclamation of the gospel in the whole world). The Father is sending his Spirit to enable them to obey the law of Christ and to cause love to grow in their hearts, so that believers will have fellowship with the whole Trinity in the Spirit, and will work for the kingdom of God. Such great promises help us as a church in all our weaknesses to boldly confess the gospel of Christ on the streets, remembering that it is God who empowers and uses His people for the success of the Gospel.
We welcomed many visitors to our church over the past weeks, often those who are passing through during the vacation season, but also a man that now comes once a month brought his wife to worship. After the birth of our daughter Hannah, a young woman helped my wife take care of our older daughter Jael and helped with the housework. She is not a christian, though she has heard a lot about Christianity. After staying with us for the week, she wrote a very emotional message confirming that she experienced a peace and love in our home that she greatly enjoyed and that she would love to visit us again soon. Not only were the family devotions a testimony to her heart, but also the Spirit-worked love that she saw among us.
Please pray that out of the fellowship with the Trinitarian God we as church and every individual member will be able to partake in the glorious work of the gospel in this country, seeing that “greater” does not mean spectacular, but eternally weighty.
Do Not Forfeit the Blessings of God
Through 1 Samuel 14 we are given a serious warning as we see king Saul making one unwise step after another in pride and unbelief, even though God is again and again giving him help and undeserved blessings and success. But finally he destroys all his gain by his foolish decisions and trusting more in carnal means than in the guidance of the Lord.
As a congregation we are facing a challenge seeing that many loved members and workers will depart in order to help with the new church plant. Yet we have experienced a lot of undeserved blessings from the Lord, experienced the wonders of conversions and the gracious leading and protection of the congregation through some hardships. Please pray for us, that we will not trust in carnal means and despair because of outward weakness, that we may not forfeit the blessings of the Lord but stand firm in His promises and be faithful in seeking His ways, His glory and walk in faith, trusting His means and His goodness.