A Truly Remarkable Day

No Room For Judging

Yesterday was Sunday -- and my church experienced God in an unusual way.

What makes this a truly remarkable is when you realize that GVCC was "about" full -- with a grand total of "about" 60 people in attendance.

No one is able to "hide" among the masses in a church of 60 people.

When you are in a church of 60 people, you are among family.
And the best part is, when you pass through the door,
"judging" stays outside and the love of God is the defining rule.

So what I am about to share, is about a group of people that are aware of each others humanity, with its limitations and weaknesses.  God's love demands that we sit side by side and worship the amazing Lord whose love makes it all possible.  All distractions have to be addressed and disgarded.

The "preacher" was a man that was converted while in a local jail and grew in the faith while serving tie in prison.  After getting out of prison, he continued growing in the faith and today, serves the Lord full-time as an evangelist.  Truly a miracle.

In the congregation was "a couple" men that spent years in jail for one reason or another.  What the world has thrown away and considered unworthy of a second chance, the good Lord transforms into His children.  Truly a miracle.

In the congregation was a number of police officers and corrections officers -- all who were fully aware of the ex-criminals sitting among them.  No one can be more judgmental than career law enforcement officers -- namely because, often their safety and the safety of the public rests on their ability to accurately judge the character of the people they confront.   So for these men and women to set aside their bias and participate in unified worship -- is truly a miracle.

And sitting in the back row, right by the door, was a young lady that had just a few short days prior, given her life to Christ.  She sat and observed the love of Christ at work in a room full of "Christians".  If she wondered what genuine authentic Christianity looked like -- then she got a close up look at what God can do when people honor His Word with all their heart.

She realized that what she was witnessing with her own eyes, went far beyond "church entertainment" and far beyond "church salesmanship" and far beyond "legalistic religion" -- this was Jesus Christ at work transforming lives that glorify God.  That my friends, is a miracle and it happened at Garden Valley Community Church yesterday.

For a text, the preacher spent a lot of time reflecting on the text:  

"Praise be to the God 
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
the Father of compassion 
and the God of all comfort, 
who comforts us in all our troubles, 
so that we can comfort those in any trouble 
with the comfort we ourselves receive from God"
2 Corinthians 1:3-4