FAITH FAMILY WORSHIP CENTER
1204 N. Western St., Amarillo, Texas
1204 N. Western St., Amarillo, Texas
A NON-DENOMINATIONAL CHURCH
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| FAITH FAMILY WORSHIP CENTER NEWSLETTER - June 2008 |
Life can be interesting at times, to say the least! Have you ever felt like you were really getting somewhere, forging ahead full speed and giving all your energy and might to something only to step back and see you are not completing what you desired to see accomplished? It can certainly be that way for those of us who labor to build Gods Kingdom. The Lord began to speak to me this morning about this subject. I will admit that I have at times found myself in the place where I needed encouragement. As always, God came through! Building a church can be extremely difficult, especially when you really have your heart in it. The first thing you must overcome is the opposition within yourself that causes you to approach the task with extreme hesitation. Why do we need another church in this city? Why would people come to a new church that requires so much labor to complete? Will people mind that we don’t have a beautiful building or even the greatest musicians or speakers that are available to the many ‘Super Churches’ around? There are many questions that scream out loud to us, but not as loud as the cry of our heart to obey God and win the lost. The truth is that there are people that are not being reached by the other churches and for reasons unknown to us, God has chosen us, THIS CHURCH, to reach as many of those as possible. The one thing I promised God was that I would always let Him be in control of this church! I don’t care what the cost, I have always stood by that promise and will continue to stand in that promise. I was surprised to find exactly what the cost of that promise would be, but the peace of knowing that it truly is in the Hands of God is worth the price. I learned that by letting God be in charge meant that many would not approve of how we build and some would not understand why we do things the way we do. Some just don’t want to see us succeed so they can fold their religious arms and proclaim that they were ‘right’ in speaking against us. Well God will take care of all that. What people may not know is that sometimes, even though I am the pastor, I also don’t understand the steps we take, but God expects us to follow where He leads. There is often a clear understanding along the way that causes us to look back and be thankful that we obeyed the leading of the Holy Spirit. We are at a place in this church, at this time in history, where we are about to enter into a new place. We have been obedient to God every step of the way, and God is now honoring that obedience! The only thing that God is really impressing on my spirit for the church in this hour is to have a BURDEN FOR OTHERS. He is not going to bring others in if we don’t cry out with a burden for them! This will never be the kind of church that exists to be ‘average.’ God called me to build a place that will shake the powers of hell and provide a place of refuge to those seeking relief from those dark powers! We are building a place that will thrive under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and be free from the chains of religious prejudice and condemnation. This will be a place where people are God-Chosen because of what is in their hearts and not for their self righteous works. As I said earlier, it is a difficult task at times. It requires obedience, sacrifice, and willingness to labor for a spiritual cause above earthly gain, but what joy it often brings! The greatest joy imaginable is when the Creator, our Father, speaks to you words of encouragement. When God reaches down to lift you up and say, “I see what you are doing and it makes me glad!” It doesn’t get any better than that! The Lord began speaking to me with words of encouragement this morning and I want to share those words with you. He led me to the scriptures in Zechariah that details another mans labor to build a House of Worship. He also faced many obstacles and setbacks that caused him to need encouragement from the Lord. God sent an angel to ‘wake him as if he had been asleep.’ Zechariah 4:6-10 NLT (6) Then he said to me, "This is what the LORD says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. (7) Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel's way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: 'May God bless it! May God bless it!'" (8) Then another message came to me from the LORD: (9) "Zerubbabel is the one who laid the foundation of this Temple, and he will complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of Heaven's Armies has sent me. (10) Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand." (The seven lamps represent the eyes of the LORD that search all around the world.) That last verse made my spirit leap within me! God is watching and rejoicing at the work we are doing TODAY! I do not despise our ‘small beginnings’ because I know that soon we will look back on these days with great favor. We will rejoice over the many souls that have been blessed and will be blessed in this place in days to come, but those of us here today will forever remember the blessings of our small beginnings, and that God in Heaven REJOICED while we labored! God bless you all! Rick CHURCH PROGRESS REPORT • We continue to grow! Still adding new families to the church. WELCOME! • We welcome Joe and Jennifer Littlejohn as our new ‘Youth Activity Directors’ • Summer Training classes are now in session. See our website for classes and schedules. • Vacation Bible School coming up in July |