You Shall Be Called the Repairer of the Breach

Isaiah 58:12 lays the foundation for our meditation. And it says: “…And your people—that is, our family, our loved ones, our descendants, those who are close to us—and your people shall rebuild the ancient ruins; you shall raise up the foundations of generation after generation, and you shall be called the repairer of breaches, the restorer of streets to dwell in…”

And there is the key to our text: “and you shall be called the repairer of breaches.” I want to speak precisely about that idea of being repairers of breaches. And I want to tell you that I sense from the Lord that this is more of a prophetic sermon, a sermon that I really should have saved to preach on the 31st, because I believe it offers a good vision for our church. But I also have other things I want to share on the night of the 31st, with a word of vision for our church. So that is another reason why I would love for you to come, so that you do not miss this commission, this challenge from the Lord for us in the coming year.

But I believe these two sermons could be parts of one another, of a whole that together constitutes a vision for your life and also for our congregation. Early this morning, in the hours before dawn, that idea, that image, that message—which I had not actually been thinking about at all—came to mind: “repairers of breaches.” And I clearly sensed from the Lord that this was the theme he had for us this morning: that we should be repairers of breaches.

It is God’s call both collectively for us as the Lion of Judah congregation and for each one of us—for you, for me, for your family—individually in this new year, and really for our entire lives; but this year, let us see it as that word, that call from God coming into our hearts to be repairers of breaches.

If you look at this chapter 58, which is in fact a very well-known chapter of Scripture, you read the preceding verses and realize that God is speaking severely, as a correction, to a people—the people of Israel—who had buried and immersed themselves in empty religious ritualism. They had settled for a religious routine, a religious formality that did not reflect genuine emotional and spiritual feeling or a true commitment to the Lord.

They had simply given God empty rites so that they would not have to give God their hearts and what God truly wanted. They had forgotten what constitutes genuine spirituality that pleases the Lord. And as a consequence of their negligence and indifference toward God, of having immersed themselves in empty religiosity, they had reaped the bad consequences of their conduct.

But look for a moment at how God describes the attitude of these people at the beginning of chapter 58. In verse 2, he says:

“…you seek me daily and want to know my ways, as though you were a people who had practiced righteousness”—there is the theme of this entire chapter: justice toward other people, toward others, social justice, but more than social justice—“as though you were a people who had practiced righteousness and had not forsaken the law of their God. You ask me for righteous judgments and want to draw near to God. ‘Why,’ you say, ‘have we fasted, and you took no notice? We humbled our souls, and you paid no attention?’” And God answers them, “Behold, on the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure”—selfishness, self-centeredness—“and oppress all your workers.”

They believed that simply by fasting—remember that the Hebrew people proclaimed days of fasting, and on that day they afflicted their souls and refrained from eating during the day—they believed that if we do that outwardly, we do not have to worry about the fact that when we return home, we oppress our servants, mistreat people, and do not pay our debts, because we have already fasted, we have already gone to church.

How many people live with that kind of spirituality? We believe that by going to church, by punching our evangelical time card, we can then go home and live however we please. And God has always said, “No, it cannot be that way.” Your life, the way you live, the way you treat others must also reflect what you do on the religious, ritual, formal level. The two must be united. It is not that God does not want us to go to church; it is not that God does not want us to go to the temple, worship him, serve him, and have a congregational life. On the contrary, the Bible says very clearly that we must not stop gathering together, as some people are in the habit of doing, but that we should be in the house of the Lord. But what God is saying is that, in addition to that, we must bring our way of living and the way we treat others into unity with it.

I think, for example, of our own nation, the United States, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when so many people went to church here, especially in the southern United States, and served God. Everyone went to church in those days, but afterward they returned to their homes to oppress their slaves, whip them, rape them, degrade them, and rob them of their humanity. And they thought there was no divide between that horrible, cruel, and dehumanizing treatment of their neighbor and the fact that they went to church, praised the Lord, and did everything a supposedly godly person did. And for that reason, this nation suffered the terrible consequences of the Civil War, in which hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of Americans died and the nation was divided between North and South.

Because God abhors an empty religion. And it is not that God does not love religion. God wants us to worship him; God wants us to seek him. But he wants there to be unity between the way we treat others, our attitude, our generosity and kindness toward others, and that God whom we love.

And then he says to them in verse 4: “…Behold, you fast for strife and debate, and to strike wickedly with your fist. Do not fast as you do today if you want your voice to be heard on high…”

In other words, brothers and sisters, let us always remember that when we come to the house of the Lord, we are supposed to come to be spiritually enriched, so that our inner being may be worked on and our behavior toward others—in our homes, in our marriages, with our children, our friends, and at work—may reflect that lofty spirituality we profess every day.

God is always calling his people to a spirituality that is truly deep, complete, and unified, where there is no separation between who you are and what you do when you are in church.

We have the words our sisters, the women, used at their retreat this past fall. They are in Micah, chapter 6, verses 6 through 8. God is asking a rhetorical question, as though one were asking oneself this question:

“…With what shall I come before the Lord and worship the Most High God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with one-year-old calves?”

In other words, one wonders, well, “How can I please the Lord? By making sacrifices, giving him money, walking to church on my knees and climbing the front steps on my knees, bleeding, or making some great sacrifice?” The second verse says:

“…Will God be pleased”—another rhetorical question, that is, a question whose answer one already knows—“with thousands of rams”—as the Hebrews used these animals to sacrifice in honor of the Lord—“or with ten thousand streams of oil”—not barrels, but streams of oil—“shall I give my firstborn for my rebellion”—in other words, there were pagan tribes that sacrificed their children to false gods as an offering—“will I have to give my firstborn son, the most precious thing in my family, for my sins, or the fruit of my body, or any other child, for the sin of my soul?” And here is the Lord’s answer to those questions about extreme sacrifice: “O man”—in other words, O Christian, goodness gracious, he says—“he has shown you what is good. You know what true worship of the Lord is, what truly pleases the Lord, and what God asks of you: only to do justice, to love mercy, and to humble yourself before your God…”

In other words, what God is saying is that God does not necessarily expect great and terrible sacrifices from us. Rather, what God wants is a heart that humbles itself before him, a heart that loves him, a heart that wants to please him, a heart that is sincere toward God, practices justice toward others, and loves mercy.

Now, notice something: the Bible is not necessarily calling us here to a religion of works, in which you are saved if you do good, because we know that salvation comes through Christ Jesus, through receiving Christ as Lord and Savior. It is not a matter of one thing or the other. It is not a matter of either going to church, serving the Lord, and giving to God, or simply having a good heart. No, what the Bible says is that both things are important. If you limit yourself only to doing good, performing good works, giving to God, and sacrificing yourself for him, but you do not give him your heart, if you do not treat your neighbor properly, then it is of no benefit to you. But the best thing is to do both.

Christ once said, it is important that you do the one without neglecting the other. So it is both things. As you see in that verse from Micah, God is actually a simple God, and ultimately, brothers and sisters, the whole apparatus of religion, all the ritual, all the laws, all the things we arrange each day when we come to church, can be summed up in the words of Jesus Christ when a Pharisee asked him, “Which is the greatest commandment?” He said, “Well, you shall love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself.” And the Lord said to him, “You have answered well.”

This contains both things: loving God with all your heart and loving your neighbor as yourself. And the Lord said that this sums up the whole Law and the Prophets, because God is a God who seeks the heart, the simple things, the person who has surrendered to him and who loves and serves others, because that is a heart with which he can be pleased.

In this coming year, brothers and sisters, God is calling us precisely to that. First, to deal with ourselves; first, to examine ourselves. God is calling us as individuals, as a congregation, and he is calling me as the senior pastor of this congregation. God is calling us to purify ourselves, to sanctify ourselves for what he wants to do through us, to smooth out our rough edges, to love him with all our heart, and to love our neighbor with all our heart.

The first thing I call you and myself to do this year is to make a renewed commitment to be better this year than we were last year. Amen. I know that if you search within yourself and examine your heart, your human relationships, and your family life, there are many things you could put on a little list—that is, things you can improve—or am I the only one? I believe we all have areas we can work on, right?

And I believe we can even present the Lord with three or four things on which we are going to concentrate this year so that we can become better. I am not going to kick the dog as much as I did last year, for example; I am going to treat him better this year. My mouth will speak edifying things. I am going to treat my wife or my husband better. I am not going to yell at my children so much. I am going to be more generous. I am going to gossip less. I am going to read the Bible more. I am going to be more financially committed to my church. There are many good things…

God is calling us to prepare ourselves, to prepare the vessel, to prepare the instrument, to prepare the channel through which his blessing will flow to this community and to this world this year. We have to begin with ourselves.

How is my spirituality before God? Is my spirituality merely something superficial and shallow, a matter of works and outward actions, or am I allowing God to form me, to deal with me, to break me, to purify me, to sanctify me, to cleanse me, to heal me, and to make me a man or woman worthy of his name? That is the first thing we must do at this time.

This is a year to draw closer to God, to try to become more like Christ, and to allow the Word of God to become incarnate within us with greater vigor. Let us try to improve our marriages, restore our relationship with our children, and be a blessing to our coworkers, our bosses, and all the people around us. Let us try to become more like Christ Jesus. And that will prepare us to fulfill the mission God has for us. And you know what? It will also enable us to be happier. To the extent that we are a blessing to others, our hearts please the Lord, and our kindness blesses others, to that same extent we too will be happier, and the power of God will be manifested more on our behalf.

Because God wants us to be repairers of breaches, to sanctify ourselves, and to purify ourselves, because I really want to speak about those two things. First, that we prepare ourselves, that we prepare the vessel, that we not be superficial Christians, that we surrender everything to the Lord so that he may then make of us what God truly wants to make.

Because that is what I see right here in chapter 58. In verse 6, he speaks about what the true religion he is seeking is, what the true fast is. Fasting is simply a symbol of any kind of religiosity. Verse 6 says:

“…Is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the burdens of oppression, to let the broken go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not that you share your bread with the hungry, bring the wandering poor into your home, cover the naked when you see them, and not hide yourself from your own brother?”

God is saying, Don’t you see that those are the things I am asking for? That your life would be a blessing to others, that your heart would be noble and generous. And look at what verse 8 says:

“…Then”—everyone say, “Then”—“your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall quickly appear; your righteousness shall go before you, and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry out, and he will say, ‘Here I am,’ if you remove from your midst the yoke, the threatening finger, and vain speech, and if you give your bread to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall rise in the darkness, and your darkness shall be like the noonday…”

You see, brothers and sisters, that there is a very close correlation between the way we treat others—that conduct, that attitude of generosity and love toward others, of being a blessing to those around us, of becoming channels through which God’s grace can flow freely into the world. And that should be the agenda of every believer: Lord, every day I want to become more and more like Christ; every day, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I want to smooth away a little more of the roughness within me so that I can truly be a source of blessing.

But what is interesting is that as we become more and more channels of God’s blessings, our own light shines. God hears our prayers. God blesses our lives. God grants us the desires of his heart. God blesses our homes, our health, and our emotions because we are being channels. When you serve in order to bless others, God also blesses you. The problem with many human beings and many Christians is that we are so concerned about our own well-being that God cannot bless us.

I have learned that if I forget about myself and serve in order to bless others, God also blesses me even more. Forget about yourself for a while, serve others, give to others, and give to God, and you will see how God blesses you too.

What is a breach? Sometimes we think that a breach is a door, a very small door. Do you know what a breach is? And perhaps there is an image there of a wall with a crack in the middle. A breach is a hole in a wall; it is like a crack. It is as though someone took a hammer to a wall and knocked a hole through the middle of it—that is a breach. Or it can be a large crack in a wall. It is like the holes made in a piñata when it is struck with a stick; those are breaches.

So God tells us that he wants us to be repairers of breaches. I will read verse 12 again:

“…and your people shall repair the ancient ruins; you shall raise up the foundations of generation after generation, and you shall be called the repairer of breaches…”

In other words, that will be your central identity. When you do certain things in your life and purify yourself, cleanse yourself, and become more and more like Christ Jesus, God blesses you greatly, and then you become known as a source of restoration, healing, and blessing to everyone around you. How beautiful.

Brothers and sisters, I have always thought that this constituted the central calling of the Lion of Judah Congregation from its very beginnings here in the city of Boston, and even before that in Cambridge, although that was not necessarily our essential identity there. God placed us in Cambridge as if to prepare and strengthen us, but when we came here to Boston as missionaries, when we moved and came to this devastated area of the city of Boston almost 20 years ago, I believe God brought us here to Boston to be repairers of breaches—to be a congregation, a church, a community that would contribute to the healing of the city where God has placed us.

And I rejoice when I see—not solely because of our influence—how God has blessed this community and how it went from being a place of terrible crime, vacant lots, and ruins to being one of the most sought-after areas in the entire city of Boston. How beautiful it is to grow alongside a city. We came here and planted ourselves here, and you could say that this neighborhood around us has flourished in so many ways. And I believe that a little of it has to do with our prayers and a little of it has to do with our influence.

And that is how many of the legislators of the city of Boston and many of the people in this area understand it, because Lion of Judah has been a blessing. And that is why I believe that when we arrived here, God prophetically set us to repairing buildings and preparing them for use by the Kingdom of God.

I have always seen… the first two buildings that we occupied, which are on the other side of those doors, were ruined buildings that we took over, demolished on the inside, hollowed out, stripped of everything inside, and rebuilt. And over the years I have developed a great love for buildings like those because I believe a little of my blood is embedded in those buildings, along with that of many of us who volunteered to work on those buildings and repair them, as well as the money you gave sacrificially and all the effort it cost our church with the limited resources we had, especially at that time.

We came and repaired two buildings that had been completely ruined. The one on the corner had been a pharmacy downstairs and apartments upstairs. It had been derelict for many years; it had no windows, all the water had gotten inside, and everything had corroded. We even had to repair bricks and straighten beams and floors and many other things, because it had sustained so much damage from all the water that had been flowing through it for such a long time. And the first building at 68 Northampton, where the original sanctuary is located, was also in quite poor condition, and you know how much work it took us to repair it.

It is also interesting, as an additional note, that I firmly believe what the Word says: You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. After those two buildings, God gave us a brand-new building, like this one here. We built this one from scratch, completely from scratch. But it was as though God were saying, Well, first I want to see what you do with those two buildings. I want to see what you are going to do, whether you are faithful in taking ruined buildings and having the vision to renew them; then I will place you in something brand-new, fresh out of the box.

Because when we believe God and get to work, God blesses us, and then God places us in abundance. But I have always believed that this act of renewing ruined things and restoring them for the use and advancement of the Kingdom of God is a prophetic image for the Lion of Judah Congregation. That can definitely be a breach. In fact, there were walls in those buildings that we had to fill in; Brother Roberto Naranjo did a great deal of work filling holes like those.

But I believe that from the beginning he had called us—and I did not fully know it when we arrived here—to be precisely a congregation that repaired ruined walls. In Isaiah chapter 61, verse 4, we find what I would call the motto of the Lion of Judah Congregation. It says:

“…They shall rebuild the ancient ruins, raise up the former desolations, and restore the ruined cities, the rubble of many generations…”

Glory to the Lord. I believe that deserves to be read again by everyone. Read it with me, everyone. “…They shall rebuild the ancient ruins, raise up the former desolations, and restore the ruined cities, the rubble of many generations…”

I believe that this is God’s calling, that this is the vision for our congregation. It has been so for many years, and more than ever it must once again become the vision for our church in the years ahead. We must be a refuge congregation. God has placed that word in my spirit: refuge. We must be a refuge for the helpless souls out there. We must be a refuge for people struggling with alcoholism; we must be a refuge for neurotic people who are alone and going out of their minds out there; we must be a refuge for elderly people whose children live in other cities and who are all alone, staring out a window all day. We must be a refuge for drug addicts; we must be a refuge for the crime-filled neighborhoods of the city of Boston; we must be a refuge for single mothers; we must be a refuge for young people who are full of violence, who have no sense of purpose in life, and who believe that their community should be a gang that harms others but at least provides them with the warmth of some human companionship.

We must show them a different alternative. We must offer this community Christ Jesus as the repairer of lives and souls. God wants this congregation to be a refuge congregation, a place for the restoration of breaches in human lives, social breaches, community breaches, and holes in the walls of this city—so that we may come and repair them through our daily lives and our generous work as a congregation. We must be a congregation of good works and of good testimony before unbelievers, so that people may see our good works and say, Wow, there are merciful and kind people there.

We must be generous toward God and toward people. A few weeks ago, I spoke to you about the importance of this: if we are going to contribute to the advancement of the Kingdom of God in this city and in this nation, we must be a generous congregation, because I cannot do this alone, nor can we do it with pious prayers alone; we must contribute our money. I need a congregation that supports the vision God has given me—not my own vision, but God’s vision for us. And this year I encourage you to be openhanded with your time, your talents, your physical energy, and also your money, so that this church can be the repairer of breaches that God wants it to be.

When we change our hearts, our minds, and our attitudes, when we become openhanded, when we love God above all things and love our neighbor, then God can use us to carry out his work of restoration in this city, so that we can truly be that congregation that repairs breaches.

Our gentleness, brothers and sisters, must be known to all the men and women of the Boston community. The Lord Jesus Christ says in his Word, in Philippians, “Let your gentleness be known to all men.” Our desire is that, more and more each day, this Lion of Judah community may be known throughout the city and New England as a gentle congregation, a generous congregation, a congregation with a good testimony and good works.

This morning I was thinking about the homeless people wandering through the city of Boston, and that homeless community is one of the great challenges facing the Lion of Judah Congregation. God has been bringing them to our church. Right now, while we are holding the service here, an English-language service is being held in the original sanctuary on the other side of that door. And this morning, as I was coming to park my car, as I was driving it in here, there were three brothers and sisters from that community—an American woman, an English-speaking man, and a Hispanic man. The three of them were coming together and were there. And when I saw them, my heart rejoiced because I knew they were coming to hear the Word of God.

And when I came in through the main doors, there was an African American sister sitting there drinking coffee, also from the homeless community. And I was glad that this space could be a place where she could sit peacefully before going in to worship the Lord. Perhaps that was going to be one of her most peaceful moments, because when they sleep in the city shelters, it is terrible. They practically have to sleep clutching their belongings because those belongings could be stolen in the middle of the night, and there is noise, abuse, and foul language. I said, Wow, how beautiful.

I could have had one of two reactions when I saw her sitting there. One would have been the reaction of a Pharisee: Why are you drinking coffee at the entrance to the church? That bothers people. But no; on the contrary, my heart filled with tenderness. How wonderful that this soul feels able to be there.

The same thing happened to me the other day in the lobby, where the elevator is at the entrance to this building. There were two people there with doughnuts in their hands, resting on their knees, drinking coffee. And again, my reaction could have been: Why are these people here dirtying the floor and drinking coffee? No. To me, they are tender souls whom we must look after for the Lord; they are fragile human beings whom God entrusts to us to see whether we will take good care of them. And then he says, After I see how you treat them on my behalf, I will send you more.

Do you want to be a repairer of breaches? Let us see what you do with those humble breaches. And I want us to make a covenant. It is a very challenging community; sometimes they can be mischievous too and cause problems, but we have to love them, because I believe that if Lion of Judah can help restore those lives, we can do anything, because many times those are human ruins.

And that is what God has placed us here to do. When I pass by there, along Albany Street, [inaudible], or Massachusetts Avenue, I see dozens and dozens of those people who are going through a difficult time in their lives. I say, Father, bring them to the church, bring them to our church, so that Lion of Judah may help bless and heal them. I ask the Lord to give us the wisdom, the power, the anointing, the mercy, and the love to bless those lives. May the church be filled with them, and may we be able to give them the nourishment they need to get their lives back on their feet. Because the city cannot do it; secular human authorities cannot… all they can do is maintain them, give them food and a bed so that they can survive, but restoring their souls, their spirits, their minds—that can only be done by Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit working in their lives, and by God’s anointing upon us.

A generous heart, a kind heart, a heart that exemplifies the grace of God. That is why we have to say, Lord, wherever there is need—whether it is a child, a young person who comes to Shriners to be treated for a burn; whether it is homeless people; whether it is families who need help in some way; whether it is these young people who are going to build those houses in Tijuana; whether it is the thousand ways in which this congregation serves the Lord throughout the year, helping young people study and attend college through HIRC, or helping immigrants who need different kinds of assistance here in the city—may God make us a congregation that repairs breaches, a restorer of souls.

May God also help us as a church this year to offer this city an alternative, which is Christ Jesus, so that confused mothers who do not know what to do with their teenage children, broken and lonely people, and people who will go to hell if they do not hear the proclamation of the Gospel may come here and be restored, and may find a congregation equipped to repair breaches in this city of Boston.

The final word I want to share with you is found in Ezekiel, chapter 36, verses 33 through 36. I leave you with this vision from the Lord for us, which is a slightly different version of the same idea I have just proclaimed. It says:

“…Thus says the Lord God: On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also cause the cities to be inhabited, and the ruins shall be rebuilt…”

You see how interesting that is, that parallel I am talking about, because this message has two parts. The first part is about us: we have to begin with ourselves, asking the Lord to cleanse us first, to work on our hearts, to smooth our rough edges, to heal our personal wounds and our character deformities. It says:

“…On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also cause the cities to be inhabited, and the ruins shall be rebuilt…”

I tell you, brothers and sisters, the day we begin to purify ourselves more and more, the day we allow ourselves to be worked on more and more, and our priorities as a congregation are in the right place, on that day God will perform a great miracle in this region. The day Lion of Judah surrenders more and more to the Lord and commits itself more and more to God, on that day we will see the glory of God manifested over this city.

And as God continues to work in us, because I believe that what happens, brothers and sisters, is that when the church of Jesus Christ stops cutting the grass, the grass grows and the vermin come; evil comes. The problem with this city and with these regions of New England is not really the people, nor is it really evil; it is that the church of Jesus Christ has not done its job, that the people of God have let down their guard and ceased to be the people of God. But when a people decide to live according to the word of the Lord and decide to live as missionaries, as kings and priests in a city, in a region, the power of the Kingdom of God comes upon that people, blesses them, and establishes them as a source of restoration, blessing, and life.

So the first thing we have to do is that: let God cleanse us, and then He will cause the cities to be inhabited and the ruins to be rebuilt. “…And the desolate land shall be tilled, instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who passed by…”

You know that many years ago—centuries ago—this region of New England was the cradle of the Gospel. It was here in Massachusetts that the Gospel for this nation was born, where the Puritans came in the year 1620 to establish a colony. They came from Europe, from England and Holland, to what was simply America—it was not even called America at that time—to establish a community that could live according to the values of the Kingdom of God. They came here seeking spiritual freedom to live the life they knew they had to live as children of God. In England they were not permitted to live out their faith as they believed they should. So they came here; they left everything behind and sacrificed everything to come to this nation and establish a community that would be a showcase for the Kingdom of God.

That was what inspired those first English immigrants who came here to this nation. For centuries their vision inspired, nourished, and gave a foundation to this nation until it became the most powerful nation on earth, a respected nation, a nation that was never perfect but that, for the most part, loved God and feared God. They made many mistakes, but the law of the land was the fear of God and reverence for the word of God; there was respect for the things of the Lord, and the government reflected the fear of God in many ways.

But the church of this nation let down its guard, allowed itself to be hypnotized by erroneous doctrines about Christianity that came from Europe, and lost its power and its anointing. And this area, which was a spiritual garden, is now a spiritual desert where intellectualism, rationalism, and secularism reign; where the churches are very small; where heresy is preached from a very large number, at least, of the pulpits in this region of New England. From Maine to Connecticut, it is a spiritual desert. But you know what? It does not have to remain that way forever, brothers and sisters. I believe that God can still restore this region, and we can be part of that restorative effort.

We can take up the breaches in New England’s spiritual life, and this immigrant community can be a resource for the Kingdom of God. We can bless the white Americans of Maine, the African Americans of Boston, and the Asians of Chinatown, and be a blessing to our own Latino community. Amen.

We can be repairers of breaches, and then, as He blesses us and we change and become true channels of God’s power, verse 35 says: “…And they will say, ‘This land that was desolate’—in other words, this land of New England, this city of Boston that was a spiritual desert—‘has become like the Garden of Eden. And these cities that were deserted, desolate, and ruined shall be fortified and inhabited.’”

What a beautiful vision for us to be part of. “…And the nations that remain around you shall know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt what was torn down and planted what was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it…” Glory to the name of the Lord. Amen.

God is committed, brothers and sisters. I have no doubt whatsoever that this congregation’s best years lie ahead. God is going to use it in extraordinary ways, but this requires a people in which each one of us is a pillar of that powerful machinery that will move forward as the Kingdom of God to bless this region.

Where are your priorities? Where are your values? What do you live for? Who are you? Are you simply a person who lives to make your bank account grow and to have a miserable retirement when you reach 65? Or do you want your life to make a difference? Do you want to be a repairer of breaches? When you are gone, may there be two or three lives that reflect the generous life you lived here on earth.

I would prefer a vision like that a thousand times over to the vision of simply piling up pennies only to die afterward without having made any difference in the world. I want this congregation to make a difference in the city of Boston, for us to be known as a congregation that repairs breaches, and for your life also to reflect that value, so that people know you as a repairer of breaches. Wherever you are, you bring the light of the Kingdom of God with you. Amen. And may you be recognized as a resource for the Kingdom of God. That is our calling this morning: to be repairers of breaches, both as a church and as individuals. May the Lord bless you.

Let us bow our heads or stand for a moment. Or rather, lift up your head. Father, give us wisdom, give us anointing, give us understanding, give us power, give us authority. Pour out Your Spirit upon us, Lord, upon this congregation; pour out the power of Your Spirit, Father. May this year be a year of evangelism; may this year be a year of conquest, Father; may this year be a year of restoration unlike any other; may this year be a year for us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, Father.

May Congregation Lion of Judah shine in the city of Boston this year—not for our glory, but exclusively for the glory of the God whom we serve and of His Son Jesus Christ. Not to us, Lord, but to You be the glory. We want to live for You; we want to be resources in Your hands. Lord, purify us, cleanse us, prepare us; hollow out and remove everything that must be torn from our hearts, Father, everything that is carnal, human, earthly, and selfish, and give us a noble and generous heart to bless this city, bless our community, and bless those around us, Lord.

And may Your glory be manifested in this place. We worship You and bless You, Father. We thank You, Lord Jesus. Before we finish, I feel led by the Lord to do something brief… There is a couple—Brother Fernando, come here quickly. I know… tell him I gave you permission to leave the camera for a second, but come over here for a moment. You said that you are going to help a couple, that you are raising funds for their little girl, who needs help. I want to encourage you: if anyone wants to leave an offering this morning, perhaps the ushers can place a couple of baskets over there on a little table so that anyone who wishes may leave something, a small offering on their behalf.

Tell us quickly. I have a couple of Chilean friends from my homeland. They are in need right now because one of their daughters has a problem requiring a lung transplant, and because of insurance issues it has not been possible to perform it. So there is a need to raise a certain amount of money in order to carry out this operation. This girl is currently in a hospital, breathing with the help of machines. So I can introduce them to you afterward. We are going to stand back there for a while, and whoever feels it in their heart may help us. Amen.

This is one way of being repairers of breaches, an opportunity God gives us. There will be two things back there. The brothers and sisters from Alpha will be there, I believe it is today? They will be providing something for the construction of a little house in Tijuana, and we can also bless this family with an offering if you feel it in your heart. Otherwise, next Sunday you can leave it in a little envelope and designate it for that purpose; make it clear that it is for that, and we can be a blessing.

But these are symbolic ways. What I mean is that this morning God is giving us the opportunity, and if we can bless others in that way, glory to God, and we can put into practice what we are doing.

Father, in the name of Jesus, we embrace this vision. Glory to God, we embrace this vision in the name of Jesus. We believe that You have established our church, exclusively for the glory of Your name, as a congregation that repairs breaches, a congregation that blesses others, a congregation generous with its possessions, a congregation that will allow You, Holy Spirit, to work on our character, our temperament, and our way of being, because we want You to be able to use us as Your instruments; and for that, we know that we must first cleanse ourselves so that You may then use us as You desire. We consecrate ourselves; we want to consecrate ourselves to You, Lord, and for Your glory, and we want to be a people of good works in all those dimensions we have mentioned today.

Thank You for what You have already allowed us to accomplish in this city, for everything You have done, and for everything we believe You will continue to do in the future, Father. We thank You for it now, in advance. And this sermon, Lord, this word, we embrace as God’s calling for our lives, and we believe that we will see this vision fulfilled for the glory of Your name, in the name of Jesus. And we say, amen. God bless you, my brothers and sisters. May the grace of the Lord be with you.