Faith and Worship are Action Words

⁵ And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. Genesis 22:5

               The very first time the word “worship” is used in the Bible is here, when Abraham prepares to lead his long-awaited son up Mount Moriah at God’s directive to sacrifice Isaac. Worship, in this verse, encapsulates Abraham’s faith. He believes God enough to act at His command.

But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? ²² Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? ²³ And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. ²⁴ Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. James 2:20-24

This week, my youngest daughter and I had the privilege of putting our faith into action. Though, I do have a confession to make. I did not ask my daughter if she wanted to go on the missions trip this last week to a reservation in New Mexico. She hates to travel and likes to sleep in her own bed. This week was truly a sacrifice and a step way outside her comfort zone. By faith and God’s grace, she made a decision to follow through with what God had put in front of her.

We arrived in El Paso, Texas, late this last Monday evening and traveled to Ruidoso, New Mexico, Tuesday morning. The Bearing Precious Seed ministry in El Paso housed us, guided our trip, and provided for our meals this week. Pastor Lewis and his wife set up housing in Ruidoso to provide for our stay with several of his church members. There was a bit of sacrifice involved in that eight women shared one bathroom and most of the teens slept on air mattresses, but we had very nice accommodations.

Tuesday was a canvassing day to invite children to a neighborhood Bible school in the reservation. God gave us ten children and two adults that night. I believe all of the children who came that night were introduced to Jesus for the very first time. We had games, puppets, a message about Jesus provided by one of the teen guys, a movie about Jesus, and food. Several of the teen girls got to speak to most of the children about Jesus after the movie, and I had the privilege of sharing Jesus with one of the moms who came. The seeds were planted.

Wednesday was another canvassing day, with the service in the evening as an opportunity for the teens to minister to Ruidoso Baptist Church. A woman one of the groups met canvassing visited the church for the first time, as did two girls who had come to the Tuesday night neighborhood Bible club. It was beautiful to watch the teenagers minister to this sweet congregation and to the visitors who came.

Thursday was again spent canvassing (inviting people to the Bible club and church services) and preparing for the evening Bible Club. Though rain was in the forecast, the Lord held it back for our outdoor Bible Club in the evening. Over and over again, He answered prayer for children to come, the weather to hold, and a million other small requests we sent forth daily. The evening Bible Club had seven children, with four of them returning from the Tuesday night neighborhood Club. Watching the children gravitate toward those teenagers and even the adults, was seeing the love of God at work. A puppet show and the Wordless Book presented a clear Gospel message, and the other young man who came preached a message about Adam and Eve. Another movie presented the Gospel and again, several children went to talk more about Jesus with the teens and adults.  More seeds were planted.

Friday morning our group went to the nursing home on the reservation and ministered to a small group of residents.  Bro. Wesam, our youth pastor, brought a powerful message on the resurrection and two of the residents prayed with him to receive Christ. Another Bible club was planned for the evening, but my daughter and I had to head back to El Paso to catch our flight. We heard one of the girls that we talked to on Thursday received Christ on Friday evening. What an answer to prayer!

Both my daughter and I walked away changed this week. Seeing God work through our willingness to obey was a life-long lesson that neither of us will forget. Faith planted will always bring forth fruit, but what you don’t plant will never grow.

Thank you to all who prayed for our trip. What a privilege to serve the King of Kings!

Erica B.