Thinking...

Romans 7

21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Recently during a moment of private worship and reflection, I was reminded of the above-mentioned scripture. I’ve found that the more I spend time in the presence of God, and have a “no holds barred” approach to him, the more I become aware of my shortcomings, but also of his grace and forgiveness extended to me.

I’m convinced that when a person meets with God, their lives are radically transformed and as they allow the encounter with him to affect and empower their lives, they become a force to contend with. I say this pretty much every week of my life these days. The thing that I realize I have neglected to elaborate is that the encounter with God has to be one in which everything is laid bare before him. Not just because we ALLOW him to, but because God’s presence and the presence of sin in our lives are mutually exclusive. Nothing is hidden from God and when his presence manifests itself in our personal or corporate worship times, everything is laid bare before him whether we think we can hide it or not.

Perhaps this realization inspired Paul to pen the words in Romans 7 mentioned above.

Because I work at Woodvale, my thoughts concerning worship and experiencing the presence of God always come back to the congregation that I am privileged to serve. In light of this realization, can I truly say that people are convicted of sin during the services in which I am a facilitator? Am I convinced that when conviction falls, people are made aware of the forgiveness and mercy extended to them?

The freedom from transgression made possible both by faith, and a sense of God’s grace and mercy is (in my humble opinion) the ignition point of a radical life transformation in any individual.

We are constantly working, praying and believing to see God move in an unprecedented way over our congregation at woodvale... at least I think that we are all on the same page about this. Our hope for the congregation we serve is not only that we shall experience God’s power during our services, but that the experience of his presence shall start a fire that cannot be contained in our church building walls. This experience would subsequently explode us out of our apathy and make us a living, breathing and potent representation of the kingdom of God in Ottawa.

My hope and prayer has recently transformed into a supplication that God would deal with our individual and corporate sinful nature that we may be set on fire for him in light of his grace, mercy and forgiveness.

To God be the glory!