Ephesians 4:1-6
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit , just as you were called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all, and in you all.
Sometimes what isn't said carries more weight that what is spoken. I feel like such a thing may have taken place when it comes to Vineyard Recovery Church. Last Saturday evening, at our candle light service, I had several people ask me if our meeting was open to anyone. I think maybe the name "recovery" is a put off to some. Please, let me assure you that everyone is welcomed on Saturday night. I am personally extending to anyone who wishes to come and be a part of a service, an invitation to do so.
While we do focus mainly on those who are addicted to drugs and alcohol, the root cause of all wrong behavior is what we really want to address. The simple fact that we are all born with a nature, a bent, if you will, to do the wrong thing. Doing the wrong thing comes from this nature that impresses upon us, guides us or however you want to define it, toward moving away from God and any influence He may bring to bear in our lives. All sin is bound in the notion that we do not want any Godly interference in our decisions or actions. "Leave me alone and let me do what I want to do. I don't need you telling me how I should act."
The other part to our meeting is that we want to reveal the true, Higher Power that the Twelve Steps speaks of. That would be Jesus Christ. The only source of life and sobriety. Notice I coupled the two together...life and sobriety. It is possible to be sober through sheer will power, but life, real life filled with peace, lies beyond the reach of all of us without Jesus.Our heart beats, and we draw breath...we move through our daily activity, but without Christ, there is no real purpose or direction.
Some have come to visit with us on Saturday's thinking that it the meeting will be like the old "House of Blue" we use to host back in 1999 / 2004. Sometimes they go away disappointed that it's not the same. Well, we've gotten older and hopefully wiser as the years have rolled by. I always tell those who visit, come several times before you make a decision on whether or not you feel lead to be a part of what we are doing at VRC. Some have stayed, others have moved on. I'm o.k. with that because my prayer has always been, "Lord put us all where you desire us to be so we may grow in You."
We always go into the Saturday night gathering with a structure of what we think God wants to do. By that, I mean a song list of the worship songs.....a message that has been studied and prayed over...and a sense that God is going to come and be with us. But even in all this structure of what the evening may be like, we always leave room for God to change whatever He wants to. We have been worshiping before and in the middle of the song, the worship leader would take it off in a new direction, even to the point of switching songs. Why? Because they felt the Holy Spirit wanted to head off on this new path. I have stood to give the message and felt God say, "Not tonight...I want you to look at a particular verse." We've been at this for such a long time that we have no problem going with the flow of God's Spirit. We just want to worship God..hear His word and have a time of healing and Grace where people can be healed, saved, restored or whatever it is they need.
I am eternally grateful to Jim Bentley and Gadsden Vineyard Church for allowing us the time and space to host our meetings on Saturday. I know that for some, Saturday is a strange time to think about going to church, but if you are ever free, then know that you are welcomed to be with us.
For those who can't come, we do offer our audio messages in the podcast section on the right hand side of this blog. All our messages are downloaded and are there for your convenience.
God on you....
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