Churchin' It round 2
March 21, 2010
Today I was scheduled to be Churchin' It (see 14 March post) from 9:30am until well into the evening. I was to share in four services at three different churches, accompanying a pastor who spends every Sunday doing the same. Gabi was my translator.
The first service was in the village of Ghizela at Biserica Harul (Grace Church) from 10:00am until approximately 12:15pm. We were blessed to have a time of the children reciting poems and Bible verses as well as praise and worship with the Students and the Children's Choir. I shared a testimony on the faithfulness of God to provide and how we should give thanks in all things. We also were fed on awesome teaching on I Timothy 3:1-2.
The second service was to be in Secas, a village with only four or five believers, and I was to share words of encouragement. Unfortunately, we discovered that there had been a death in the village and a funeral was going to be held instead of an actual church service. I was still willing to go, but before we headed that way, we found out that the decedent was a nonbeliever and that the service would be performed by an Orthodox Priest. We opted out.
We then attended a service at Biserica Nadejde (Hope Church) in the village of Paniova from 3:00pm - 4:40pm. Two brothers gave glory to God, the younger by reciting Psalm 23 and the other by playing the keyboard and singing a hymn. The Student Choir sang and I gave another testimony using my previous themes and shared how God knows what is best for us and that he has a plan for us. We were just about to study Proverb 30:10-14, when another pastor unexpectedly paid a visit to the church and was extended an invitation to preach. He was a very dynamic Evangelist and delivered a message with respect to why Romania is not seeing repentance and revival in great numbers as in the time of communism. He preached from John 12:9-11 and challenged the congregation to pray for revival and to share and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ ("walk the walk not just talk the talk").
We scrambled back to the village of Ghizela for a 5:00pm service and were once again blessed by the Student Choir with more songs and another sister gave a recitation. I shared another testimony (using the previously mentioned themes) and talked about how we don't always understand God's plan but that we need to trust Him and be prepared to answer the call and fulfill the purpose for which He created us. We then resumed our study where we left off earlier in the afternoon at I Timothy 3:3-7 and ended around 6:45pm. This was a great day in the Lord and what a joy and a privelege to experience and see that the church was receiving good, sound and deep Biblical teaching... not only from their pastor, but from an "unexpected" guest pastor as well. It was almost like being at home at OHC.
THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD
Recorded by Avalon
Chorus:
Your life woven day by day
is a new design of the glory God displays
on the canvas of creation
Through the poem of history
in the pattern of redemption
running through the tapestry
Your life in Christ can be
the greatest story ever told
Credits:
Songwriters - Charlie Peacock and Douglas Kaine Mckelvey
Publishers - River Oaks Music Company and Sparrow Song
We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28 HCSB
The first service was in the village of Ghizela at Biserica Harul (Grace Church) from 10:00am until approximately 12:15pm. We were blessed to have a time of the children reciting poems and Bible verses as well as praise and worship with the Students and the Children's Choir. I shared a testimony on the faithfulness of God to provide and how we should give thanks in all things. We also were fed on awesome teaching on I Timothy 3:1-2.
The second service was to be in Secas, a village with only four or five believers, and I was to share words of encouragement. Unfortunately, we discovered that there had been a death in the village and a funeral was going to be held instead of an actual church service. I was still willing to go, but before we headed that way, we found out that the decedent was a nonbeliever and that the service would be performed by an Orthodox Priest. We opted out.
We then attended a service at Biserica Nadejde (Hope Church) in the village of Paniova from 3:00pm - 4:40pm. Two brothers gave glory to God, the younger by reciting Psalm 23 and the other by playing the keyboard and singing a hymn. The Student Choir sang and I gave another testimony using my previous themes and shared how God knows what is best for us and that he has a plan for us. We were just about to study Proverb 30:10-14, when another pastor unexpectedly paid a visit to the church and was extended an invitation to preach. He was a very dynamic Evangelist and delivered a message with respect to why Romania is not seeing repentance and revival in great numbers as in the time of communism. He preached from John 12:9-11 and challenged the congregation to pray for revival and to share and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ ("walk the walk not just talk the talk").
We scrambled back to the village of Ghizela for a 5:00pm service and were once again blessed by the Student Choir with more songs and another sister gave a recitation. I shared another testimony (using the previously mentioned themes) and talked about how we don't always understand God's plan but that we need to trust Him and be prepared to answer the call and fulfill the purpose for which He created us. We then resumed our study where we left off earlier in the afternoon at I Timothy 3:3-7 and ended around 6:45pm. This was a great day in the Lord and what a joy and a privelege to experience and see that the church was receiving good, sound and deep Biblical teaching... not only from their pastor, but from an "unexpected" guest pastor as well. It was almost like being at home at OHC.
THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD
Recorded by Avalon
Chorus:
Your life woven day by day
is a new design of the glory God displays
on the canvas of creation
Through the poem of history
in the pattern of redemption
running through the tapestry
Your life in Christ can be
the greatest story ever told
Credits:
Songwriters - Charlie Peacock and Douglas Kaine Mckelvey
Publishers - River Oaks Music Company and Sparrow Song
We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28 HCSB
Posted by Daphne Nicely.
