Yesterday we made it to Germany. We were met at the airport by Keith Gandy who has worked here as a missionary for 27 years. We asked how he had come to realize this was where God wanted him so he told us his story. As a teenager he graduated early from high school and began working. In spite of the fact that he grew up in a Christian home he did not follow Jesus with conviction or passion. Then one day while working at a Jack in the Box fast food restaurant he offered to take a fellow worker home because it was so late. She refused his help and said she would make it on her on. That night she was taken abused and left for dead. He described how that so shook him up he was compelled to decide to follow Christ “really” or not. He chose to follow Christ and to totally surrender to Him. God during this time put Germany on his heart in a very unexplainable but real way and that is how the story began. It is still in progress.
We left the airport in the snow and drove to Mainz where Gutenberg was the first in Western Europe to develop a printing press. In a lot of ways he changed the world by bringing in the era of the printed book. This impacted every area of learning, history and communication. One of his most famous printing successes is the Gutenberg Bible. There is a copy on display and it along with a few other rare books are in a special vault. The Bible is still the best selling book in the world today and throughout history since it was first printed. Looking through the museum I grew to have a renewed appreciation for the fact that I can carry around a Bible and read it anytime. I bought a reproduction of John chapter 1 printed on one of their working Gutenberg presses. Come see me and I will show it to you.
From there we went to Frankfurt and walked around downtown in the snow/rain and wind. It was painfully cold walk through the downtown area but it was very cool (no pun intended) and memorable.
Next we met with some people from the church for dinner at the church where the men are also staying. It was a great time to get to know people and hear their stories. One young lady shared that she is a teacher in a public school teaching religion. She described how she feels very much like God has placed her there for His purpose. Already she has formed a student club and these young students have grown to have a vision to start small groups in order to reach out to their unbelieving classmates. Another couple I met told me how when they were both baptized that their family did not understand what they were doing. She had as a teenager been invited by a friend to a youth group meeting. She said that she was moved by the joy that those in the group had. At first she to just be with the group. Later she began to understand the gospel and accepted Christ. Her husband described how a friend at work pestered him until he went to church and over time accepted Christ. He said that after he accepted Christ he was amazed at how the Bible came alive as he read. In his words “It is a living book.”
The church here has a wonderful facility and can seat somewhere around 250 in their main meeting room where it is standing room only on Sundays. They have to overflow the crowd into the next area, which is the coffee shop with a video feed of the service. It was so great to be with people who have the same heart for God and to reach people with the gospel.
Our mission is to LOVE GOD, SERVE PEOPLE AND REACH THE WORLD. There is something very strengthening about visiting people across the world that has the same heart and mission.
I look forward to being back home next Sunday. We will begin a study in the book of James. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be just a nominal Christian. I want everything Christ has for me. I want His truth to show up in my life in practical ways. This year my prayer is that the work of Christ will change who I am and keep me growing as a person. I invite you to join our study on James. Here are some famous themes from James.
· Don’t just be a hearer of the word, be a doer.
· You say you believe in God, so do the demons, so what?
· If you want wisdom, ask for it.
· Control your tongue.
· And this week – “no pain, no gain”.
Our city needs us to be “real Christians”, our study in James will teach us how. We have a few more days in Germany and then back to the States. See you Sunday.
Pastor Eddie
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