Isaiah 61:1-3 (NKJV)
“The Spirit of the Lord Godis upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor;
“The Spirit of the Lord Godis upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3 To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
I had the privilege of leading special music at West End Baptist Church in Hagerstown, MD last night for the Blue Ridge Baptist Association Annual Meeting. It was a very blessed time. The Spirit of the Lord was everywhere; the worship team, guest speakers, and servants for the event. I learned a little about the roots of this church; specifically the building I was in. West End worships in what used to be an unused, very run down school. It was explained to all in attendance by their pastor that church leaders made an offer on the building, the realtors accepted, and, as usual, God did the rest. Through much blood, sweat, and tears West End now worships the Lord in a beautiful house of worship.
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3 To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
I had the privilege of leading special music at West End Baptist Church in Hagerstown, MD last night for the Blue Ridge Baptist Association Annual Meeting. It was a very blessed time. The Spirit of the Lord was everywhere; the worship team, guest speakers, and servants for the event. I learned a little about the roots of this church; specifically the building I was in. West End worships in what used to be an unused, very run down school. It was explained to all in attendance by their pastor that church leaders made an offer on the building, the realtors accepted, and, as usual, God did the rest. Through much blood, sweat, and tears West End now worships the Lord in a beautiful house of worship.
What is important to remember is that, despite all of the effort to transition this building from “rubble” to a church, the fact remains that where West End worships is only a building. This structure is simply bricks and mortar. However, God used an unwanted building and faithful servants for His glory in a city that needs and is growing in the knowledge of the Lord! Imagine how much more He is willing and able to use you for Kingdom purposes? Are you rubble? God can use you! Your end of the bargain is simply to be available for His service. All valleys eventually lead to mountaintops. Give it a try. If you are willing, allow God to transform your ashes to beauty and your mourning into joy. He is able!
Copyright 2021 Michael Callahan Ministries, LLC.
Great message
I love this story of renovating an unwanted building into a beautiful church that now is a place for people to gather for the Holy Spirit to move people to do God’s work and thrive
It really moved me to think about how we, ourselves, are rubble that can be made into a place through which the Holy Spirit can do good works. Amen!