It is now past 48 hours since I preached on Sunday. It was amazing how it turned out by the grace of God. For a full team of worship and angelic voices I just couldn't get into the mood. The church is normally warm though aircconditioned but on Sunday I felt the chill perhaps an indication of the spiritual condition of those inside. So I decided to warm things up a little before I preached. I ascended to the pulpit before being asked a rather unusual move which caused some discomfort to the song leader. The song I requested was being sung but it was sung in a way without understanding the lyrics and moving along with the Spirit. So for 5 minutes I took over as worship leader and exhorted the congregation to draw near to God and be filled with the Spirit.
It was a tough nut to crack. Spiritual malnourishment carried over in years cannot be cured overnight or with a song or sermon. But God was gracious and He moved a few souls and I saw a few hands shot up in worship. Come preaching again it was tough. For the first time I was given a time limit the rule I myself imposed but never adhered to by my elders. But I preached as the Spirit led. If it was 20 or 30 minutes it's fine but I felt the anointing strong so I went a full 50 minutes. I would have made an altar call but I held back as there were other events after the sermon. Next time God willing I would insist that I get to preach on a Sunday when there are no other events so I could pray and lay hands on believers should the Lord quicken. After the service as it was almost lunch time the elders graciously invited me for lunch and our fellowship went until almost 2pm. A group from Pulau Banggi came and the needs are great despite the Gospel first entered there 25 years ago.
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