Family Night

Luke 8:21

Jesus replied,"My mother and my brothers are all those who hear God's word and obey it."

I love what is happening at our meetings on Saturday night. I love it when the script goes off the page...the order goes out the window, and God's Holy Spirit comes into our midst and takes over. Such was the way Vineyard ReCovery went last Saturday.

I knew something was up when we didn't have any visitors show up. It was just family.
Sometimes when it's just family, God has a way of getting our attention to show us how He wants us to understand what it truly means to be a follower of Jesus.

My wife had asked me if she could have a few minutes to thank everyone for their show of love after the death of her sister. So before we started, I gave her the floor. She began to talk, and as she did, you could tell that God was speaking through her. Vicki was opening up and sharing straight from her heart. To me, she became very transparent and honest about her emotions, her thoughts and the way she was dealing with the loss of her sister. 

I knew, as she was speaking, that the message I had prepared was not what God wanted. My wife, her story,and our reaction was what God was working through. We ministered to her, as I opened the floor for others to share what was on their hearts. Many came forward to speak over my wife. Some came to pray for her. Others came to just hug her and let her know that they were right there with her sharing her grief. It was the body of Christ at work.

When we got home, my wife apologized for taking the floor. For being the center of attention, so to speak. I told her that there wasn't any need for an apology, that she'd become the real message we needed to here. Her actions had opened the door for a model of  for how church is suppose to be. That we should be a place and a community of believers where it is o.k. to stand and share openly and honestly about what is going on in our lives. 

If there is someone who is hurting, and they come to the meeting, then that person becomes the most important part of the evening. I want everyone to feel that they can be honest and transparent, and can share their hearts and the pain they are feeling. What does it profit us to all put on a false front so we can all look like we are doing fine. No problems here....praise Jesus! I'm walking in victory every step of the way, every day, praise God! Well, I'd love to say that is the way my life goes...but it isn't.

There are days when I simply struggle to stay on the path, so to speak. But I don't quit. I keep plugging away. Sometimes I need to go to my "family" in Christ and tell them..."Hey guys, I not doing so well. I need some prayer!". Heaven forbid a pastor every gets honest before his congregation. That he also has doubts and fears..that he is (dare we say it) human. We are all simply moving forward in life, under the direction of the Holy Spirit. We will have good days and we will have bad times. But our honesty and transparency will keep the enemy from building in our hearts those strongholds and dark thoughts that can potentially derail anything God is trying to do.

I'm not advocating that we all gather on Saturday night and have a pot-luck-pity-party. That everything is gloom, despair and agony on me kind of meeting. But there has to be room for healing of every type, and healing at every level so that we can be THE body of Christ.

I have been blessed to be surrounded by a group of folks who have been to the depths of darkness, and survived. So as a church, we want to be aware of keeping our meetings open and honest.To do that, we have to honest and transparent about our own lives. VRC isn't the perfect place, but we're working at allowing God to have total control of our meetings. Seems to me that it works out better when this is our aim.

God on you...

Michael b.