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Preface |
40
DAYS of FAITH-BUILDING
TOGETHER The Purpose of this Devotional God willing Raleigh Chinese Christian Church will embark on Phase 2 of the church building expansion program in 2008. According to the Ministry Plan and Church Direction 2006-2010 The Five Year Plan (“MPCD”) first introduced in January 2006, growth projections were forecasted in all the five purpose driven areas of evangelism, worship, fellowship, discipleship and ministry. Supporting resource needs (financial and staffing) and physical plant space needs were also projected. According to the MPCD schedule building expansion will have been completed in 2008. But God has his own timetable and he knows what is best for RCCC. In the spring of 2007 the Building Expansion Exploratory Committee was formed to evaluate space needs for the next ten years. The Committee has completed its work and a report will be issued in the near future. Soon a building committee and a fund-giving campaign committee will be formed to kickoff Phase 2 of the building expansion. However, before we begin this exciting and arduous journey, the eldership deemed that it is important to first build up the faith of the Congregation so that the membership would be united in moving forward. To shore up our faith, a 40-day faith-building campaign will begin on Wednesday, February 6th and end on Sunday, March 16th. An initial kickoff message will be provided by Pastor Po-Wing at a combined worship service on February 3rd. Within the 40 days period are six Sundays. On each of these Sundays simultaneous messages in evangelism, worship, fellowship, discipleship and ministry will be preached in all three congregations in weeks one to five. The 40-day faith-building campaign will culminate on the sixth Sunday, March 16, with a combined worship service in which Pastor Yip will preach a message on stewardship. Thus, this 40 days devotional was written to coordinate the daily reading, meditating and praying to increase our faith before we start the Phase 2 building expansion. The Structure of the Devotional The 40 devotionals in the 40 Days of Faith-Building handbook were written by the Board of Elders. Each elder wrote eight devotionals in the five areas of the purpose driven church, namely, Evangelism (by Elder Joe Li), Worship (by Elder Timothy Ng), Fellowship (by Pastor Yip), Discipleship (by Pastor Po-Wing), and Ministry (by Elder Don). The structure of the 40 Days of Faith-Building devotional follows the format of Our Daily Bread devotional [RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI] and is organized into eight sets of the five purposes in the order as stated above. The sets are presented sequentially. Interspersed throughout the handbook are spiritual nuggets of truth, as fillers for large gaps between devotionals, but more importantly, to encourage and exhort us in our 40 day journey of faith-building. The elders trust these nuggets would be little oasis of living water to quench your thirst throughout the trip. How to Use this Devotional It is suggested the reader would not substitute the reading of this devotional for his or her regular reading. It is not a matter of in-lieu-of but rather a supplement to your daily devotional reading. Like taking a vitamin supplement for the next 40 days. The elders pray that the mini-messages from each of the devotionals would act as a tool to enable brothers and sisters to renew their minds with Biblical truth on a daily basis. When supplemented, this 40 Days of Faith-Building reading will require additional dedication and commitment to the Holy Spirit to grant us a shoring up of our faith to live out God’s five purposes on a daily basis, to build and fortify us as a church body so that we may embark together to Phase 2 of the church building expansion. The writer of Hebrews in chapter 3 verses 6 and 14 reminds the believers that we are God’s house and for us to hold fast to our confidence (assurance) [in Jesus Christ] in order to show (prove, evidence, demonstrate) that we are partakers of Christ. Applying that teaching to our lives mean that as we are in Him (basis) let us persevere in the faith to unite us as a congregation to enable us to go forward in the building expansion. By means of the 40 Days of Faith-Building may the Holy Spirit work in the lives of everyone to grow us and to unite us to wonderfully partake of His grace, mercy and rich provisions. “May God our Father through His beloved Son Jesus Christ who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and straighten our hearts in every good work and word” (2 Thess. 2:16-17). Let us enjoy the fullness of God’s blessing by being “in Canaan” of Phase 2. Let this be our closing prayer: We ought always to thank God for our pastors, elders, deacons, and other church leaders, and brothers and sisters in Raleigh Chinese Christian Church, and pray that their faith would abound, and that their love for one another would increase, and that our church would be a beacon in this lost community. Amen. [2 Thessalonians 1:3, paraphrased]
A closing thought … E.M. Bounds, quotes A.C. Dixon in his book E.M. Bounds on Prayer(1), this story: A dear friend of mine who was quite a lover of the hunt, told me the following story. “Rising early one morning,” he said, “I heard the barking of a number of dogs chasing deer. Looking at a large open field in front of me, I saw a young fawn making its way across the field and giving signs that its race was almost run. It leaped over the rails of the enclosed place and crouched within ten feet of where I stood. A moment later two of the hounds came over, and the fawn ran in my direction and pushed its head between my legs. I lifted the little thing to my breast, and, swinging round and round, fought off the dogs. Just then I felt that all the dogs in the West could not and would not capture that fawn after its weakness had appealed to my strength.” So is it, when human helplessness appeals to Almighty God. I remember well, when the hounds of sin were after my soul, that at last I ran into the arms of Almighty God.
(1)
E.M. Bounds, E.M. Bounds on Prayer, Whitaker House, 1999, 107
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© 2004-2009 Raleigh Chinese Christian Church, 9266 Chapel Hill Rd, Cary, NC 27513.
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