Congress-time

It is congress-time for Salvationists and friends in Norway. It is good to be part of it. Like at most congresses in our territory over the passed 20 years I am “heavily” involved. Ever since my first personal experiences with congress in the early teens, I have both heard and verbalized comments about the event. In many ways there are parallels to the European Song Contest – “everyone” has a meaning about it. With regard to the latter, even those who seem to be indifferent to it still follow the program.
For a long time I was critical to the concept of congress. It was simply not spiritual enough. Then I realized that the congress is not merely a spiritual event, even though it intends to be such as well. It is created to meet a series of needs, and I believe it does.
It is:

* a place for old and new “friends”
* a place for musical inspiration
* a place for the whole family
* a place for laughter
* a place for tears
* a place for contemplation
* a place for a good, and sometimes even deep conversation
* a place for information
* a place for encouragement
* a place for good preaching
* a place for prayer

It is our movement’s super-market. I realize that what I once criticized was the fact that I thought I had come to a store which specialized in my particular needs and interests. When I arrived to a congress with such an attitude I left disappointed. At the supermarket, I can go to the sections to find the goods I need. I do that this year as well, but I am thrilled to see the shelves with all the goods the “congress-market” has to offer.
Thank you Lord for this opportunity!

A witness or an evangelist?

I cannot remember when I last found it difficult to witness, but I do recognize the fear of destroying a good relationship by asking the “right” question – mainly because I am so afraid that my friends shall feel that for me they are nothing but “objects of my mission”. So “witnessing is easy, but evangelizing is hard” in my life - at least when we think of an “eyeball to eyeball” situation. 

At the same time a relationship can suffer if I never ask. 
This was revealed to me when I some years back asked a study-mate of me: 

“How are you?” 

Her reply was: 
“How is your relationship with God, you mean?” 

She had heard my witness, and for quite some time she had expected me to challenge her, because she wanted to speak with me about this matter. Of course she gave me an opportunity
… but she also gave me a wake-up call. 
But it can still be hard… 

- are you saved?

"Effective” prayer

Over the past days some of my friends have challenged my thinking on “effective” prayer. This world demands that we should be effective at all times – why bring such a word into the sanctuary of our private prayers?

In my devotion the other day I was reading 2 Peter 1 – and verse 8 says: "For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

The qualities are listed in the verses prior to the quoted verse and they are what the author asks us to “add to our faith”. My faith comes from listening to the preaching of the word (Rom. 10:17). The qualities I am asked to add to my faith are closely related to “the fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22). In other words they are not something that can be accomplished through my own effort – but they are the fruit of the Spirit working in me. If this is correct, my most effective moments will be the time I spend in prayer. So help me God to be more “effective”!