Articles
GOD’S GRACE
In the summer of 1969, a family moved from Alabama to Massachusetts to start a
congregation of the Lord’s church. It started with a gathering of about 30 to 40 individuals,
growing to over 125 in about 20 years. In 2013, a young family joined a team of two other
families to begin a mission effort in Africa. Each Lord’s day a group of 6 adults and 5 children
met to worship God and remember Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. Throughout the world,
including the United States, Christians gather to worship Almighty God, never concerned about
numbers, but thankful for the opportunity to worship.
The above scenarios have been played out from the beginning of time. To the best of our
knowledge, Lot and his small family of four (Gen. 19) worshiped the Lord in spite of the
wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah (2 Peter 2:7-8). Three men remained faithful to the Lord,
even though odds were against them (Daniel 3). The apostle Paul preached to a “small”
gathering of women (Acts 16:13) when he first arrived in Philippi.
For the past ten months, we have battled a pandemic that has caused frustration,
disappointment and heartache. Many congregations of the Lord’s church have had to suspend
worship, Bible classes and any other church related activities. For many elderships, the concern
is how God’s children will respond when the doors are finally reopened. Will we all return with a
true desire for worship or will Satan have done his work in discouraging God’s people?
We have the recorded words of a very discouraged apostle Paul because of a “thorn in the
flesh.” We don’t really know what that “thorn” was, but I can easily imagine it as our pandemic
today, creating frustration and discouragement in our daily walk. But I draw you back to Paul’s
words as he relates God’s response, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in
weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). Based on Paul’s response to the Lord, I hear him putting aside the
frustration and discouragement of this “thorn,” and once again praising the Lord for the power
He instills in us through the power of Jesus Christ.
May we look beyond the closed church doors and remind ourselves of the wonderful
blessings of God! We still have His Word to read and study. We still have the avenue of prayer
always opened for you and for me. Our strength is not in buildings, but in our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ! ~P. Mowrer
