Church Closings
Sadly, this past Sunday I attended the final service of the Clearwater Vineyard. Over the past six years I have seen 3 churches that I helped to get off the ground close their doors. The Tampa Vineyard and Heart's Cry were the other two.
In looking back, all three of these churches were instrumental in the lives of countless people. Many accepted Christ there for the first time and many more got to know the person of the Holy Spirit as an active, personal presence in their everyday lives. Families grew up together and infants are now adults serving Him with passion and dedication.
While there is a sadness that goes along with seeing these churches close, there is also a sense of accomplishment in the knowledge that in their seasons these bodies made a difference and God was glorified through them.
All three closed for different reasons. At least in the case of the Clearwater Vineyard there was a final Sunday which in many ways became a homecoming Sunday for many of us that had a part in the life of that body. Many stories were shared and a few tears shed. In the end, it was a commissioning service.
For a season, each of these bodies was a little foretaste of heaven on earth. Like the church in Jerusalem in the Book of Acts, these churches were functional examples of Christ's love and the members impacted the communities around them. While that is a beautiful thing, it took God allowing persecution for the Diaspora (the dispersion) to happen. All of sudden the Apostles were dispersed to the four corners of the earth and the Kingdom of God was advanced in places that might have never heard the Gospel otherwise.
So it is with sadness, yet a feeling of God's purpose that we say goodby to these three churches and we say hello to His calling wherever it is that He has sent us. Let's take all that we have recieved freely and give it freely.
In looking back, all three of these churches were instrumental in the lives of countless people. Many accepted Christ there for the first time and many more got to know the person of the Holy Spirit as an active, personal presence in their everyday lives. Families grew up together and infants are now adults serving Him with passion and dedication.
While there is a sadness that goes along with seeing these churches close, there is also a sense of accomplishment in the knowledge that in their seasons these bodies made a difference and God was glorified through them.
All three closed for different reasons. At least in the case of the Clearwater Vineyard there was a final Sunday which in many ways became a homecoming Sunday for many of us that had a part in the life of that body. Many stories were shared and a few tears shed. In the end, it was a commissioning service.
For a season, each of these bodies was a little foretaste of heaven on earth. Like the church in Jerusalem in the Book of Acts, these churches were functional examples of Christ's love and the members impacted the communities around them. While that is a beautiful thing, it took God allowing persecution for the Diaspora (the dispersion) to happen. All of sudden the Apostles were dispersed to the four corners of the earth and the Kingdom of God was advanced in places that might have never heard the Gospel otherwise.
So it is with sadness, yet a feeling of God's purpose that we say goodby to these three churches and we say hello to His calling wherever it is that He has sent us. Let's take all that we have recieved freely and give it freely.
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