So many of you have already posted reflections of today. I have read a lot of them, and I agree with them all. It was truly a day unlike any other. We have said similar things so many times in the past few months, that I wonder if this fact loses its punch. Then we have another wonderful experience and I realize that God is changing our default... He is changing our perspective. He INTENDS for us to expect blessings. He wants us to EXPECT His presence and anointing.
For so many people involved in this group of believers, the challenges of the past year have been like wearing cement shoes while swimming in the ocean. Every time we would pull our heads above the waterline and get a breath, another wave would come along and force us under water again. Our family arrived in Chesapeake one year ago this week, and I know the swells I have experienced, but others that were here before are even more waterlogged.
God has been faithful to us despite circumstances that would have completely destroyed most other churches. Some might say that our church HAS been destroyed. She lost her entire leadership team, most of her attenders and a beautiful multi-million dollar facility. I simply disagree.
Have you ever seen a master craftsman restore an old piece of furniture? First he strips away all of the residue... the dirt, the old paint or varnish... everything down to the bare, exposed wood. It is at this point that the piece is at its most vulnerable. It is exposed to the elements, and the potential for irreparable damage is high.
Next, he begins restoring. He sands it to smooth out the rough, exposed areas. Then, he carefully re-paints or stains the piece and seals it with a protective varnish so that nothing can damage the integrity of that piece of furniture again. When he is finished, you have something that was old and ready for the landfill, but has been restored to the beauty that was always there. It was hidden under decades of neglect, but now it is a showpiece that awes and inspires.
Well, friends, the Master craftsman has been hard at work. It has not been a comfortable process to be stripped and exposed, with all of our imperfections bare for the world to see. But now, we are a brand-new showpiece... something to be proud of again.
This past week has been incredibly intense. I have felt it emotionally and physically, but most certainly spiritually. Many see how much we have lost. I don't. I see what we have gained. We have re-gained our reputation. We have gained relationships that have been forged in fire and tested mightily. We have gained a group of people who WANT to be together, no matter what. Most of all, we have gained a laser focus on the cause of Christ that will not be altered or blurred. Our mission is to be a church where ALL THINGS POINT TO CHRIST. If something we want does not line up with this focus, it will be abandoned. Period. We will be about the cause of Christ.
I am so proud to be a part of verticalCHURCH. The electricity in that school building today could have powered the City of Chesapeake. It was a sense of freedom that we could never have given ourselves. It came from God, and it was intense. It was not about one or two individuals, but Christ alone.
Thank you for making this journey with us. You have chosen to fight FOR something, rather than fighting AGAINST something. Will everything be easy from here on out? No. Do we have some challenges ahead of us? Absolutely. Are our best days ahead of us? By the power of the Holy Spirit, there is no doubt.
I have thought about the Israelites and the early New Testament church a lot this week. The challenges they faced make ours look ridiculously easy. Through them, God changed the world. It is worth the fight... as long as we are fighting the right fight... and we are.
We are the church. We are... verticalCHURCH, where all things point to Christ! Blessed be the name of the Lord!
Pastor Brian
