We had the wonderful privilege of hearing from a Board of Director and LifeGroup leader, Peggy Leung. Ray & Peggy have been part of the LifeSpring family for 15 years now and I remember the first day they walked into the basement of the church for an Overflow LifeGroup. They came broken and it was the love and grace of God that encountered them. The Holy Spirit met them, worked in them, transformed them, and even to this day continues to refine them.
When Ray & Peggy speak, they don’t speak from theory, but from real, true, and life transforming encounters that God continues to wash over them with. It is truly an honour to serve alongside them in leading this church family. I thank God for them.
As Peggy was speaking about the prodigal son and his older brother, the Lord reminded me of a challenge He gave for the LifeSpring family:
In Matthew 9:18-26, there are two accounts of Jesus healing the sick. The first account is of a synagogue leader – someone who was most likely against Jesus. Jesus was disrupting the everyday practices of religion and as a synagogue leader it was causing conflict (Pharisees vs Disciples). Yet, in this account we see that the “synagogue leader came and knelt before him [Jesus]”. This synagogue leader came rushing to Jesus, not thinking about what others would say or think because, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live”. The second account of healing happens while Jesus travels to heal the synagogue leader’s daughter, “A woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak… If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed”.
Two very different people, but with the same result, both were healed. A synagogue leader’s daughter – a family of prestige, honour, and respect. An elderly woman who had been bleeding for twelve years – an outcast (bleeding made the woman unclean and anyone she touches unclean as well), not part of the customs and traditions. Two very different people from different life class, with one thing in common – a desperate brokenness within. This shared brokenness resulted in similar results – healing.
It is the broken that run to Jesus – they can look like the most noble, but they also look like the lowliest. But it was what was within that counted – brokenness.
It was the Pharisees that stopped people from coming to Jesus.
It was the fine that looked at Jesus from afar.
But it was the broken that ran to Him.
Who will the LifeSpring family be?
Life can be hard. Life is hard. But God is still good. We don’t want to be fine and worst we don’t want to be Pharisees. We want to be broken enough to run to God. It is OK to not be OK. We want to pray with and for you. If you are in need of prayer, please do not hesitate to contact any of us on the pastoral team.