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Storehouse "Spichlerz" – the nameThe name defines a thing, person or organization to which it is given. We can find an accurate name or a completely inadequate one. The name which really does justice to the character or idea of person or organization should contain the purpose or destination, in other words, vision for a specific subject. A vision in the Christian faith is a word for divine designs for a person or organization. It is a goal that God purposed us to achieve. Still, before we achieve it, we shall encounter many obstacles and only through holding to the properly set goal we can be certain we will fulfil our destiny. The goal sets the direction.
In the name of our Church – Storehouse (Spichlerz) – the vision God has given us is hidden as well.
“I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one "like a son of man" with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, "Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe."” (Rev 14,14-15 New International Version)
From the time of Jesus the harvest of souls continues on the Earth. Collected crops must not be discarded at some point but have to be gathered into proper places – granaries or in other words storehouses. Such place must fulfil very specific conditions, for instance, of temperature, humidity, etc. In other case the collected crops will be destroyed. In the countries of the former Soviet Union where there was a harvest it was so big that virtually all the people had to be engaged in it. However, because the storehouses were erroneously about 70% of the crop decayed. All the effort and hard work were in vain.
“Through knowledge its rooms [in other transl.: storehouses] are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases strength”. (Prv 24,4-5 NIV) Those rare and beautiful treasures are human beings. God misses a man. A church that does not care about people, does not meet the conditions required for being a storehouse. A lot of wisdom is needed not to harm nor reject a person which God puts on our way. A newly converted Christian can be easily insulted by a careless word or gesture and then lost forever in hell. Such a person leaving a church may never want to come back to Jesus. His or her attitude towards God is shaped on the basis of how the members of the church act. You should rather show other people your light than your strength. If a storehouse is not built properly God shall not entrust its hosts His crops. Every member of the church is a host. Biblical vision of storehouses is following:
“Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision. Our sheep will increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields; our oxen will draw heavy loads. There will be no breaching of walls, no going into captivity, no cry of distress in our streets. Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.” (Ps 144, 13-15 NIV)
A storehouse is supposed to be a place of abundance and blessing, a place where the dreams are satisfied. A farmer can understand it easily, because he knows what it means to have fertile stock with no loss or harm. A city dweller can replace it in the text with its business, family health, etc. A storehouse is also a place in which a crop is kept for the next sowing, for a time of drought or other disaster. A storehouse therefore becomes A HOUSE OF BREAD, a place of our supply and comfort.
”His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.” (Luke 3,17 NIV)
Holiness is a foundation of a divine storehouse, those are people who lead a holy life. A person that does not fight for his/her own holiness risks losing heaven. God’s grace is a God’s ability in you. Everyone who met Jesus has power to overcome all sins in his or her own life. Love, caring about people, personal holiness, blessing on every level of life – those are the pillars of vision of our church.
Storehouse exists to gather people and to help them become full of love and happiness through the revelation of truth about Jesus. Our desire is to share the good news about the remission of sins through the death of Jesus and about the grace which was given to us to enable living in harmony with God and our neighbours. Those things are not achieved by and through the pastor’s greatness nor skills but through the steps of faith and creativity of believers inside the church. If God shows you what you can do go to your leader and share with him about it to start something new, even if it doesn’t seem to be great in your eyes. This way we will be able to build a storehouse according to God’s design, in which everyone will be satisfied.
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