“O, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).
From here, from there, from the uttermost parts, we came. People of faith and purpose and joy and mission gathered to celebrate the finished work of Jesus Christ. As people who stand upon the Rock, as people who build their lives in understanding and wisdom, as people who rest our hope on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteous
ness, we gathered together in Baltimore.
Our 2017 International Convention is now history; another festival of life and light has brightened the beginning of another summer for us. It was a time to bask in the Spirit of the Lord, who commanded His people, Israel, to converge on Jerusalem for seasons of refreshment, remembrance, and revival. In this same Spirit, we came.
We opened our Bibles, over and over and over and over. Rich words from the Scriptures filled our mornings and nights. Songs filled our mouths – and food, too. These days were a feast for our minds, hearts, AND bodies.
Agape Love Reigns
Lifted up was the banner of God’s agape love. This love covers us; this love is patient and kind; this love in the love that thinks no evil, bears all things, believes all things, and never fails.
Also raised were flags, the symbols of nations where God has raised remnants of the faithful and true. We continue to rejoice that more and more feet have stepped out in faith. Many do still grow and then go.
For the first time, we marched around the city center of Baltimore and proclaimed God’s love to its people who groan under the weight of a world awry and adrift, to those who struggle to live in an atmosphere in need of hope. Many were captivated by our songs, laughter, and message. Atop Federal Hill, which casts its shadow over the town, we prayed for peace and renewal to come to this place we call home.
We were confirmed in the conviction that no house stands unless it is 'Built upon the Rock.' Click To TweetWe were confirmed in the conviction that no house stands unless it is “Built upon the Rock.” This foundation is secure. Though we may limp and worm our way through life, we learned all over again that we are robed with His garment of praise and equipped with the sword of Truth.
Smiles and tears and hugs and kisses were in abundance. The many faces of the Greater Grace family glowed with the sense of God’s presence. Why was this so? It was so because
the fear of the Lord is “clean,’ as David wrote in Psalm 19. This “fear,” this feeling of reverence and awe puts Christ at the center, and it points to the reality that we forgiven and free, and that we are made alive in Him who saved us.
Truth to Guard Our Hearts
Rock and Redeemer – this is how we see the Person of Jesus Christ. He is the Christ, the anointed One, the Son of the living God sent to give His life as our ransom. This revelation, given first to the Apostle Peter in Matthew 16, forms the fabric of our church life and missionary mindset.
May we allow this truth to always guard our hearts. Let us not lose sight of who He is and who He has made us to be.
These conventions are God’s way of allowing to taste and see what it is sure to come. His promises do not fall to the ground. Grass withers, flowers fade, but God’s Word, however, is eternal and sure.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Lead us by Your Spirit as we grow in our expectation for the ages to come. We are confident that the time shall come when we shall enjoy — without measure — the exceeding riches of Your Grace and Kindness.
- Chosen, Royal, Holy, Peculiar and Alive - September 27, 2023
- Incorruptible Seed - September 20, 2023
- Born Again to the Living Hope - September 13, 2023
