Heaven's Delight

There is an ancient song which says " how good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity". These lyrics reveal something much deeper than the words of a gifted songwriter, they expose the desires of the heart of God. It is good to God and pleasant to Him - a delight, a pleasure when his children get along. Well once more we were at Jollibee - different branch - for a gathering of city pastors and their wives. In many ways my heart was beating fast for this gathering as I had a sense of real anticipation about it. I was not disappointed.

About fifteen gathered from various churches and denominations, and clearly they were already in good relationship with each other. Pastor Cesar is this year's chair of this group who meet once a month in each other's churches for food and fellowship - so it was an exception being in Jollibee! John shared a little about the shape of church life in Aberdeen and in particular the weekly prayer time at our church. This really connected them into the idea that we actually participate in their life and ministry through prayer despite being separated by thousands of miles. Then I was asked to share a word. So I taught on the Trinity in a thoroughly interactive way, drawing out the implications of Trinity-Centred life for prayer and for mission. There were some fun moments in the midst of the magnitude of the subject.

Over lunch John and I had the opportunity to listen to some of the stories of grace in these pastors' lives.That is after one of them had shared that in July they had had a visit from and Indonesian preacher who had prophesied that two foreign men would come to Zamboanga and that their visit would be highly significant. There was no doubt in their minds that John and I were these two! No pressure - but rather humbling. So our prayer together was simply to ask the Lord to fulfil whatever that significance is in his heart through our time here.

I was chatting to one lady pastor who was brought up in a 90% Muslim community. Her family did not know Jesus, but she became a Christian and subsequently her family has been converted. She and her husband started a church in this community back in March 2011 in the little piece of ground at the side of their home. They have draped sheeting over a wooden frame to form a shelter from the sun and there a small but growing congregation gather every week for worship. Another tiny little church of a handful of people establishing a bulwark of praise and worship in this community which although Muslim, is friendly and accepting of them as believers. However she has a job in a very dangerous militant Muslim enclave which is controlled by crime syndicates where she teaches in the school. She has chosen to be there as a Christian and to show the love of Jesus to the Muslim children and to share her faith as appropriate.

Other pastors shared some deeply personal stories with me and I felt honoured to be entrusted with their stories. Here was I sitting on three years of theological education plus thirty years of ministry experience listening to a brother who had six months of Bible School and has been ministering wonderfully and fruitfully for twenty years - his wife being one of the early fruits of his ministry. Yet I felt he was teaching me and pointing me to the Lord far more than I to him.

One of Cesar's desires is to see a small Bible School established in Zamboanga which would help train young pastors for the growth of the church in this area. My heart chimes with that, but only God knows the how and the wherefore of it.

I believe by the time we moved from the side-room out into the bustle of the fast food restaurant, there was a good dose of heavenly delight going on - there certainly were new friendships and relationships formed and  now the question is where do we go from here?