Leroy Barber's Blog
Finishing / 05.23.08, 11:57 AM
“Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God’s Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears” (Philippians 1:3-6).
I find myself encouraged by this verse because it is a reminder that we are all working together in this incredible ministry that God will in fact finish in his own way and in his own time. This time of year gets to be pretty hard for team members. As they realize that they only have two remaining months of their Mission Year, they are also a little tired as they face the summer. It has been a year full of activity. They have spent many hours riding on public transportation; Saturdays have been full of visits to friends and neighbors. They have read and processed many books through our curriculum and sat through hours of training. There have been times of joy as well as moments of sorrow as team members have celebrated life and persevered through challenges with their communities. Thankfully, I think Philippians gives us a bit of direction in how to support them as the year comes to a close.
Paul offers the Philippians a few things here – prayer, encouragement of their work, and acknowledgement of the big picture. First, prayer that God would continue using them in the ways he had been thus far. This was a joyful appeal because he knew they had been proclaiming God’s good news. Second, encouragement to continue because he knew what the Philippians were doing was extremely important in the Kingdom, and third, connecting their work to the big picture of God’s great work of bringing grace and justice for all. Paul had no doubt that this would become a reality. His belief was that God, who started this work, would in fact finish it well.
My hope is that you are indeed praying for us as we finish the year, that you would find a way to encourage our team members with a note or phone call, and finally, that you would give over the next two months, understanding that the big picture of God’s work goes on because you help support it financially.
Thank you for all you have done so far, and my prayers are with you as you do your part in building God’s kingdom.
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Read more of Leroy Barber's Blogs.
I appreciate so your oh-so-raw but truth-infused ponderings that you leave on here for all to see. I look forward to meeting you this fall and joining in a mission worthy of giving your life.
John WatsonBy John Watson / May 26, 10:40 PM / #