religiousaffections

August 31, 2009

Journal Entry from August 23, 2009
God is at work in Tampa! The evidence of his grace and mercy is all around. Just a few hours ago I got to sit with the six other members of Covenant Life’s core team and worship corporately for the first time ever.  I’m not sure if I really had any expectations, but if I did, they were flipped on their head as the Holy Spirit moved in our midst through the singing and teaching of the Word.  The wise words of a fellow planter were, “If you can’t go hard after the Lord with seven, what makes you think you can go hard after Him with seventy?”  What wise advice!

In heading that wise counsel we treated tonight just like a normal service at an established local church.  There was a welcome, a time of prayer, a time of reading God’s word together, we sang together (to a CD while standing), Justin preached, we had a time of reflection and response - six of us in my living room.  What we thought was going to be moderately to extremely awkward turned out to be one of the sweetest times of corporate worship that I’ve ever experienced as a part of a local church.  There is no doubt, it was not the way we structured anything, it was simply that the Spirit showed up among us.

To look around the room at the faces that the Lord has brought us was humbling.  My mind couldn’t help but think about a time in the future when the friends we’ve made here - our neighbors, our awesome bankers, and the guys we play basketball with - might be sitting among us worshipping their Savior! Ah, this thought brings me to my knees!  Maybe tonight I caught just a glimpse of what it would be like to truly have God’s heart for those living in slavery to sin. My heart is crushed for my friends here who do not get God. One thing I know for sure, I don’t deserve my salvation and I don’t deserve to be a part of something this beautiful.  I’m not only called out of isolation, but into the corporate life of the family of God!  I look around the room tonight and see dear brothers and sisters - people that I get to share life with now.

Before tonight I was often tempted to look to the future when we would have fifty or even one hundred people gathering corporately.  After tonight, I’m pretty sure that I won’t be thinking about that anymore.  The sweetness of this season cannot be described and I didn’t know it until tonight.  It is a joy to be where I am.  Paul said it best, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil 1:3-6).

Your prayers are felt here in Tampa, and they are quite clearly being answered for the glory of Him who has saved us!  Keep praying, stay in touch!  All of grace - dt