Folks who have been part of a church for a while will
understand the feeling relayed here.
Going to church business meetings can be about as much fun as hitting
your thumb with a hammer. And the
advantage of hitting your thumb is that you don’t keep hitting and hitting. It probably ought not be that way, but seems
to be the nature of such meetings. Many
churches have shifted the focus to a celebration of what God has done over the
year rather than just details of a financial kind. I like that.
Grace Bible Church in Pryor just held an Annual
Celebration. Since I am the Pastor and
had the opportunity to put things together I went with the celebration
idea. I wanted to celebrate the
gathering of people God has collected at Grace Bible Church. I wanted to call all those in the church to
celebrate our great God. I wanted those
in the church to celebrate what God has done.
I wanted all those in the church to celebrate one another and what God
is doing with and through them. And now
with the event completed I celebrate mission accomplished.
God is doing His work among people and churches around the
world. He works in a variety of ways and
with many surprises. I thank God for what
He is doing. It is His kingdom. It is Jesus’ who is building His church. It is by the work of the Holy Spirit. And I am glad He included Grace Bible
Church. Evaluated by the world’s
standards by the way GBC is nothing. It
is not in a major metropolitan area with large crowds at multiple
services. It hasn’t even caught the
interest of locals. It is a church
people easily pass by on their way to Wal-Mart.
But God from on high doesn’t evaluate by the world’s standards. His ways are not our ways. Man looks on the outward appearance, but God
looks on the heart. And God has
manifested Himself at Grace Bible Church.
Jesus tells a story, "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is
like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he
goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field." Matthew 13:44
That is so true of the Kingdom, and it relates to God’s work
at Grace Bible Church as well. There is
great treasure in God’s manifestation, His truth, His work in people’s
lives. Often the treasure isn’t
seen. It’s walked by. It’s missed.
It’s assumed there is nothing of value there. But the treasure is there. Some find it and have great joy.
I celebrate what God is doing. I am thankful I get to see Him at work. I appreciate the people He has chosen to
bring together and work with.
People say it isn’t good to boast (then they do it
anyway). God says there is something
that should be boasted in. Take a look:
This is what the LORD says: “Don’t let
the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the
rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should
boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD who
demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the
earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the LORD, have spoken! Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NLT)
I want to boast in the Lord and that He has allowed us to
know Him. Let the celebration continue!
