Gospel Lighthouse United Holy Church in Thorpes, St James, was the place to be last Friday night.
It was there that little children, teenagers and adults set the sanctuary ablaze with praise and worship. The little ones were out front, swaying in the rhythm as they beat cymbals and lifted their hands in praise before the Lord. Adults joined in with shouts of “hallelujah” as they too danced and made merry. It was a glorious and infectious sight.
Under the pastoral guidance of Elder Patterson Boyce, young worship leader Lara Burnett led the congregation in praise and worship, with such songs as Here I Am To Worship, Come Let Us Worship And Bow Down, Things Are Getting Better and There Is Joy In The Presence Of The Lord.
As Friday night brought the curtain down on a week of revival services, Christian Mission minister, Reverend Ronaldson Wiggins, preached a passionate message in which he urged those present not to give up, stay focused in their work for the Lord, and keep the Word of the Lord in their hearts.
He took his text from Nehemiah 6 as he related the story of the challenges this simple cup-bearer faced when he set out to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in the face of discouragement from his enemies – particularly Sanballat and Tobiah.
He told his audience if they were going to make it in these days of trials and opposition to God’s ways and standards, they must have the Word of God as their foundation, concerns about today’s state of the society and, like Nehemiah, act on those concerns.
He said Nehemiah’s decision to rebuild the walls was not a commission from God but a concern which he saw. He also stressed that Nehemiah, who served a pagan king, broke protocol when he went to the king with a sad countenance.
“When you are about the work of God, you will need at times to break protocol,” Wiggins stressed.
He said despite the obstacles and opposition Nehemiah faced, he purposed in his heart to “do the work of the Lord and not come down from building the wall”.
He added: “The people questioned Nehemiah, but he was serious about the task before him. Barbados will take notice when you get serious for God.”
He described Nehemiah as a man of prayer, noting that God gave him wisdom and insight for the work he had undertaken.
“We too need divine wisdom and insight because when we take a stand for God, people will oppose us.”
He added that Nehemiah kept his focus even when he discovered that Sanballat and Tobiah conspired to stop the work which he had started.
“We will face opposition designed to stop us from doing the work and purpose God has designed for us to do. Sometimes it becomes personal. The enemy will even try a strategy designed to make you fall, but I pray God will open your eyes to discern what He is doing and what the enemy is up to.”
Wiggins reminded his listeners that opposition in life came to draw them closer to God and to spend more time in prayer and fasting. He urged them to thank God for their tribulations which also thrust them forward towards a deeper relationship with God.
“We are in a season of the supernatural, and when you step out in faith like Nehemiah, God will back you. When opposition comes, declare, like David, ‘I will bless the Lord at all times’. Say I am doing a great work for the Lord and I cannot come down; I cannot stop.”
