Friday, July 18, 2014

The Lord Of What's Left


Dear BFWC Family & Friends,

It's been a full week of serving, loving, helping and sharing with our community and covenant family.  Beverly and I would like to thank each of you for stepping up to the plate and serving where needed.  

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we said "see you later" to John Sexton, a loving man in our covenant family, who went home to be with the Lord.  He will be greatly missed here at BFWC.  As often as you remember, please continue to pray for his wife, Judy, that she may find comfort and courage in the days to come.  She has a large family to support her and along with the encouragement and strength she receives from her church family, I believe she'll receive strength.

One thing that I can say about our church body is that there is heartfelt love ingrained in the sweat, labor, tears and work we're doing.  

Thank you for:
  • Loving one another unconditionally, 
  • Believing the best about one another, 
  • Giving a hand up and a hand out when needed, 
  • Standing in strength when another is weak, 
  • Caring enough to send cards, make phone calls and 
  • Truly reaching in love!

As humans, it's easy to see the negative in life's situations.  As Christians, we're instructed to look for the good and then speak life to our circumstances.  When you choose to speak life over people, problems and plans...you're declaring the Rhema Word of God (God breathed word) from your mouth and commanding a BLESSING to be released! 

Friends, I challenge you today to use your MOUTH to speak LIFE. For those of you using social media as a tool to communicate...choose to speak LIFE.  We gain no advancement for the Kingdom of God when we vent our frustrations over the internet, subtweet and take jabs at people.  However, we can build the Kingdom of God when we lovingly speak words that will encourage, inspire, advance and promote unity, harmony and peace.  

Paul said in Colossians 4:6 "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man."

Recently, a dear friend sent us a sermon called "The Lord of What's Left."  This message was very inspiring and pointed us to take a closer look at the God who can take your fragments and use what remains...for His glory!  See, each of us have fragments and broken pieces left over from battles we've fought, wounds we've incurred and trials that have seemingly depleted our resources. Yet, God in His abundant GRACE & MERCY...picks up what's left in our life and begins to reshape it into something of beauty. Ultimately, it's His desire to use us, entirely, for His glory.  

Perhaps you feel like you're at the bottom instead of on top. Or, you feel discouraged rather than encouraged.  Friend, focus on what God has done already...and believe He can do it again!  Focus on what you HAVE...not what you LOST. Give God praise in advance and allow Him to rebuild your courage, restore your health, reignite your passion, renew your strength and replenish your soul!

Regaining your momentum takes time.  It's a process. Not everyone will understand your decisions, know your journey, be acquainted with your story, agree with your path or believe in your future. That's ok. You're not serving people...you're serving God.  Just keep LOVING.  Remain sweet in your spirit and forgiving when the opportunity to be offended arises. The Scriptures teach us "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." (Romans 12:18)

I'm proud of you and the CLIMATE you're creating in this house.  A climate that VALUES PEOPLE and loves them regardless of where they're at, what they've done and who they are.  A climate that is producing a CULTURE of HOPE for people who have been rejected by the religious, overlooked by the elite and discarded by the world.  Truly, BFWC has become a fulfillment of Mark 2:17 to be come a HOSPITAL for the SICK not a HOTEL for the SAINTS!

"They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

As we head into the weekend, please continue your PRAYER & FASTING as we continue to believe for the HURTING to be HEALED, the LOST to be FOUND and the DISCOURAGED to be ENCOURAGED!

In addition to our two morning worship services on Sunday morning (8:30 & 11 AM) we will host our 3one7 Student Ministry Service at 6 PM!  Our National Youth Directors, Randy & Dawn Lawrence, from Dallas, Texas, will be ministering.  Invite a friend! Everyone is welcome to attend!

Saved by grace,

Russell Hylton