GROVE CHRISTIAN CENTER
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Leadership
    • Service Schedule
    • Contact
  • Kids & Youth
    • History Makers Kids
    • PSALM 139
  • Online Giving
  • GCC Authors
  • Ministry Links
  • 50th Anniversary of GCC
    • Register HERE!

Word of the Week

The Sights & Sounds of the Redeemed

6/15/2020

0 Comments

 
This‎ past‎ weekend‎ Rhonda‎ and‎ I‎ were‎ blessed‎ to‎ be‎ in‎ Alto‎ Texas‎ with‎ our‎ wonderful‎ friends,‎ Pastor‎ Ron‎ and‎ Kay‎ Rose.‎ They‎ Pastor‎ the‎ River‎ Church‎ in‎ Alto,‎ Texas‎ with‎ church‎ plants‎ in‎ Wells,‎ Tx‎ and‎ soon‎ to‎ open‎ in‎ Jackonsonville,‎ Tx.‎ God‎ arranged‎ for‎ us‎ to‎ meet‎ in‎ 2003‎ and‎ it‎ has‎ been‎ a‎ wonderful‎ friendship‎ ever‎ since.
‎ The‎ town‎ of‎ Alto‎ has‎ a‎ population‎ of‎ app.‎ 1200‎ people.‎ It‎ is‎ small‎ town‎ America‎ on‎ display‎ for‎ sure.‎ As‎ is‎ with‎ many‎ small‎ rural‎ communities,‎ especially‎ those‎ in‎ economically‎ challenged‎ situations,‎ the‎ effects‎ of‎ hopelessness,‎ drugs,‎ divorce‎ and‎ a‎ powerless‎ church‎ has‎ brought‎ great‎ devastation‎ to‎ a‎ generation‎ of‎ young‎ men‎ and‎ women.‎ 
​

‎Pastor‎ Ron‎ and‎ Kay‎ took‎ this‎ situation‎ as‎ a‎ wake-up‎ call.‎ The‎ Church‎ either‎ becomes‎ the‎ church‎ or‎ the‎ darkness‎ over‎ their‎ town‎ will‎ prevail.‎ The‎ jails‎ cells‎ of‎ their‎ county‎ became‎ their‎ fields‎ of‎ harvest.‎ Those‎ in‎ the‎ deep‎ demonic‎ clutches‎ of‎ addictions‎ were‎ the‎ preferred‎ targets‎ for‎ future‎ leadership‎ positions.‎ They,‎ and‎ at‎ the‎ time,‎ a‎ small‎ core‎ of‎ members‎ with‎ the‎ same‎ passion‎ and‎ vision‎ set‎ in‎ motion‎ a‎ God‎ inspired‎ mission‎ to‎ go‎ after‎ this‎ segment‎ of‎ society‎ that‎ most‎ had‎ written‎ off.‎ What‎ we‎ witnessed‎ yesterday‎ at‎ The‎ River‎ in‎ Alto‎ Texas‎ was‎ stunning‎ for‎ lack‎ of‎ better‎ words!!‎ The‎ sights‎ and‎ sounds‎ of‎ the‎ redeemed‎ was‎ something‎ I‎ had‎ not‎ seen‎ in‎ a‎ town‎ and‎ church‎ this‎ size‎ anywhere‎ in‎ America.‎

The‎ morning‎ service‎ began‎ with‎ a‎ prayer‎ time‎ and‎ approx‎ 80‎ plus‎ people‎ were‎ in‎ their‎ seats‎ anxiously‎ waiting‎ to‎ start‎ the‎ service.‎ Then‎ it‎ began,‎ testimonies‎ of‎ healing,‎ of‎ relationships‎ being‎ restored,‎ of‎ minds‎ clear‎ after‎ years‎ of‎ addictions,‎ of‎ the‎ intense‎ love‎ they‎ felt‎ at‎ this‎ church,‎ love‎ they‎ had‎ never‎ had‎ in‎ the‎ world.‎ Tears‎ flowed‎ down‎ our‎ faces‎ as‎ we‎ watched‎ in‎ awe‎ of‎ what‎ God‎ was‎ doing‎ in‎ this‎ small‎ town‎ America‎ church,‎ surrounded‎ by‎ years‎ of‎ religious‎ institutions,‎ disunity‎ and‎ selfish‎ ambitions.‎ We‎ saw‎ and‎ heard‎ the‎ sights‎ and‎ sounds‎ of‎ the‎ redeemed‎ and‎ it‎ was‎ glorious,‎ uplifting‎ and‎ so,‎ so‎ refreshing.‎ The‎ main‎ service‎ was‎ a‎ continuation‎ of‎ the‎ outpouring.‎ Men,‎ yes,‎ many‎ young‎ adult‎ men‎ at‎ the‎ altar‎ singing,‎ dancing‎ and‎ rejoicing‎ in‎ the‎ freedom‎ they‎ now‎ had‎ through‎ Jesus‎ Christ.‎ Then‎ maybe‎ the‎ most‎ amazing‎ part‎ of‎ the‎ day‎ was‎ the‎ Sunday‎ evening‎ prayer‎ service.‎ Yes,‎ America,‎ Sunday‎ evening.‎ The‎ time‎ most‎ churches‎ have‎ jettisoned‎ off‎ their‎ schedule‎ as‎ unimportant,‎ because‎ most‎ of‎ people‎ have‎ said‎ it‎ is‎ unimportant.‎ Not‎ at‎ The‎ River!‎ A‎ circle‎ of‎ 125‎ chairs‎ were‎ in‎ place‎ and‎ at‎ least‎ 100‎ people‎ were‎ in‎ their‎ seats‎ anxiously‎ waiting‎ time‎ to‎ start‎ the‎ service.‎

Then‎ the‎ testimonies‎ began‎ again,‎ then‎ declarations‎ over‎ lost‎ family‎ members,‎ worship,‎ and‎ prayer‎ for‎ one‎ another,‎ encouraging‎ words,‎ shouts‎ of‎ victory.‎ Oh‎ what‎ a‎ beautiful‎ sight‎ to‎ see.‎ What‎ a‎ glorious‎ sound‎ the‎ hear.‎ They‎ know‎ that‎ their‎ Redeemer‎ Lives‎ because‎ He‎ has‎ touched‎ their‎ lives‎ in‎ such‎ a‎ transformative‎ way‎ that‎ no‎ one‎ can‎ deny‎ the‎ fact.

‎
Reading‎ the‎ story‎ of‎ Mary‎ breaking‎ the‎ jar‎ of‎ alabaster‎ and‎ pouring‎ it‎ over‎ the‎ head‎ of‎ Jesus,‎ it‎ was‎ an‎ act‎ of‎ "extreme‎ devotion"‎ as‎ the‎ Passion‎ translation‎ reads.‎ What‎ we‎ witnessed‎ yesterday‎ was‎ acts‎ of‎ extreme‎ devotion‎ as‎ men‎ and‎ women‎ brought‎ their‎ alabaster‎ jars,‎ which‎ was‎ their‎ redeemed‎ lives‎ and‎ poured‎ it‎ out‎ in‎ worship,‎ love‎ for‎ one‎ another‎ and‎ deep,‎ deep‎ gratitude‎ for‎ someone‎ seeing‎ value‎ in‎ them.‎ 

Marys‎ act‎ of‎ devotion‎ upset‎ the‎ religious‎ minded‎ but‎ Jesus‎ was‎ moved‎ by‎ this‎ event‎ and‎ even‎ declared‎ her‎ act‎ would‎ be‎ noted‎ all‎ over‎ the‎ world.‎ ‎ 
‎
Could‎ this‎ act‎ of‎ devotion,‎ in‎ this‎ small,‎ off‎ the‎ radar‎ town‎ in‎ East‎ Texas‎ ignite‎ a‎ movement‎ that‎ could‎ salvage‎ the‎ mission‎ and‎ mandate‎ for‎ the‎ church‎ today?‎ My‎ eyes‎ have‎ seen‎ and‎ my‎ ears‎ have‎ heard‎ the‎ Redeemed‎ say‎ SO!!!
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    David Knox

    Senior pastor at Grove Christian Center.

    Archives

    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020

    Categories

    All

Grove Christian Center
29010 S. 630 Road
Grove, OK 74344
918.786.4497
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Leadership
    • Service Schedule
    • Contact
  • Kids & Youth
    • History Makers Kids
    • PSALM 139
  • Online Giving
  • GCC Authors
  • Ministry Links
  • 50th Anniversary of GCC
    • Register HERE!