II Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness thorough our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
The one thing I want everyone to come away with from the Saturday night meeting is that believer's have been given the ability and authority to face what ever life may send their way.
Saturday night is to be a time of celebration and sharing. Of mutual encouragement and praying for one another. A time to embrace the high points of life, as well as a time to come together for those who are struggling. Saturday night is to be a time of honesty and transparency as we gather to worship.
Saturday night is a time of coming together for the Holy Spirit to come and bring out the gifts that he has given to us. It isn't always about me standing to tell everyone how great God is. Sometimes the message comes from the group. Instead of a message from one person, we have a message from a dozen people. I will open up the room for sharing Scripture that had impacted and changed the lives of those in the room. We will see a good cross section of the Word of God as hands are raised and verses read. I will usually question each one who read asking, "What does that verse mean to you? Why did you choose that one?" They would proceed to explain, through examples from their own life how that particular verse had opened their eyes and heart to what God was trying to show them. We get real life examples of people who are simply trying to find their way out of addiction and into a new life.
Some churches personality swings heavily toward the "WORD" side. By that, I mean that these fellowship's teach the word like no other. They are keepers of Scripture and exhort their members to be students of God's word. In all of this though, they do not give place for the Holy Spirit to work. They do not encourage the people to allow the Spirit to operate in their lives, as a result the meetings lean heavy toward "the Law" and are very dry and legalistic.
Some churches personality swings heavily toward the "SPIRIT" side. Here it it almost like a spiritual free for all. Meetings are full of emotion and there are visible signs of people being touched in a might way by God's spirit. Because there is not an emphasis on teaching the word, these tend to seek after the feeling. They are almost like kites without strings that are blown about with no anchor.
I believe that God wants the marriage of these two....WORD and SPIRIT. A meeting where the Word of God is taught and is done so in a practical, applicable way. At the same time, allowing the Spirit of God freedom to move in the meeting. That is the healthy middle ground I strive for in our Saturday night meeting. A good foundation from where we can launch out and be with the Holy Spirit.
A place where our worship is heart felt and honest....
A place where we can receive from God that which we need to survive...
A place where we feel loved and can love in return....
A place where we can leave and go back out into the world strengthened and empowered to make it one more week.
That is what Vineyard ReCovery is all about.
God on you...
mb
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