17May 2012
17th May - SIM-ers all over the world are going to try and find time to pray for the next 10 days about worldwide mission, the different aspects of SIM and its projects, their inspiration for their own ministries.
Our first day starts with : IF MY PEOPLE, WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME, WILL HUMBLE THEMSELVES AND PRAY AND SEEK MY FACE AND TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, THEN I WILL HEAR FROM HEAVEN AND WILL FORGIVE THEIR SIN AND HEAL THEIR LAND - 2 Chronicles 7:14
We've just finished the campaign 'Pray for France' and have got through one Presidential election. We have just had our National Pastors' Conference where we discussed the Cape Town Commitment from the Lausanne 3 conference and whether our churches really consider their part in social action or social justice issues. In each situation we are confronted by the injustices of this world, the imbalances and power plays. We are reminded how much our country is in need of healing - perhaps not physically, because France has abundant resources, but in our relationships, in the balance of power and how decisions are made. We have to admit that not all people who live in this country are treated with respect. So this verse is very relevant to France as well.
These are the prayer points for Day One :
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For believers to join together in united and persevering prayer to seek God's will
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For forgiveness where we have disobeyed or quenched God's Spirit through unbelief as individuals, as an organization, as the Church
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For a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit for all believers in our generation
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For God's sovereign hand of grace will remain on SIM and that all we do will glorify His name Please pray for these same subjects.
I will apply the different points to our Femmes 2000 conference day on June 2nd:
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for unity in our organising team and for this action to bless many women;
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for our 2 local churches to be renewed by the Spirit and to seek God's leading for a more direct vision for future actions;
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that all we do will be for his glory in our Union of Free Churches as we pastor our churches to feed our generation and to communicate our faith to our contemporaries.
14May 2012
This is the French word for a gathering of pastors - perhaps it's also an appropriate image describing their rôle in the church.
My husband is joining the 40-odd pastors of our Union of churches this afternoon for 3 days of meetings & discussions. I'll go there tomorrow having made arrangements for our children. The central topic this time is the follow-up from the third Lausanne Congress at Cape Town and looking at how our churches conjugate social action issues with evangelism.
On a local level, we are hearing of poor families moving into our area where the rents are cheaper, but who are arriving with nothing. The local charities have food banks set up and now are collecting some clothes and household items for these people. Our church is not directly connected with charity work, but we encourage our members to join these volunteer efforts as a way of living out their Christian witness. In secular France, the Christian origins of many of the charities has been lost or hidden and people no longer feel that they can openly say they are helping their neighbour in the Christian sense of the term, or showing the love of Christ through their actions. Which is not an excuse for not getting involved anyway - we should be out there.
I noted from the reports of the SIM Global Leaders meeting in Peru that these issues were also addressed. When you look at all the projects being supported by SIM you see how important it is to be involved in meeting needs at all levels.
07May 2012
So the winner is ..... hopefully France will be the winner when the new President, François Hollande (Left-wing), takes office. I'm glad I don't have the right to vote in France because I wouldn't have known whom to choose ! It's a bit cowardly, isn't it! but I have my reasons : who can you believe these days ? how should you vote as a Christian if you have to choose between social justice issues and agreeing to homosexual marriage/adoption of children/euthanasia/nuclear power .....?
The Bible is so clear that looking first to God and following His guidelines is already wise in itself (King Josiah, Emperor Darius .. 1 Tim 3:14-16; John 14:16)
Then there is common sense advice through the counsel of several (Moïse acting on the advice of his father-in-law; Prov. 15:22)
Pray that all Christians in France follow this advice and live it out as a public witness of the greatness of our God.
Pray for this country as in another month there will be Legislative Assembly elections and the Right-wingers seek to redress the balance of power (which could block any new actions or initiatives, or could be a safe-guard against wrong decisions - who can say ??)
