A Personal Invitation

Matthew 16:18
.......And on this rock I will build MY church......

For some reason, the photo above caught my attention as I was reading on Facebook. It was taken by Chris Lizotte, and, to me, paints an incredible picture of the church that is mentioned in the Mathew 16:18 passage.

The church, or body of Christ, is not so easily defined with the language of man.
Think about it....
How can we, the finite, give language to something that was birthed in the heart of the infinite, God? Any attempt at language will only fall short and shrink it down to a level so that our minds can grasp the idea.

The church...the real church....the body of Christ is so much more than our definition's.
It is bigger than a building....
More diverse than any agenda or program.
The body of Christ is  alive and well in a world that seeks to destroy it.
The church is an anvil that has worn out many hammers.
It isn't found in a building....
It can't be chained to a pew....
It doesn't dress in choir robes.....
It isn't contemporary, modern or old fashioned.
But the church of Jesus Christ is where the kingdom of God exists.
The church is the hearts of those who truly love God, have been saved, and are seeking to live out His will here on this side of heaven.
"Your Kingdom (will) come, Your Will (for Your Kingdom) come, here on earth as it is in heaven.

The body of Christ is exactly that. A body. A living, breathing, walking around body. Well, I guess I should say that it is a Body that is comprised of  "bodies".
Million's and million's of people all connected and living off the same blood.
Just as our organs and tissue need the flow of blood to survive, so does the body of Christ.
Without the flow of Jesus' blood, we die. We cease to exist. That ribbon of red carries the spiritual DNA of our heavenly Father to each part of the body of Christ.

The body of Christ is not confined by a single language....
It is not bound and kept hostage by anyone, (man, woman, country) who seeks to manipulate and use others.
The body of Christ is larger than any doctrine, vision statement, or theology.
Yet it contains all three of these, but contains them in a pure state that we will someday truly understand.

I guess the main emphasis that is missed when it comes to church is found in the words of Jesus.
"I will build MY church."
It belongs to Him. We don't get to play politics with it. We don't get use our money to leverage our own desires for what we think church should be like. It is His church. He died for it. I guess if you hang on a cross and let other's drain your body of life and blood, then you might have a say so as to the running of the church.

I have written all of this, for a reason.
There seems to be a misunderstanding about what VINEYARD RECOVERY CHURCH is truly all about. I wanted to take the time and address some of these misunderstandings.
We are not a closed fellowship. By that, I mean we do not require you to be someone in addiction or in recovery from addiction to attend our meetings on Saturday night. 

I have had several ask as to why we meet on Saturday night. The answer is simple.
Saturday night use to be a time that was devoted to the devil and his work.
So we are taking it back and honoring it as a time that belongs only to God.

While our messages and our music is directed toward recovery, it is still the gospel of Jesus.
Everyone is welcomed to the meeting on Saturday  night.
I use the term "meeting" but it is more than that.
It is family.
We aren't celebrate recovery.
We aren't A.A. or N.A.
We are a people who simply gather each Saturday night to celebrate the work of our Higher Power in our lives.
The language we use does contain recovery terms, only because we relate to them and understand them.
We do not delve into deep theology, or talk about the "should-a, would-a, could-a" of the kingdom.
Collectively we are just trying to find life and follow His instructions as to the next move in our life.

Several who have attended VRC have commented to me that they are praying that we grow larger. Right now, we average between 29-43..it fluctuate each week because it is never the same group. While I appreciate your prayers about the size of our meeting, God told me in no uncertain terms that VRC was His and that He would build it and grow it. My job is simply to be faithful to Him and to those who come through that door on Saturday night.

God has provided a core group of people who have bought into the vision for VRC. They are hungry to  know God better. To participate in the work that He has given to us, and to be a part of this family. 

I want to personally extend an invitation to everyone to come out and visit with us.
We meet every Saturday at 7 p.m.
We are located at 419 Broad Street (Between 4th and 5th).
I look forward to seeing you.

God on you....
mb