GPBC Blog

By Jane Lewis--

Greetings, in the powerful name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Wow! “In the powerful name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”  Can we really comprehend the depth of that expression? Can we really comprehend the personal and intimate love our Creator has for us? It truly is beyond me, but I’m so thankful that the more time I spend in His Word, and the more time I spend focusing on Him in music, messages, writings, podcasts, books, movies, and in conversations, the more I grow in the knowledge and love of Him.

Over the past few months, I have felt a stirring within my soul. The yearning for more of Jesus has increased, and the desire to impact others for Him is taking on new life. The Lord seems to be saying to me, “How long, Jane? How long are you going to continue to wait to be fully alive and let Me work through you in new and wonderful ways?” Do any of you hear that still small voice beckoning you to be more awake, more alive in the Lord? Is your heart and soul aching to experience more of Jesus and to love Him more? And here’s a scary part for some of us. Are you being nudged to be even more open—and bold—to tell others about Jesus?

 Many of you know or have heard of Luis Palau. He was not only one of the greatest evangelists of our time, but one of the great encouragers behind our founding pastor Lynn Kent starting Greater Portland Bible Church. I had the privilege of meeting and seeing Luis a few times, and was always inspired (and humbled) by his amazing love for the Lord and his desire to lead others to Him. After Luis passed away in March, I watched the movie Palau for the first time. It stirred my heart. One of my favorite scenes was when in response to a guest speaker sharing, “It wasn’t me doing something for God, it’s God doing something through me,” Luis went to his room, got on his knees and prayed so passionately, “…Now I understand it is not my strength, or my strategies, or my desire, Lord. It is you acting through me. It is you living in me, Lord…Lord, forgive me for wasted time…use me to spread your word…use me Lord, so everybody sees your face in mine…For there are no limits in you, there are no failures, there is no defeat. May everything in my life glorify you, my Lord. Use me for your eternal glory.” 

Luis not only prayed that prayer, but he lived that prayer for the rest of his life. His life reflected his purpose—to be a vessel God used to reach people for Jesus. I have loved the Lord ever since I can remember, and yet as much as I have always wanted to be more for Him, to do more for Him, my life has not always reflected that. I have allowed so many things and circumstances to keep me from fully living that way. “How long, Jane?”

 We have so many humble and faithful servants in our church who do live the life of serving and drawing others to Jesus: Our pastors and elders; administrative and office staff; our children, women, and men ministry leaders and co-leaders, facilitators and teachers; adult Sunday school teachers; Global Partnership and Spiritual Formation teams; small group leaders; maintenance and custodial personnel; security team, the Food Pantry workers, Stephen Ministry, Care Ministry, Coffee Corner, Counseling, Hospitality, grounds maintenance, youth leaders, and many more people behind the scenes. All who give of their time, their lives, for a greater purpose.

Throughout my 32 years here at Greater Portland Bible Church, I have served in some of the areas listed above and have found joy in every one of them. But to be honest with myself, I want more. What I mean is, I want to be more than I have been. I want more of Jesus and I want to give more of Jesus, especially to those who do not yet know Him. Our world needs Jesus. Our country, our state, our community, our neighborhoods, our workplace, our schools, every place we touch, every person we touch, needs Jesus.  “How long, Jane?”

I may have been a slow starter (Lord forgive me for wasted time) but that doesn’t mean I can’t be a late full-bloomer through the power of God and finish well. After all, I’m still breathing, so there’s still hope. I pray that all of us who are feeling that soul stirring and who want to be more for Jesus, will spend more time with Him. The more we understand the depth of His love, the more we will love Him.  And the more we love Him, the more we will want others to know Him and love Him too. 

The stirring of our souls. May all of us experience the joy that the stirring of our soul brings.  And may those of us who have been waiting for one thing or another before we become fully alive, or fully awake, or fully ready, wait no longer.  As Luis said, “…it is not my strength, or my strategies, or my desire, Lord. It is You acting through me. It is You living in me, Lord… Use me for Your eternal glory.”  “How long, Jane?” “How about now, Lord? How about now?” 

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We have Stephen Ministers whose passion it is to be more for Jesus.  They consider it a privilege to be able to walk alongside people who are going through a crisis or a difficult time, and be Jesus’ hands and feet to them. If you are experiencing such a time as this, please contact the church office at 503-452-9375 or email , and someone will contact you.