Ephesians
3:20-21 –
Now
to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think,
according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in
Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Matthew
28:9-10, 16-20 –
And
behold, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came up and
took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not
be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see
me."
Now
the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had
directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And
Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them
to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to
the end of the age."
Revelation
2:2-5a –
"'I
know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear
with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and
are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and
bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this
against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember
therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at
first.”
This
church has been on our list to visit for a while, and when we saw their sign
about an African choir in worship, we were hooked.
We
were welcomed and engaged in conversation by members and the pastor.
There
were some examples of African art on tables in the rear and an adorable young
girl spoke with my wife about the items…a worthy ambassador for the church.
The
projection screen was down but I noticed a large wooden cross behind it. I’m
sure the moderately high wooden arched ceiling perfectly framed the cross.
Although
the African choir was somewhat Americanized, the unbridled worship still came
through. Their dress and vibrant colors made them look like they were moving even
when standing still. The Spirit of God was certainly here for worship today.
From
the visiting pastor’s message, “All authority has been given” tied with a
message yesterday from Robby Dawkins: our power to rule the world was ceded to
the devil in the Garden of Eden and he has been running wild with it since. It
is time to re-take that God-given power.
We
arrived early and were greeted by the pastor before we entered the building.
Inside there were tables with handmade African items for sale. Several other
folks greeted us and we enjoyed extended conversations.
We
chose to worship at this church because we learned an African children’s choir
would participate this week. From their website:
Amani
children’s Choir (amanichoir.org) is a ministry of Light Africa Ministries
(lightafrica.org) and Kampala Community Church (kampalacommunitychurch.org)
based in Uganda.
The
children range in age from 9 to 16, and exhibited incredible energy and
enthusiasm and nearly professional abilities. The congregation was reminded we
were all present to worship God and this was not for entertainment.
After
several songs, the visiting pastor, James, spoke. He had planned another topic
but he said he felt prompted by the Spirit to speak about Jesus’ post-resurrection
meeting with the disciples at Galilee. He said we should not fear people;
instead we should go and encourage them. He said God has given His people
authority to be used to invite people to know Jesus.
Following
this word there was more music and dancing after which we had to leave. I was
grateful for the worship through music, for the reminders of Africa, and for
the opportunity to say farewell to James and thank him for his words.
We
plan to return for a regular service and to hear the pastor preach.
Lord, we pray these missionaries from Africa re-kindle a fire in Your church and they go forth in the power of the Living God. Amen.
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