Again, I was just taken away by the nationals in their colorful wardrobes. They dress their best for church, using the finest fabrics they can afford. There are always so many children, too. I took a picture of the children outside.
By the way, anytime I do this of children, I show them the digital picture of them on my camera. Everytime I get the same reaction-screaming laughter! I get the biggest joy out of making them laugh out loud so hard and scream with excitement. I doubt they have mirrors or get to see themselves very often. One day this week I did that to a group of children in the market. They all screamed so loudly with joy and before I knew it, I had 15 children following us all around the market! I am not joking!
Back to church... We opened up by reading Revelation 21:
1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
5He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
He said not only do we have a new heaven and earth to look forward to one day, but look forward to change in your life. A renewal. That has been a prayer of mine, while I'm in Ghana. I pray to come back spiritually renewed. I know this experience will change my life. I remember when I first talked with Dr. Dunn, as he asked me to pray about this opportunity to go. He said, "you never know, this might be the best trip you've had in 10 years." Who would want to miss an opportunity like that! I think anything God has called you to, He plans to use it and change you and others through it to His glory. Again in church today when the music started, I did everything possible not to flood with tears of joy. Dr. Dunn leaned over to me and said, "it's a shame people back at home are missing this." This is glorifying to God. This is humble worship. Everyone singing the loudest their voices would let them while swinging to the beat. I love it when we have the greeting time with everyone. Everyone is joyfully walking all over the church shaking hands with others or hugging them while singing. This is welcoming. They do not have inhibitions. I love it! Today we had the choir sing and recognized a family who came from out of town for a funeral. Here they have 3 funerals to honor a loved one. They have one immediately, then one a little later, then one a year later, all for the same person. Anyway, with the addition to the agenda, there was no circle of dancing this morning. It doesn't matter, I saw a glimpse of heaven with every tribe and every nation coming to the throne to worship. We read that very verse today from Revelation 7.
9After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10And they cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb." 11All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12saying:
"Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!"
Today, one resident and his wife, a med student, left our group to head back home. Please pray for them. There was a problem with getting their flight, so they are taking a 14-hour journey to Accra by car. From there they will fly out. Our group is down to 5 plus the two sets of missionaries. It's reminding me of the reality that I will go back, too. I fight tears when saying this, but this has been a treasure for life, and I know it is not the same in the land of the plentiful. I encourage everyone to experience laying aside your inhibitions to serve and be rewarded in ways unimaginable. Not only for you, but for them. They are in such need. May everyone have the opportunity to hear about Christ, so we may all share one day and be at that throne together. I look forward to the new heaven and earth!
Wow! How amazing! We have been studying the book of Revelation in Sunday School the past several months and today we were ALSO in Revelation 21! Don Gutteridge (our pastor Lance's dad) is an attorney and a wonderful teacher. He pointed out that in the new heaven and new earth that God will dwell among us. We will be forever in His presence and that nothing can separate us from Him! There will be no more sadness, no disappointment, no tears of remorse or regret, no lost love or death, no pain or grief. That is overwhelming to think about. Don showed how this is the culmination of what was started in Genesis 1.
ReplyDeleteGenesis 1:1 Heaven and earth created Rev. 21:1 New heaven and earth created.
Genesis 1:16 Sun created Rev. 21:23 No need for a sun
Genesis 1:5 Night established Rev. 22:5 Night no longer exists
Genesis 1:10 Sea created Rev. 21:1 No more sea
Genesis 3:14-17 Curse announced Rev. 22:3 Curse ended
Genesis 3:19 Death enters history Rev. 21:4 No more death
Genesis 3:24 Man driven from Garden Rev. 22:14 Man restored to Paradise
Genesis 3:17 Sorrow and pain began Rev. 21:4 No more tears or pain
In Philippians 3:20 and throughout the Bible God tells us that our citizenship is not on this earth but in heaven. Most of the time our problem is that we are too concerned about this world. We take so much for granted here in the United States. Your stories about what you and the other missionaries are doing for the people in Ghana really put things back in perspective. Thanks for allowing me to share this experience with you. I have looked forward each day to reading your latest story to see who I need to add to my prayer list. Zsila, you are an inspiration! I love you and hope to see you soon and hear more in person. Kathy
What a precious gift--the children laughing and getting such a kick out of seeing a photo of themselves. I know you wish you could share a photo with each of them, but at least you gave them a joyful moment of laughter!
ReplyDeleteI've been looking forward to hearing about church today, and it sounds like another extraordinary worship time! It's so wonderful that the nationals want to present themselves in their best light to the Lord. They recognize that they are privileged to be His, so they desire to offer nothing but their best to Him and rejoice in the Lord! I'm rejoicing with them! Thank you, God, for the fruits of the efforts of so many missionaries who have gone for decades to lands where Jesus was not proclaimed Lord and Savior! May we all come to You, Lord, in childlike faith and present our best to You!
Revelation was the perfect sermon! It's so awesome that Kathy has been in the same study! Y'all are one in Spirit! :-) Thank you both for the reminder--the wonderful visual of what will be! The message speaks so dramatically and powerfully, and, Zsi, it's so fitting for your time in Ghana. Kathy, I love the simplistic way you presented the culmination of all that God started in the beginning. I'll clip that one and put it in my new Bible that I just love--thank you, Zsi! Our sermon today was good, too--essentially about how we matter to God, so it goes along with the stories of the two young ladies that you shared about. These passages in Revelation, though, are so full of meaning while we experience (in Spirit) this ministry with you. What a blessing!