As a disclaimer, let me apologize right from the get-go if this post is lacking organization.  Every time I think about the grace of God in the context of Grace Community Church in Souderton, PA, it’s hard to hold back my love for the church and my thankfulness to the One who bought it with His precious blood.  In 1891, Charles Spurgeon preached from 2 Corinthians 8:5 from a sermon titled, “The Best Donation” and said the following,

“Give yourself to the Church. You that are members of the Church have not found it perfect and I hope that you feel almost glad that you have not. If I had never joined a Church till I had found one that was perfect, I would never have joined one at all! And the moment I did join it, if I had found one, I should have spoiled it, for it would not have been a perfect Church after I had become a member of it. Still, imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth to us.”

I also remember reading Josh Harris’ book about the importance of the local church and I stumbled upon Psalm 122:1, which says,

I was glad when they said to me,

   “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”

Can you say that with joy and passion that David had?  Are you eager before church starts and does your heart leap for joy every time worship starts and your heart longs to sing to your God?  I’ve been blessed to hear that, and even more to pray and speak that to others!

By God’s grace I have fallen more in love with the church and have no regrets about it.  On the last morning devotional at Na we read Romans 12, and verse 10 stuck out to me the most: “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”

After meditating on the second command, I believed it to mean that in the context of the local church, share evidences of grace.  And let me tell you, when the Holy Spirit equips you to apply that for His glory, WOW does that rekindle a passion for the local church!  Here’s only a small sample of the grace that was on full display:

·         One of the men there battles a serious case of Parkinson’s disease, and yet I have yet to hear him complain.  In spite of his deficiency, he continually leaves his condition in God’s hands, and his family follows his leadership by trusting God.  As a result, several ladies have come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior through his wife’s outreach, and she herself has grown tremendously in serving the people of God.

·         Friendships have deepened and have become more cross-centered and God-exalting; it’s a miracle to realize what it took to unite other brothers and sisters in Christ together!  I’m constantly moved by the fact that I get to be one of many who considers how “to stir one another up to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together,… but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25)!

·         The passion for God the youth have is amazing to witness, even as someone older.  And the snowball effect that has on the kids and their parents… they’re truly finding ways to do hard things for the glory of God!

·         Connect (summer thing singles go through) has been AMAZING this year as we went through Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper.  That book had a personal affect on me (will explain in a couple of days), but I would say that many were challenged and grew in fighting to spend their lives making much of God for who he is and what he has done!

·         Kevin, the head coach for our softball team, gave an outstanding acceptance speech at the church picnic after winning the championship game!  He focused his attention on God’s grace and said that humanly speaking the success was only because of how the team worked together.  He said that the ultimate success of the team was how they applied the gospel on the field and, most importantly, off the field and in their families, careers, and even more importantly, in the local church.  What joy it was to glorify and thank God in that moment!

·         We (young adults… hooligans in the eyes of some!) have been used by God to share the gospel with those at an outlet center about 30 minutes away from Souderton and those times have been RICH!  I have been so blessed to see how others have been growing in this area and have sought to, by God’s Spirit, share the gospel with joy, humility, boldness, and urgency.

·         I have been blessed to see how eager some of the kids are in serving.  I’ve had the privilege to serve on set-up in July and I’ve derived so much joy by seeing the servant-heartedness of the kids at such a young age!  And it was a joy to approach one of the moms who wanted to make sure that the kids weren’t a burden… oh quite the contrary! 

I really wish that I was among one of the thousands in Acts 2 or Acts 4!…

One last major group I want to honor – and you’re definitely anticipating these men: the pastoral team.  Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls; let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” 

By God’s grace they do just that!  They have grown in skillful humility as it relates to “rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).  They preach nothing new, just the same old glorious truths about who God is and what he has done to and for us in Christ, and how we are to apply that truth!  And they do that with much joy and pastoral care, and in God’s kindness I get to receive such from them and reciprocate back by honoring them… so let me do so for each one of the guys on the team:

·         Aron (senior pastor) has grown tremendously in “rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).  Upon hearing the summer series being an exposition of the book of Daniel, I was skeptical about how the dreams would be unpacked; by God’s grace he led us into grounding ourselves in what is true and certain – that God is the main character in the book of Daniel and the mysteries in the visions are only his to know about (Deuteronomy 29:29).  He led us in the truth that God’s sovereignty steadies God’s people and that he is completely trustworthy, faithful, and good in all that he does; our responsibility is to trust him, serve him, worship him, and love him with our whole being.  In the midst of his responsibilities, which include (but are not limited to) overseeing 18+ churches, caring for this local church, making sure the transition for one of the 18+ churches is going smoothly, preparing for youth camp and the marriage conference; in the midst of such, he still has time to lead, love, and care for his wife and three kids (four in November!) – by God’s grace they’re continuing to thrive!  Oh, and he still has a little bit of time to provide input and counsel in some areas of my life, including the courtship!… Talk about someone who knows how to prioritize for God’s glory!

·         Jeremy has a keen eye on different situations and is able to shed light from a different angle… most times that others have never considered!  And what I love most about him is his pastoral care, his gentleness (which is evident anytime you interact with him), and his aggressive humility in leading us to apply the gospel in each of our lives!  Jeremy, however, needs to stay up-to-date about events and new technological gadgets and such (like iPhones! J)

·         Ed’s wisdom and humility are beyond peer.  I’ve been provoked by his example as well to encourage other brothers and sisters in Christ, because he’s almost always (if not always) the first one to identify evidences of God’s grace and seek to draw their attention to the greatness and faithfulness of God.  You can tell right away how amazed he is that God has poured out infinite mercy and grace on his life!

·         Blake’s desire to serve is also unparalleled.  Much of what takes place on Sunday mornings and events would possibly erupt into chaos were it not for his servant leadership and making sure everything’s in check.  And though he is an administrator he still seeks to care for individuals and has grown much in his care, and I’ve been blessed to be the recipient of such.

Though I’ll be away for a couple of months there’s the anticipation of returning and seeing how God has grown this local church because by God’s grace the church will be different for the better!  And I will miss the folks back in PA, but at worst this is only a pause until returning back and plugging back in to them (and I’ll still be plugged into the Ashburn church down here during classes).  But a couple of days before leaving, one final Scripture resonated with my heart for the people in this local church: Philippians 1:3-11.  Though my theology is a speck, if that, of Paul’s, I hope to have the same heart that he had for this local church.  Let God’s word be my closing remarks, and to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever, Amen.

 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Guys, thank you for loving God with your all, loving the gospel with your all, and conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel; may you only do so more and more!  Can’t wait to return back, and more importantly, sing of the saving grace of God throughout all eternity!

Tomorrow?... =)