open doors

We had folk in here today who got really fired up by what they saw.

Two entirely separate visits, by folk from two entirely different congregations, arranged entirely independently by two of us here. But both about exactly the same thing. Like the Lord was trying to make a point.

They wanted to see how we went about using our premises here. Because they see the possibilities of where they are themselves and they're not really wanting to re-invent the wheel.

A couple from out at Kirkliston were in for a good long time this morning. I hadn't made the arrangement at all, but since these good folk were from out at Kirkliston I was glad to be in on the chat.

I've a soft spot for the place, having been involved with the folk out there for a year.

I remember the first time I went there, not really knowing quite what to expect.

I was struck from the start by a sense of the presence of God. A sense that this was a place that was pulsing with things that the Lord was about to begin. A bit like a massive volcano was just about to erupt.

It had the feel of a place that was ready for harvest. It seemed like the Lord had been quietly moving troops in on the ground. Under the radar sort of thing. Bringing folk in bit by bit and getting folk ready for what he was planning to do.

Two years down the line from when I first was there that's now quite plainly what was happening.

Debbie and Anne who were here today are part of a newly formed fellowship out at Kirkliston. Bellevue West Community Church - a 'plant' by Bellevue Chapel.

The Lord has provided a place for them. Right in the centre of the village. Great premises, which they've spent a bit of time and money doing up.

If I heard them correctly, they had a kind of 'open week' not long ago, and I think there were maybe some 700 folk passed through their doors. A 'green light' from the Lord. Go for it!

It was great to have time to chat with them both today and I think they found it helpful. Sometimes the sheer bureaucracy involved in running a place like this can get folk down. The rules which have to be kept. The forms all needing completed. The books which have to be read. The books which have to be kept.

It can all start to feel like miry clay. But Debbie and Anne were all fired up by the time they left. And so were we.

Because we, like them, are thinking these issues through ourselves. We see what wonderful premises God has given us here.

And we want to see them used each day in a way that furthers his kingdom and makes him known.

We want them used in a way that makes it clear that this is 'holy ground' because the Lord is present in power.

We want them to be a place where good things happen, where God is at work, and people can come to know Jesus.

Iron sharpens iron. And fire communicates fire. We were all fired up by the time the two of them left.

The fire had hardly abated when Leanne came along for her lunch. I'd arranged with her that I'd meet her for lunch once I'd been to the SU group along at the school.

A bit of a late lunch, true, but it meant she was able to share her lunch with the rest of the team and not just simply with me.

Leanne is the 'Centre Manager' up town at Carrubbers Christian Centre.

They have pretty spacious premises as well - although they're much more up and down instead of (like us) being spread across extensive grounds. Leanne used to manage the cafe up there, but now, as I say, she's become the Centre Manager.

We understand the distinction. Running our own 'Reception Area', where teas and coffees and lunches are served three days a week, is one thing; a fairly major task in itself. But making the most of the premises we have is another, much bigger thing. We're keen to do both well.

Leanne was out here to learn from us. But we were keen to be learning from her as well.

We're at a stage where we're sensing God saying it's time to move things forward. We're aware that the Lord, having given us all of these premises, is intent on our using them more to further his purposes here.

We spent a lot of time last year discerning just what his priorities are for us here. Now it's time to translate them into practice. And to see how best our premises can be used to bring them all to pass.

It's good to know that you're not alone in what you're doing.

That's what one of them said today. By bringing these folk among us here today, from two different parts of the city (a village on the outskirts of the city and a city centre fellowship), it was like the Lord was assuring us all that this sort of burden, to share the good news of Jesus in these ways, was laid on our hearts by himself.

The Lord is surely opening doors right across the city!