This is one of those weeks for me. One of those weeks where I don’t know what to blog about or what to say. It’s one of those weeks that I absolutely live for and dread at the same time. It’s a week where I really feel – with all my heart, soul, mind and strength – like God is going to do something big… something huge… something massive… something historically grand… something that is exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or even imagine! And He’s going to do that right here – right in front of my eyes!
What in the world am I talking about? Let me explain.
As you probably know, I have been blessed to be serving at St. Timothy & St. Athanasius church (STSA) - aka THE GREATEST CHURCH EVER!. I love my church so much and from day one, I have felt that God has a special calling and a special mission for this church (go back and see the very first blog post I ever posted and you’ll see what I am talking about).
This church isn’t supposed to be for “church” people, but rather I feel that God wants to use it to reach out to non-church people.
People like your boss or co-worker – who believes in God but doesn’t really enjoy going to church because it’s long and boring. Or like the single mom next door – who feels judged and ostracized by her church and doesn’t want to go back. Or like your heart-broken and guilt-stricken neighbor – who will never ever ever admit that she is empty, but deep inside she knows she needs more.
That what STSA is all about. Or rather, I should say, that’s who STSA is all about. We’re all about being a church for the unchurched. We’re about being “all things to all men that we might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). That’s the vision we’ve had from day one.
So what does that have to do with this week? THIS WEEKEND IS OUR PUBLIC LAUNCH!
Yes, even though we’ve been up and running for over a year now, this is the weekend where I really feel God is going to take us the next step. We are praying hard and believing that our God will do big things this weekend. HUGE THINGS!
Why this weekend? This weekend we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost – the day the Holy Spirit descended upon the early church and they preached the gospel and “and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.” (Acts 2:41)
That was the day that the original church “went public” so to speak. That was the day that the message of the gospel was proclaimed to the community and the community responded in a way that could only be accomplished by the Spirit of God working in their hearts. That was the day that the tidal wave began – the tidal wave that eventually led others to say “these who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” (Acts 17:6).
I believe that this Sunday – June 23 – will be that day for us… for STSA… for the DC metro area. This will be the day.
Now, do I expect 3000 people to be baptized on Sunday? Probably not. (If so though I think I might need to push back my lunch plans.)
To be honest, I don’t really know what I expect. I expect God to work and us to be ready – that’s about it. God has His ways and His plans and who am I to question Him or even attempt to understand. My job is to be ready – to stay in tune with His leading and be ready for whatever He sends.
If He sends one person, we will rejoice and know that that one person is the most important person in the whole wide world because they were sent by God. If He sends 10,000 people, we do the exact same thing (but then I might need to push back the dinner plans as well).
Either way, we’ll be ready. We’ll invite people to church. We’ll present “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24) in as clear a manner as we can. We’ll welcome people and feed people and hug people and just love people for every second that they’re with us.
And the rest is up to God.
That’s it. That’s why I am excited. Go ahead and admit it… you’re excited too.
Last thing I’ll leave you with. Check out the passage I read this morning in my Bible. If that isn’t God speaking LOUDLY and clearly, then I don’t know what is.
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” Isaiah 49:6
Ladies and gentlemen, let the tidal wave begin!