The night the lights went out...

Each Sunday night at 6 p.m. YWAM Antigua hosts a Bible study at Higher Grounds Coffee House. We are currently studying the book of 1 Timothy. The electricity went off in Antigua some time in the afternoon and when it almost time to start the study and no one was at the coffee house, I was ready to close the doors and go home as I did not know if the lights would come on or if anyone would come. Five minutes before 6 p.m. people started arriving and we lit candles so we could read the Scriptures. It was one of those experiences that I will always remember. I thought of the song, "The Lord is my light and my Salvation whom shall I fear?" His presence was with us and we had a wonderful time looking into His Word to receive instruction in our walk with Him. We studied chapter 5 which deals a lot with relationships within the church. Dean Sherman is a popular teacher in the YWAM circles and in his series on Relationships he made the following statement, "Every problem in the world is a problem with relationships." I have to agree with his assessment as I have seen many people leave the church or the mission field not because they do not like the work they are doing but because of problems with interpersonal relationships. Paul gave Timothy several pieces of advice on how to maintain peace and harmony within the church. I encourage you to read this chapter and reflect on how you are doing and how your church is doing regarding relationships among the members and the leaders.