For much of my life I have struggled with the concept of faith. Please hear my right - I am not saying I have struggled with faith, though at times this is true, I have intellectually struggled to understand why God would set up a creation in such a way that faith is necessary.

Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God, for anyone who comes to God must believe he exists and that he rewards those who diligently seek him.

The witness of scripture supports this truth. The lives of the men and women "of the faith" in scripture has shown us that God asked them to believe in him, trust him, and to accomplish for him things that either seemed impossible or at least seemed ridiculous when seen through the eyes of the world.

God set up this world in such a way that it is FAITH that pleases him.

And the exact reason behind this is one of the deep, unknowable things of God (Romans 11:3) - "How unsearchable are his judgments are untraceable are his ways".

Faith pleases God.

And our FAITH is what has taken a hit in the past two years.



This season has been one of unanswered or at least delayed prayer. It has been a season where we have walked by faith (the unseen) more than by sight. We have worked hard, and seen little accomplished. We have lost so much, and are waiting for some return.

And in the midst... our faith has been tested.

I am convinced that out of this time of trial, our faith will become stronger. But I also believe that each of us stands on a precipice... where we are being asked to believe in what cannot be seen, find strength in the un-seen, and exercise trust in "the waiting room".

On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus cursed a fig tree that wasn't bearing fruit. His disciples found this literally amazing, beyond belief.

I would have wanted to know why Jesus destroyed this tree, but Jesus turned it into a lesson on faith:

22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 

23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 

24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  Mark 11

Jesus here is unequivocal. IF you ask and believe, you will receive.

And we are currently choosing to either believe this or to doubt this.

And during the past two years, we have been given every reason to doubt this truth claim.

But that is the point, isn't it?

Our faith is made stronger when it is tested. And our faith can only be tested when we do not immediately see the results of our faith.

It is as if Jesus is asking each of us, and us collectively, to trust him again... and again... and again.

He isn't finished with his church, his bride.

He isn't finished with you!

He is still at work, even though we see through a glass darkly.

Trust him. Trust again. And again.

May we, like the Psalmist in Psalm 27 be convinced that we will see the Lord again in the land of the living!



God bless

Superintendent John

It seems like every year in preparation for Advent, I have to search my files for the Advent readings I had saved from the year before.

Thankfully, the Free Methodist Liturgical Network has several Advent readings on their Facebook page. They are also working on Advent readings that are based upon The Free Methodist Way.

Here is the link as you prepare for the first Sunday of Advent which begins November 28th.

REMINDER

Democratic Republic of the Congo update

As I shared with you last week, the violence in the DRC has escalated over the past few week. Several of our Wabash/New South pastors have had their villages attacked and burned by rebel forces.

Family members of our pastors and people in the region have fled and are hiding. At least 12 Free Methodist Churches have been burned. And there are several thousand refugees now hiding out at the Linda Stryker Academy and the Free Methodist Church nearby.

We have set up a fund through the Wabash Conference and Lifeway Free Methodist Church to give aid directly to people in need.

You can either give to Lifeway and mark it for Congo relief:

Lifeway FMC

5900 W 46th Street

Indianapolis, IN 46254

or through the Wabash Conference website to the Congo Relief Fund: WabashConference.org

FM Historical Center Newsletter Update

HEY Free Methodist Youth Workers!

I hope you’ve heard, FMYC 2022 is happening! We’ll gather on the campus of Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colorado June 27-July 1, 2022.

FMYC (Free Methodist Youth Conference) is a week-long event designed for your high school students. (Bringing Middle School students is up to the discretion of the Youth Worker. But again – please know that the event is programmed with high school students in mind.)

The Scriptures tell us that followers of Jesus are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession…” (1 Peter 2:9). We are Marked. Our identity is in Jesus. This next Summer we’ll spend a week together in Colorado, looking at what this means!