I Corinthians 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.
If you have never pastored, attended or been involved in a “starter” or home mission church, you have missed one of life’s greatest experiences. You have missed the excitement over one new visitor, the joy over one sinner bowing a knee, the anticipation over what God is going to do every Sunday morning and the discouragement Sunday afternoon because only your family was in attendance. You learn how to pick yourself up off your knees on Monday morning, how to encourage yourself, grab hold of hope and hear the voice of God. You discover the value of every individual, how to love the unlovable and allow God to send conviction and be the judge. You learn that you are nothing without God and it really IS GOD who gives the increase. Finally, God shows in little ways every day that He is faithful.
Steve and I have pastored such a church for five years. It started in our home with our family, and then God blessed us with a beautiful building. We have had as many as 30 and as few as 2 in attendance. When we began, we made up our mind to be faithful regardless of how things appeared. We promised God to sing, worship and preach no matter how many showed up. It has been hard to preach to 2 people and 30 voices blend so much better than 3; although I believe that God enjoys the 3 more than the 30 because we are worshiping Him despite the circumstances.
Sunday, July 20, 2008 was one of the occasions that make all the prayer, fasting, witnessing, and inviting worth all the effort. We had our first baptism in almost 3 years. Chris was working through many issues when he first stepped through the door of Redemption Ministries on Mother’s Day, 2008. He wasn’t sure he wanted to be at the service but as he has testified since, it was better than being lonely and just maybe we would have some available cute girls. Much to his surprise, he was the only one in attendance that did not have the last name, Niswonger. We have nurtured Chris and watched his spiritual growth with such delight. He progressed from “I’ve never been to a church like this” to raising his hands in worship to the Lord. A few weeks after his first visit, we watched Chris walk slowly up to the front and kneel at an altar of repentance. A couple of weeks after repenting, he suddenly announced one Sunday, during fellowship, “Pastor, I think I need to be baptized.”
At Redemption Ministries we are not blessed with a beautiful baptismal tank with faucets to fill it and a heater to keep the temperature just right, but we do have a blow-up swimming pool. So on July 20th in front of several of Chris’ friends and family, he was buried in the precious Name of Jesus. He had a look of joy on his face when he came out of the water and we all rejoiced as we sang, “It’s Because I’m forgiven.”
The beautiful thing about new converts is the excitement and freedom they feel once they have turned their life over to Jesus Christ. Last week, Chris came with a friend. Lori also is struggling with many issues, but Chris has experienced something that he knows is the answer to every problem in Lori’s life. Please help us pray for these hungry hearts. We trust this is just the beginning of a Holy Ghost outpouring in Saginaw.
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