Jill Shaw: The Ark Christian Ministries January 2018
What do I get up to over the course of the year? God provides opportunities in the Church, on campus, and in the community. Those are my primary spheres of focus and influence for discipling and telling the good news of Jesus. What are yours?
Church 1. Pastoral Support: I spoke at the Walking With the Wounded seminar our church here put on in support of those who walk with loved ones with mental health challenges. The supporters are often not supported.
I told stories of what we learned by having women stay with us for 7+ years at the other house. Feedback was that people were encouraged by me explaining how complex it was because no two people were alike. “So while it is well worth doing, expect to not always get it right.” A counselor, psychiatrist and some youth workers were on a panel, then there was Q&A.
Much of the value will be that people will now know who they can approach for further conversation. There were 54 people from our church there Sunday night; 54 on a cold Sunday night. Tells you how much need there is. I know other families who would’ve benefited but couldn’t make it for whatever reason.
• Pray for all those who struggle with addiction, mental illness and grief.
2. Gospel Storytelling: I also spoke to a mixed group of believers and seekers about the friends who took responsibility for their buddy’s healing. They took him to see Jesus, but weren’t thwarted by the crowds, finding another way in.
• What musta been the look on Jesus’ face as the guy was lowered on a mat in front of Him?
• What must the guy’s expression have been when he’s all of a sudden at the front of the line?
• What look must the guys who dismantled the roof had on their faces as they peered down through the hole they’d made?
• What about the people below who were brushing dust and debris from their hair and off their robes?
• I don’t even want to think what the homeowner musta been thinking! Let’s hope the guys were local and returned later to do the repairs.
• We can guess the look of the religious leaders as they challenged Jesus priorities and presumption.
A mature believer who heard me later commented on how she’d never thought the story through the way I told it. I stayed true to the text, but told it as a story, asking questions of the text to try to fill in the gaps of what we’re not told.
Many young women in the audience have not yet made a commitment to the Lord. They were thrilled that Jesus came “while we were still sinners”, and that God’s love is not based on their behaviour, but on His own character and intention.
It was a good day. Only the Holy Spirit can communicate to everyone in a big audience, mature believer and seeker alike, yet in different ways, as each heart needs to receive it.
• Pray for what God will do with seeds planted and Scripture brought to life.
CAMPUS
I was trying to get some admin done in the chaplaincy office at the university when a flood of Chinese students came in to use the microwave and make cups of coffee.
Some just made a beeline for the appliances. Others made eye contact & greeted me. A handful of the friendly students then sat down on the couches around the small room and ate their lunch.
I asked what they were studying and why China needed so many business students. One thing led to another and, what do ya know, we’re talking about Jesus! It happens.
Two of the more keen students lingered longer than the others and, after sharing the best news about Jesus, I gave them a great little notebook Gospel of John especially for Uni students with no faith background.
• Pray for Leroy and Katrina, that we, or someone, will have further conversations with them, and that they’ll be convinced that God loves them and has loved them before they ever heard about Him.
