Sunday, May 31, 2009

PENTECOST AT THE LEAN- TO

Lean-To sign at highway US 81

Today is Pentecost Sunday and we celebrated the 28th year for the Lean-To Christian Center. We met for the first time 28 years ago on Pentecost. There were two couples and each had a daughter.



The Lean-To started from a word from the Lord. We were going to church in Delphos and Darlene heard Him say "you can stay here if you want to, and that is OK, but I want you to know that this is the way it will be."



About a year earlier we were having praise parties. Several people were coming and we didn't have room for them all. So one day a couple came out to visit and we were talking about a place for the praise parties. We had talked about building on a room and Buck said 'do you have some used lumber?' So we went out to the shed where the lumber was and it looked like we had enough for a twenty by forty six foot room. We started that very day. We formed the footing and got it ready for concrete. Buck said he would call the concrete plant in the morning and we would pour that afternoon. Each day some people would come out and help work on the room. One business man hired three men to come and help. You never knew who would show up to help. People would donate things we needed, like three hanging light fixtures and furniture. The first praise party we had trouble finding chairs enough for everyone. The night before the next praise party someone backed up to our door and told us the Baptist Church bought new chairs and they wanted us to have these chairs. He unloaded 55 folding chairs. That helped to take care of the crowds of 100, or more, people we were having at the praise parties.



The name came from someone who said 'we are building a lean-to, like on a barn.' So we looked up the word 'lean-to' and it said 'a building supported by another structure, often a tree'. We thought that fit us as we can only stand with the support of the cross. There are several other things that the Lord did but I will write about them later.



I want to say something about Pentecost. I think it is over looked by many churches. Today at church we celebrated Pentecost with praise and worship, each person shared what the Holy Spirit meant to them. It was really powerful.



The day of Pentecost is the day the church started. It is the day that the Holy Spirit manifested Himself and it was a sign that Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God. ("Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the Gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Acts.1:4-5 NIV). Jesus kept telling them that when He got to the Father, the Father would send the promised Holy Spirit, and that HE DID. ("God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are ALL WITNESSES of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out WHAT YOU NOW SEE AND HEAR") Acts.2:32-33 NIV. This is a great promise for us because we are no longer under the law but the Spirit. V.41 tells us that at the Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was first given there were about 3,000 saved that day. But in the Old Testament when the day of Pentecost came the Law was given and there were about 3,000 that died that day. Ex 32:28.

What will you chose, the Spirit of Grace, or the Law?


"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourself, it is a gift of God." Eph.2:8 NIV


Ask Him for the HOLY SPIRIT










1 comment:

mark said...

woo woo mom what a hottie!!!!!!!
looking good. both of you