Editor’s Note: We’re blessed to have Mike and Kierra Smith as our guest bloggers for “Family & Friends Friday.” Mike grew up at Webster Bible Church and now serves as our pastoral assistant. Last summer he got married to Kierra, whom he met at LeTournea Christian Conference Center the prior year. I had the pleasure of providing premarital counseling for Mike and Kierra and officiating at their wedding.
About a month ago I took Mike out for coffee just to ask how things were going, and what he proceeded to tell me was so encouraging, I asked him if he and Kierra would share what he told me with our entire church family. They were happy to do so and read the following letter to our church on Sunday, February 14 (Valentine’s Day). We were thrilled to hear how God has used the church, the Bride of Christ, to strengthen and encourage this young groom and bride in their first year of marriage. May it encourage you too!
To Our Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We wanted to express the gratitude that the Lord has given us through you all. Before our marriage we heard people talk about the difficulties that a new marriage can pose. Some of our concern for our awaited marriage came from the idea that we both would be stepping out completely on our own for the first time and Kierra would be moving away from places and people she knew. However, we praise God that in His infinite wisdom, He has planted us in Webster Bible because by God’s grace we have been able to experience the benefits of being a part of the working body of Christ which has alleviated these concerns and many like it and it has been such a blessing in our lives.
In the book of Hebrews, we are reminded by the preacher to “stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together… but encouraging one another…” (vv.24-25) God knew what He was doing when He gave us the church.
To be clear, we are referring to the people who make up the church. We as believers need each other! It is truly essential to our spiritual health, we were not created to be a one man show! We need the church because as this verse states we need to be stirred up in love and good deeds and be encouraged. Only like-minded people can do this properly.
We have experienced in just our five short months of marriage these very things from this body. We have received more encouragement from you guys than we could ever express. Your love for the Lord and for His people has been incredibly evident in the way that you have cared not just for us, but for one another as well. We have had so many of you guys praying for us and checking on us throughout the week which has been very comforting. It is an amazing blessing to know that you are being prayed for!
Furthermore, through the preaching of God’s Word, meeting up for Growth Groups, and fellowshipping in people’s homes, we have been greatly motivated to do what the Lord has commanded of us. It is highly encouraging to see a body that is excited to feed into one another in these ways and we are blessed to be a part of it! We thank God for you Webster Bible Church!
Another way that the church is called to care for one another is through giving and sharing with the church. We see a beautiful picture of this way of life in the book of Acts where it talks about how the disciples of Jesus began to sell everything they had in order to make sure everyone was well cared for. In a very real sense, me and Kierra have felt this very love from you guys. We can’t tell you how many people have offered to give us anything that we needed, constantly seeing if there is anything else we are looking for. We’ve had some members join us for dinner at our apartment, and they simply saw a need and met it. One more thing that doesn’t simply bless us but the whole congregation is how you provide for those in need through the benevolence fund.The dedication that this church has to not see “one among us who is needy” is invigorating! Again, we thank God for you Webster Bible!
We wrote up to this point hopefully to encourage you with just a couple examples of the way being a part of Christ’s body has really profited us and brought us joy. But now in hopes to exhort you to continue in your labors, we leave you with one final word of edification, from the book of Galatians; “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Gal. 6:9-10) Thank you Webster Bible Church, may we all continue to run the race that has been set before us!
In Christ,
Michael and Kierra Smith