Just got home from Secret Church and thought I would write a bit telling how the meeting encouraged and blessed me.
1) Studying the Gospel, the topic tonight, reminded me that Jesus really is so infinitely satisfying that He is worth gladly considering everything else as loss in comparison with Him. No, that isn’t rocket science, but is a truth that I sometimes allow to drift from the forefront of my mind.
2) Closely related to the first blessing I received tonight is the blessing of heightened conviction over sin in my life. When don’t I need to hear John Owen’s famous quote, “Be killing sin, or it will be killing you”?
3) Seeing junior high and high school-age students busy listening and taking notes is always such an encouragement, partly because I’m selfish and want to feel like I’m connecting with “my” Oasis students, but mainly because it is beautiful seeing junior high and high school students, at least from all outward appearances, legitimately hungering and thirsting for the Word of God.
4) As an add-on to the third reason I was blessed tonight, I was also blessed seeing God continue His obliteration of popular (even Christian) culture’s insistence that junior high and high school students can’t endure much teaching and should instead be constantly entertained. God and His Word seemed captivating enough to them.
5) As I listened to Kevin talk about the communal aspect of the Christian life because of the Gospel, I found myself looking around the room, recognizing and being reminded of the deep love God has given me for “my” students and leaders. And I’m thankful for the growth in love toward one another and toward me I see God producing in them. It’s a sweet thing to see and experience.
In short, I guess I would say that I was both encouraged and excited by Secret Church because it really looked like God was at work among His people in a host of ways. There are plenty more things I could write, but I suppose 1:28am is just about bed time!
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