I admit, I have a love/hate relationship with blogging. I love it because it provides an incredible communication outlet. We have a lot going on at LifePoint and blogging is one of the best ways to get the word out. It's also a great way to communicate vision, both personal & corporate, as well as inspiration. So, I love the communication outlet provided by blogging. But, I have to admit, there are some things I hate about blogging. I hate having one more thing on my "to do" list. I hate the always present reality of being misunderstood with every post. Words are such a small part of communication. So, every post presents an opportunity to be misunderstood. I do a good enough job with this on the weekends. The last thing I need to do is give people more ammunition to shoot in my direction. But, the positives far out weigh the negatives. So, after a several month sabbatical from the blogosphere, I think it's time to wade back into the blogging waters.
If you've read the book Radical by David Platt, then you're familiar with Secret Church. Platt is the Senior Pastor of Brookhills Church in Birmingham, Alabama. They do an event a couple times a year called Secret Church. There are thousands of churches all over the globe in places that are hostile to the gospel. Unlike American believers, these believers can't publicly gather for worship on Sunday morning. Rather, they have to meet in secret, usually in late hours, to avoid be arrested. They might not get to meet every week. So, when they do gather, they might meet for several hours in less than ideal facilities, to study the things of God.
Secret Church is an event started by Platt to teach the Word while helping American believers somewhat identify with believers in places that are hostile to the gospel. I say somewhat because there's no way we can truly identify in our comfortable seats, air conditioned buildings, image magnification & sound systems. But, it's a great way to identify with our brothers & sisters around the world by meeting for several hours to study the things of God.
We're doing our first Secret Church gathering, Friday, November, 12th from 7-11pm. This is obviously a high commitment level event as we're going to spend four hours teaching theology & praying for the persecuted church & our Sending Church campuses. If you have this level of commitment & have the evening available, I challenge you to be a part of this event so you can grow in your knowledge of God.
A great old Catechism asks, "What is the chief end of man?" Then answers: "Man's chief end is to glorify God & enjoy Him forever." John Piper says, "Enjoying God is the way to glorify God because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. But, to enjoy Him, we must know Him. If He remains a blurry, vague fog, we may be intrigued for a season, but we want be stunned with joy. I really believe that clear knowledge of God from the Bible is the kindling that sustains the fires of affection for God. And probably, the most crucial kind of knowledge is knowledge of what God is like in salvation." I agree 100%! So, we're going to spend four hours talking about salvation.
So, don't miss this wonderful opportunity to grow in your knowledge of God so you can enjoy HIm greatly because He is most glorified in you when you when you are most satisfied in Him and, I promise, studying about His wonderful gift of salvation will greatly increase you awe of & satisfaction in God. I hope to see you at our first Secret Church gathering. You need to bring a journal & a pen with a lot of ink. We'll have the Cafe' open for you to purchase snacks, coffee or drinks during the breaks. See you tomorrow.
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