Many of you have been praying for the situation where the gentleman had gotten angry at me and at the church here in Mibu and had decided to step out. Well here's an encouraging update.
A little while after our update about this man, he met with some of the developing leaders in the church here and actually confessed that he was wrong for the things he said and did! He explained that his words were driven by anger and that he was wrong for saying what he said and doing what he did. He went on to explain that he definitely does see that what we believe as a church here is in accordance with God's word and that he really doesn't have any desire to go back to the old system. Regarding his having said that he wanted out, that too was just said out of anger and a desire to save face because he was embarassed by his actions. He actually said this stuff! And further, he said these things in front of a small group of others who have been kind of following his direction! Not surprising that the Holy Spirit has been prompting this gentleman, but unexpected because I took his words seriously back then.
Because I'm rather skeptical of situations like this I decided to wait a bit before writing, just to see if this guy's actions reflect genuineness. So after a few weeks here it seems that he has indeed been repentant of his actions. Something we're all very glad for.
So what happened back there anyway? Though I'm not certain, I suspect that God is using this as a point of growth for him in his Christian life. Where in the past he has just been in a state of coasting, I think that after those events he's one step closer to understanding the true value of what Jesus did for him and it's implications for him as a member of his body. I suspect God allowed him to do this so that he would be challenged about where he really stands and what he really values. Maybe in God's divine plan for this man's life this sequence of events was needed at a time when he was at a crux in a particular battle of unbelief; a battle that he would have to experience in order to be brought to further realizations of the treasuredness of Christ over mere trinket hopes of the past. At least that's what I like to think God has been doing in this man's life. His demeanor in the past few weeks, since his apology, has allowed me to feel fairly confident that he does indeed remain desirous of God and is now aware of his sense of being left exposed to the cold when withdrawing himself from the warmth of God's love manifest in his church.
So let's praise the Lord for his confirming work in this man's life and continue our prayers for his future growth and maturity. Thank you all for your prayers so far!
Geoff and Shannon Husa
