Psalm 126:2
Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongues with singing. Then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."
Goofy for Jesus.
Crazy for the Lord.
And the beat goes on and on and on.
One of the neat things that is taking place at Vineyard Recovery Church, is that a sense of community....a sense of family is being created.
I was asked to describe VRC by an individual, and the best I could come up with was that it felt like going into someones living room. A feeling of comfort and ease. To me that is the greatest thing God has done for our Saturday night meeting.To let a spirit of peace reside over our meetings, so that everyone who comes through the door is put at ease.
No.#1- VRC is church on Saturday night. Here in the South, we have been ingrained with the idea that only "REAL" church takes place on Sunday mornings between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and noon. But what takes place on Saturday nights is becoming vital to those who are making VRC their home.The are being shown a model of the Kingdom of God and the important fact that it follows them home when the meeting is over. This kingdom model goes with them to work or school, and becomes a vital part of their life.
No.#2 - People coming out of addiction are skeptical and uncomfortable with traditional church settings. You have to remember, they are newbie's and really don't know how to play or do the church thing. So we try to de-religisize their experience. Everything we do is translated into language they can understand. We take Scripture and teach it as it applies to our lives using everyday examples.
No.#3 - Our worship has an edge to it. Not the kind of edge where you are pushing that imaginary envelope of what is acceptable in church circles, but our sound and selection of songs. If someone in recovery, or still still struggling with their addiction came into a meeting and we singing such songs as "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" or "Rock of Ages"....it would not catch their attention. But if that song has a roadhouse or blues feel to it. Now you've got them hooked. If that same song is pointing them to Christ and what He could do through them and to them..then you've got them open to the possibility of relationship with this God we love so much.
No.#4 - Don't hype it! We keep everything low key. Our presentation of the word, and our ministry time is very laid back. We simply want God to come and do what He does so well. So if someone is getting a prophetic word or maybe even a word of knowledge, we try and keep it free of hype and religious terminology. Let's say we were praying for someone and they came under the presence and power of the Holy Spirit and fell out. We would not refer to that as the "indwelling of the Holy Spirit" or "The baptism of the Holy Spirit"....we might simply say, "you know we were praying for them and they suddenly wanted to do some tile-time (since our floor is tile)...they just wanted to lay down." Instead of saying,"God has given me a vision," we would say, "You know, I was praying and I just got this mental picture." Keep it simple. Keep it low key and let God do the work.
No.#5 - Worship...worship....worship! It's all about worship. Did I mention that we like to worship. But our worship is never the same. One week, the songs may reflect a "let's Party With God" attitude. The next week the songs may be very intimate in nature...very quiet and every reflective. We are very fortunate at VRC to have worship leaders and musicians who spend time seeking God during the week before the songs are selected for Saturday night. After all, we are singing TO God and not ABOUT Him. Boil the whole Christian experience down to the basest ingredients and you come up with........you guessed it! Worship.
Hopefully this may give you some insight into what we do on Saturday's.
VRC is open to anyone who would like to come and visit.
Our meetings start at 7 p.m.
Love to see you....
God on you...
mb
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