Night of Praise

"Unless the Lord builds the house,

They labor in vain who build it..."

Psalm 127:1

This is a house that was originally built for the Lord with the money and labor of His body.  But it fell away from its calling and became a house of idol worship.  Last night this house was reclaimed for Jesus.

It was an incredible night of worship. I've never been in a service where the roar of the people drowned out the music, but we were there to let the Lord know the house was His again.  It's not like He didn't already know - it was in His plan all along.

So what role does Harvest Spring Lake play in this drama?  You see, unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.  This has been His house all along - it's just that at some point the laborers failed.  This reminds me of the stories in the book of Judges, where God's people cycled themselves in and out of blessing through their worship.  When their hearts went astray, their worship followed. Then God brought great discipline upon them until they cried out for mercy and salvation.  Then He would restore His people.

Now I am not saying that there is something mystical or magical about a building - God doesn't look at the appearance but at the heart, but for nearly twenty years the heart within this structure had wandered from the truth.  And the heart was basically removed.  

God's all about tearing down idols and reclaiming the worship of His people.  This building is not an idol - the activity within it is either offered to Him or to false gods.  So here we sit with the building now in our hands and the awesome task of responsibly using it for the glory of God - of Jesus Christ.  

The role we've played?  It's been His script all along - we are just trying to faithfully follow His lead.  The role we will play?  Faithfully lifting high the name of Jesus within the walls, preaching the Word of God without apology, reaching the lost with the compassion and love of Christ and encouraging each other as the day of the Lord draws near.

It scares me how quickly this church fell and equally encourages me how quickly the Lord has restored and returned in all His glory.  Last night the glory of the Lord fell on Harvest Bible Chapel Spring Lake and we can only raise our hands in worship, begging for His mercy and grace to serve Him faithfully.

As we head into a season of renovations, please pray for our body, safety of the laborers, wisdom for our leadership and for those God is preparing to join us next spring.

We want the Lord to build this house.

We want our labor to have meaning.

Jesus Christ, be glorified in this place.