Signs of a Healthy Church

     I love seeing our church constantly growing and changing! It’s a wonderful thing when you see signs of a healthy church within your midst. Here are a few examples:

*New Song church currently has outreach churches in Santa Matilde and La Isla (two neighboring villages). Ever since some of the gang members came to Christ from Nuevo Amanacer (read the full story: Riots, Gangs, the Church & Redemption), our pastors have been discipling people within the community and holding Bible study and church meetings in homes in Nuevo Amanecer. Currently we have a group of people that go to Nuevo Amanecer every Wednesday (half doing street evangelism and other half discipling the Christians in the community). I really believe that one day we will have another church plant in Nuevo Amanecer. A growing church will always be going outside of their own walls both in evangelism and then in discipleship.

*We have had about 6 people come forward for baptisms in the last couple of months and at least 2 more that want to be baptized soon. I love seeing people in the church really following the Lord in obedience.

* The Lord’s Supper is very misunderstood in most of Nicaragua. Most Christians have been afraid to participate in the Lord’s Supper. The believe that you cannot take the Lord’s Supper if you have committed any sins recently (which if we were being honest would exclude everyone). Since I have been here, it has broken my heart to see a remembrance of the God’s grace to have the grace sucked out of it by requiring that we are perfect before Him to partake. It is because of my imperfection that I am so in need of His grace. The pastors and leaders have been teaching lately on grace and through this correcting some of the misconceptions about the Lord’s Supper. My heart was so glad to see this last Sunday as we took communion that so many people came and partook of the bread and the cup for the first time in their lives (especially our youth). You could see that they were experiencing the Lord in a new way through this beautiful sacrament. I love to see truth taught to the church and the church having a deeper understanding of grace and experiencing the Lord in a new way. 

* You all know that my heart here is with the youth. I love being a part of their lives and what the Lord is doing in them! This past Sunday I LOVED watching the Holy Spirit moves on the hearts of my teenagers! Two of our youth are talking with the pastors about following the Lord in baptism, four of our teenagers took part in the Lord’s supper for the first time, a couple of them were really hearing from the Lord in worship, and one came before the church seeking forgiveness for his past and committing to follow after the Lord. I LOVE watching the Lord move on their hearts in worship and even more than that I love having the follow-up conversations about what He has been speaking to them and see the evidence of change in their lives.

So thankful for our church and all the Lord is doing in our midst!!