Psalm 119:130
The entrance (or unfolding) of Your words gives light. It gives understanding to the simple.
Hearing the Word of God....
Reading the Word of God....
Can connect with anyone who is hungry for the truth.
in fact, it can connect with those whose intention was far from knowing the truth.
What is the greatest truth we can know and understand with this infusion of spiritual light into our minds and souls? The truth of who God really is, coupled with the truth of who we really are.
Such a connection is a powerful exercise in experiencing God's presence.
Such is what we try to do every Saturday night at Vineyard ReCovery.
To open the door and invite truth into our hearts.
To be a community of people who are moving forward under the guidance of God's Holy Spirit.
I don't mean for it sound like we are some kind of spiritual giants, or a group of "Elite" believers. Man, we are all busted and broken by the choices we have made over the years. But now, we have found the better way and our joy is found in getting to tell others about our discovery.
We are now well into our third year as a meeting, and I continue to be amazed at how God is shaping and forming us. We are not content to be satisfied with where we stand with God. We see a lot of work to be done in our personal lives which, in turn, cause us to look outward to find others that we can share our story with. In some regards, God is creating a family among the ones who call Vineyard ReCovery home.
Saturday night was one of those times when you were well aware that God was moving in our meeting. One report we got from a person that was present, was that they could hardly stand while worship was going on. They caught themselves several times from falling down. It was a new experience for them, to be under the "weight" of the Spirit.
Our teaching on the effects of guilt and shame seem to be right on target for the group that was present Saturday night. A young girl came to me after the meeting and told me that it brought a whole lot of the puzzle pieces she'd been trying to put together about her own addiction. She saw that these two emotions were part of the reason she had been using. The guilt and shame would come to her and she would be so depressed and down that she sought escape from the emotions. Why did they come to her? Because the two emotions told her that she was a terrible person because of what she'd done. This fueled her addiction to use. Guess what...after using and coming down from the high, she only felt a greater sense of guilt and shame. Thus the cycle continued. But Saturday night, this young girl ran into the truth of how God see's her. She was filled with hope that God saw her as a person far different than she saw herself. Her countenance had totally changed after receiving prayer. She had hope and joy about what her future held if she continued on this new path to a new way of living.
Our goal, as a fellowship, is to love God.....love everyone who comes through the front door to our meeting....and to love each other (the core leadership). We want to worship extravagantly....holding nothing back in our worship.
We want to remember where we have come from....where we are today...and where we are headed tomorrow....all under the direction of God's Holy Spirit.
If we can hang on to this mindset and heartset, then we will be o.k.
Every Saturday night begins with a huge question mark...."What will you do tonight, God?" We come expecting Him to show up. We come expecting that we will be changed in some way as we meet with Him. Every Saturday night ends with a huge question mark. "How will you top what You did tonight, God?"
Vineyard ReCovery meets every Saturday night / 7 p.m. / @ Gadsden Vineyard Church. We downtown on Broad street, between 4th and 5th streets, across from Gadsden Variety Store.
God on you..
mb
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