Isaiah 46:9-13
Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’
From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do.
Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, you who are now far from my righteousness.
I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away;
And my salvation will not be delayed.
I will grant salvation to Zion, my splendor to Israel.
We were early and a number of people stopped to welcome us.
The building appeared to be a former school and the service held in what was probably a gym, so the acoustics were not good. For me the volume made it harder for me to hear or understand. I was disappointed to not see a cross except for one on a banner, then noticed three small crosses together above the coffee area.
The guest musicians were accomplished and enjoyable.
The pastor stated he had just returned from vacation and his message was on the sovereignty of God. The Biblical references quoted simply and directly state God’s supreme unrestricted authority and power as fact. The congregation seemed to show an active interest in the sermon which paused for some more songs. After a few more praise songs a different man finished the message. Deuteronomy 10:12-13 was quoted. The three points: that we will be drawn to worship, drawn to obey, and so God can comfort us.
We were in the last row and the heat was unbearable for me but I was surprised how much of a breeze I could feel when I moved my chair back about a foot.
We had another commitment and had to leave after 1½ hours, but while looking at the nursery had the pleasure of meeting the pastor’s wife. She was able to answer a long-standing question for me. I had noticed the church when it was on Route 228; the property was sold and a drug store built there, but I never found where the church went or even its name. I always thought God would lead us to it.
The great signage at the road was extremely helpful and much appreciated.
The church leases the buildings that formerly housed the Richland Christian School, which sit on 55 idyllic acres.
We arrived early enough to look around, and after finding seats in the very back row we had a lovely conversation with some folks in front of us as well as several others who stopped to greet us.
This church seems to be involved in a wide array of internal and external missions.
For some reason I had not anticipated contemporary music at this church. That was enough of a surprise, but we could never have predicted the music we would hear today. We were privileged to be present for special music presented by Doug Ward and Shailen Abram. From the bulletin: “Doug has served with and led worship teams for the past 20 years having a passion for music, for the Lord and for young people. 15 year old Shailen is blind and has autism, as well as a remarkable musical gift. He has been playing the piano and singing since he was 18 months old.” The music was indeed special, and Shailen is amazingly gifted. I was grateful for God’s leading us here on this particular day.
The pastor announced that today’s topic was the sovereignty of God, which he defined as “supreme, unrestricted power with no termination of authority.” Verse by verse, he went through the Scripture for the day which states that God’s purposes span from ancient times to the completion of time, that His purpose will stand and He will do all He pleases. His plan will not be interrupted, confused, or destroyed, and His purpose is salvation. The pastor pointed out that Scripture does not try to prove God’s sovereignty; it simply states it as fact.
Following more special music, another gentleman took over preaching. He answered the question, “Why do the writers of Scripture tell us this?” He declared a three-fold purpose: 1 – so we will be drawn to worship; 2 – to motivate us to obey God; and 3 – so He can comfort us. He stated that if God was only sovereign, we would fear Him. But Scripture testifies to God’s love, out of which He acts with sovereignty. Because He acts out of love (Jeremiah 29:11), we can be confident that every event in our lives is for our good (Romans 8:28) and that He walks with us through everything we face.
Indeed He does…a fact on which I depend every moment and for which I am utterly grateful.
Father, we pray You continue to bless this little church. May they be a beacon on the hill for You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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