Scripture
– Romans 12:1 (NCV)
So
brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to offer
your lives as a living sacrifice to him. Your offering must be only for God and
pleasing to him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship.
We
were welcomed as we entered and then by a number of others as well. We were
then given a ticket for a free coffee and invited to bring it with us to
worship.
The
sanctuary is an arc with an ascending ceiling amplifying the focus, wood
paneling on the ceiling matching the rear chancel wall. There is a large wooden
cross to one side and the pews are comfortably padded.
The
stage was decorated with auto parts which will relate to the series, this first
being on worship. Today’s message related the tachometer to whether we as
Christians are operating in the red zone…do we give our all for Christ? God
doesn’t want meaningless ritual. He is looking for His followers to be
completely committed, like the Marines – full force with no excuses...all we
should be for an audience of One. Another good point – to carry your cross with
you in case you need to be nailed to it.
The
message developed well with supporting Scripture references and brought to good
conclusion. I noticed a number of members taking notes and paying close
attention.
Communion
was served silently with both elements on the tray.
I noticed
some good mission activities, including building a home for a needy family, and
I enjoyed a conversation with a gracious woman at the welcome desk.
The
bright-colored signs caught my eye as I drove past this church on a recent
detour to work. There was plenty of choice parking available when we arrived,
but it filled quickly.
We
were greeted warmly by a number of people, some of whom engaged us in
conversation. As first-time guests we were given cards entitling us to a free
coffee in the café area and then invited to take our coffee with us into the
sanctuary.
The
directional signage was helpful, and the rest room signs indicated that both had
changing tables…funny how I now look for these things. The ladies room was attractively
decorated, including a comfortable bench.
Mission
seems to be high on the list of priorities here: someone put some time into
creating a billboard detailing the various mission involvements and a number of
missions were pointed out in the bulletin.
“Everything
We Do Is Driven By You!” was the first message in the series “Redline Worship.”
The title is a former Ford auto slogan but the “you” refers to Christ, and the
redline mentioned is the indicator on the tachometer that a vehicle engine is
running extremely fast. Once all these details were clear, the hubcaps on the
rear wall of the chancel made a lot more sense.
The
message was an encouragement to worship constantly, not just on Sunday, to
surrender completely to Christ, give Him our full attention all the time with
our whole hearts. The pastor spoke with passion, especially when he stated that
when he meets Christ he does not want to hear, “You did okay.” He wants to be
on fire and sold out for Christ, using his time here to bring glory to God. He
encouraged the congregation to “refuse to settle for a puny little relationship
with Jesus.”
I’ve
not heard it put quite that way before, but he definitely had my attention. I
can’t help but ask myself if I’ve been settling for a puny little relationship.
During
Communion, my eye caught the phrase displayed on the screen: Please partake of
the emblems as they are passed.
We pray, Lord, that you will awaken the Christian spirit of this church, that they will step out for You full force, no excuses. May they know the joy in serving You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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