May 2004 Our Building Project (Psalm 127:1) Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.      These words were written by King Solomon under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. As I read them, I can't help thinking that Solomon should know a lot about building projects. After all, the Lord gave Solomon the privilege & responsibility of building the temple in Jerusalem. The verse quoted demonstrates a humble attitude which recognizes God's necessity. Here at Good Shepherd, we are considering a building project. We do not yet know what, when or how much. We do know that if we are faithful in being His children, God will bless our service to Him. He has promised to bless us as we worship, as we reach out to our neighbors who don't know Jesus, as we pass on the faith to our children & grandchildren & all of our families. Will we continue to grow in numbers as a congregation? While we can research the demographics, we must admit that only God knows what our future is.    We can rejoice that we have received a lot of new members over the past 4 years! God is the Builder of this part of His family that worships at Good Shepherd. We may be serving here, but God is using our efforts for His purposes here. So what exactly are the purposes which God has in mind for us here? We worship Him as a family in Christ. By baptism, God has made us His children. (GaL 3:26-27) You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. We work & serve with each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. God has given us to each other! Jesus has ordered us to care for each other. (John 13:34-35) "A new command l give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another." We share the faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ by passing on this faith to the children of our congregation, by sharing our faith at work, at school, at home, in the neighborhood. (Acts 1:8) You will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (to make this apply to us, "in Ft. Dodge, in all Webster County and Iowa, and to the ends of the earth.") All that we do is to be done to the glory of God. (Col.3:17) And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.      How does a possible building addition or renovation fit into these purposes? If the project enables us to do more or be more effective in serving the Lord and sharing the Gospel, then we must consider it. Can we be sure that what we build here will serve the Lord's purposes? The best answer to that is from God Himself. (Hebrews 11:1) Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. As your brother in Christ, as your pastor, l urge you to pray for God's guidance in all our discussions, planning, voting, and working together. He will guide us! In Christ,   Pastor Lyle Hansen

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