Twenty Nine (For Real This Time)

Edgar Allen Poe once stated, “Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears.” This quote captures my daily thoughts as we continue to move closer to September. Excitement may be an understatement too! I am continually amazed how God puts all the pieces together and allows me to participate. I had a pastor in my office this week of a church in McCordsville who feels the same sense of urgency and anticipation as I do. God is getting ready to do something incredible through His people and we just need to be ready, willing, and obedient to be on the front lines. The times are a changing and it is very exciting!

As I look at where we are now versus eleven weeks ago, God has done some pretty cool things in our early stages of development. By contrast, an eleven week old fetus has already developed toes, eyes, ears, fingernails, and lips. The body is coming together to carry out specific functions for growth and survival. Hamilton Village too is starting to take shape as a couple of core families have been identified. The leadership team will be essential for the growth and survival of the new church in the upcoming days and months. What each family brings to the group with spiritual gifts, abilities, and passion will serve as the vessels for the Holy Spirit to work and move in and around us.

I am reminded of Paul’s letters to the Corinthians when he reminds them that each has been blessed with a spiritual gift but not the same gift. How boring and detrimental! If we all possessed the same gift how would there be substantial growth? If the makeup of the church was the same, it would only attract those with that gift or those who potentially had that gift. And if they came to realize they didn’t have that gift, how would they fit in? That is why I think there is less likely a chance for unity if we all had the same gift, because we would be jockeying for the same tasks and trying to find relevance in the ministry. This is why Paul used the human body as an analogy in his teaching about spiritual gifts. It seems ridiculous for the ear to say to the mouth it is not needed or wanted. It seems absurd to think that the foot could say to the eye we don’t need you. The parts make up the whole and function as one body. I’m glad our bodies function the way they do, that each body part only does what the head/brain tells it to do. Unfortunately the body of Christ does not operate like this all the time. Personal preferences and opinions get in the way of unity and functionality. The body of Christ functions at its best when it is dialed in to the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit to accomplish the will and direction of the Father rather than individual preferences.

Hamilton Village’s functionality is what stirs within me. The tears of excitement that I find myself occasionally wiping away are from a sensitive soul that appreciates the development I see and knowing what is at stake and how eternal all of this really is. It really is a thing of beauty to watch God work in a way that can only be explained as the working of God through the Holy Spirit. And just think we are still twenty-nine weeks away from our first service.